USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Carver > History of the town of Carver, Massachusetts : historical review, 1637-1910 > Part 5
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March 1, 1742-43 the Precinct voted to postpone action on the minister's salary and the following September 40 pounds were raised for "supplying the pulpit." There was trouble between preacher and people and this was the outcome. At a church meeting December 6, Rev. Mr. Campbell was dis- missed. A Precinct meeting was summoned December 26 to see if the Precinct would concur in the action of the church. Each faction pulled the political string with an artistic hand; great excitement prevailed throughout the Precinct; and expectations of a sensation filled the meeting house on the day of the public meeting.
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Capt. Barnabas Shurtleff was chosen moderator and in calling the meeting to order he enquired to know if anyone had anything to say against the warrant. There being no response to this chal- lenge he added: "Here is a paper put in by James Shaw and others directed to no person, no meeting nor no date and therefore the moderator will take no notice of it."
The main question was then put, that is to see if the Precinct would concur in the action of the church in dismissing Rev. Mr. Campbell. In the eagerness of both factions to win many voted who were not legally entitled to that privilege and the moderator refused to count the hands. In this predicament he ordered the house divided, those favoring concurrence in the women's seats and those opposed in the men's seats, and the women's seats containing the majority of the freeholders he declared for concurrence. Joseph Bridgham, Elisha Lucas, Abel Crocker, John Shaw, Samuel Shaw and Samuel Jackson were named as a com- mittee to procure a new minister.
In the passions of the contest the Precinct voted not to pay the charges of the Council of Churches but wisely reconsidered the action the following January when the necessary appropri- ation was made and Ensign NathanielAtwood in- structed to act with the treasurer in adjusting the dispute with Rev. Mr. Campbell. But the breach between Mr. Campbell and the Precinct authori- ties was too wide to be bridged by local hands and the minister appealed to the courts. Capt. Barnabas Shurtleff and Joseph Bridgham were selected to
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represent the Precinct at the May session of the "Peace" "or at any other court he may rest his case." Mr. Campbell lost his case in the lower court and appealed to the Superior Court of As- sizes which entered his appeal and continued it much to the chagrin of the anti-Campbell faction.
The case was thoroughly discussed in the Pre- cinct and the antis expressed their minds freely over what appeared to them the injustice in the assumption of jurisdiction by the Superior Court. A. special Precinct meeting was called when At- wood and Bridgham were instructed to appeal to the Great and General Court for "help and relief from the burden and difficulty we labor under" as a result of allowing this case to go beyond the general sessions of the peace. Mr. Campbell won a judgment but the Precinct refused to submit and the matter was continued until 1748 when a second appeal was made to the General Court for assist- ance in settling with Mr. Campbell and "to com- pel him to give up the church records." Nothing resulted from this move and in 1751 the committee had reached an agreement with their ex-minister by allowing him 10 pounds in addition to the court's allowance. This agreement was subse- quently ratified by the Precinct and the matter was closed.
After the dismissal of Rev. Mr. Campbell there was no settled minister in the Precinct until the ordination of John Howland. In April, 1745, the church voted a call to Lemuel Briant to which the Precinct concurred the following month with a salary of 46 pounds and 5s. A committee was
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THE SOUTH CARVER SCHOOL HOUSE
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named to acquaint Mr. Briant of the proceedings and the meeting adjourned one month. At the adjourned meeting a settlement was voted Mr. Briant and there he drops from the records. The following January John Howland was called by the church, the Precinct concurred February 8th with a salary of £46 1s the first year and an "honorable support thereafter." Perhaps we can see in Mr. Howland's answer something of the character of this truly remarkable man.
To ye Chh. and Congregation in ye South part of Plympton, Gentlemen-In as much as God in his Providence has been pleased to Prosper My Poore Labors among you as to Incline your Souls to Give Me a Call to ye Worke of ye Gospel Min- istry among you and after Given Thanks to God for - ye hearts of ye People Towards men and having maturely Considered on ye Proposition I Do Accept of your Call Expecting such a Main- tenance as ye Gospel allows to Those that Waite att ye Alter, that Accepting of ye Salery as Voted with your finding of me my Wood Praying that the Grate Sherard wold - the little Vine which he hath Planted and be Mindful of his Little Flock and build you up into Spiritual House and Restore unto it its former Peace- and Unity, that brotherly love may not only continue but increase, that all strife envy and evil worke may be put. away, that we may be so Blessed and Prospered that he that soweth and he that Reapeth may be one. Desiring a remembrance in your prayer that I may make full proof of my Ministry and so take
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Heed to myself and doctrine so that after I have Preached to others I myself may not be cast away. I rest yours in all sincere Love and Respect.
Plympton, June 21, 1746.
John Howland.
Mr. Howland had preached to the people at in- tervals since the retirement of Rev. Mr. Campbell but his salary did not begin until July 14, 1746, and that date may be properly named as the be- ginning of his ministry.
There was a wide variation in his salary during his ministry owing to the financial fluctuations of the country. The second year it was increased to £185; the third year to £286; the fourth year dropped to £200; and in 1750 it was dropped to £40, one half of which was to be in supplies. From that period to the Revolutionary disturbances it ranged around £65. In 1778 he was voted £64, but at a special Precinct meeting he was voted an ad- ditional £128. In 1779 his salary was £400 and the year following it jumped to the princely figure of £1800. In 1781 it dropped to £75 in silver. In this varying credit of the country the Precinct became bewildered to such an extent that in 1782 it voted to petition the General Court for instruc- tions and advice respecting the support of the minister. The same year the Precinct voted in despair to give the Collector one silver dollar "in the room of thirty paper ones."
This alarming inflation of prices was not the only obstacle in the path of the peace of the Pre-
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cinct. The Baptists were on the increase and with their increasing strength swelled the mur- murs of discontent with the rates; while the South Meadow people who had built a meeting house in the Southern part of the Precinct were in a con- stant state of rebellion. There had been so much friction with these malcontents that the Precinct voted to petition the General Court for authority to let the people south of the South Meadow river decide for themselves whether they would belong to the old church.
Rev. John Howland saw the Precinct develop to its zenith and enter its decline. He saw his coun- try pass through trying ordeals; the government overthrown by revolution; the powers of the Pre- cinct melting away one by one; yet through all of these vicissitudes he seems never to have lost his supreme faith.
In 1794 John Bennett of Rochester, dissatisfied with the doctrine preached in his church, peti- tioned to become a member of the South Precinct of Plympton by virtue of a small tract of marsh meadow owned by him within the limits of the Precinct. In 1799 John Samson, Isaac Shaw, Isaac Mann, Jr., John Bryant, Joshua Perkins and Elkanah Shaw, petitioned the General Court to set them within the jurisdiction of the First Precinct of Middleboro. These mutineers resided in the Rocky Meadow district and their petition was opposed. The committee authorized to act for the Precinct was instructed to settle with the petitioners, provided it could come to an agree- ment by sacrificing Samson and Shaw.
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During the last quarter of the eighteenth cen- tury, opposition to the rates developed strength rapidly. The Revolution, the Constitution and the incorporation of the town of Carver gave strength to newer methods of church government and the old regime, recognizing the strength of the opposition, made frequent abatements. While the Precinct was not legally dead until 1833, the dawn of the 19th century saw its surrender to public sentiment for its power had waned, its Assessors powerless and its rate bills optional with the tax payer. Annual remittances of the taxes against the Baptists and the South Meadow people were made and amounts raised to cover the deficiency. Not infrequently the Precinct voted to assess those who would volunteer to pay the assessment and so the custom of supporting the minister by voluntary subscriptions came in robed in the raiment of the old order. In 1806 for the first time, the Precinct voted to pass the contribution box after services every Sunday evening.
Through all of these vicissitudes is stamped the greatness of Rev. John Howland. When his people were blessed with abundance he shared in their blessings; when they were pinched by poverty or shaken by financial disturbances he shared in their misfortunes. To carry his people through hard years, he volunteered to take a re- duced salary or to accept a part of it in "corn, rye, or any other provisions which he might want and which his people could spare." Thus for sixty years he stood as a bulwark of faith in prosperity
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and in adversity, and in the dissensions among his people his voice seems to have been for peace and his sincerity never questioned. Perhaps it was one of his rewards to give up his life before the actual dismemberment of his church.
And now arose the question of selecting a suc- cessor to the venerable Howland. Calls were voted Lothrop Thompson, Daniel Thomas and Gaines Conant but they all ended in failure. In January, 1807, Rev. John Shaw accepted a call and became the third settled minister of the Precinct. He was ordained October 7 by the fol- lowing Council : Rev. Samuel Niles and Deacon Jacob Pool, Abington; Rev. Joseph Barker and Deacon Perez Thomas, Middleboro; Rev. Noble Everett and Capt. Jeremiah Bumpus, Wareham; Rev. Adoniram Judson and Maj. Benjamin War- ren, Plymouth; Rev. Jonathan Strong and Deacon William Linfield, Randolph; Rev. James Kendall and Benjamin Whiting, Plymouth; Rev. Abel Richmond and Deacon Jacob Thompson, Halifax; Rev. Asa Mead and Deacon David Edson, Bridge- water.
With the ministry of Shaw began the dissolu- tion of the Precinct, although attempts were periodically made to prolong its life. At regular and special meetings the question of holding por- tions of the services in the South Meeting house, and later in the Central Meeting house furnished a bone of contention for half a century. While the troubles of the Precinct were carried into town meetings the town as a whole remained impartial and the last days of the Precinct and the first days
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of the Parish were marked by a succession of struggles, compromises and defeats for those who heroically strove to maintain the old regime.
In 1808 the minister was instructed to preach one-third of the time in the South Meeting house, and a committee named to see where the centre of the town would fall. Such attempts to establish one church in town were moves of the insurgents and opposed by the old guard. The year follow- ing the mutineers stayed at home on election day, while the Precinct without opposition voted that every ratable man be taxed and the collector was instructed to "try and see what he can collect." At this meeting it was voted to put out the collec- tion of taxes in the South part of the Precinct to the lowest bidder, but there was no bid. The next move was to elect Jesse Murdock collector at a commission of 20 cents per pound, but Murdock declined the offer, and another committee was named to find someone who would serve the Precinct as Collector. . This committee reported its inability of finding anyone who would accept the position and the meeting adjourned. At a meeting in November following Maj. Nehemiah Cobb, an uncompromising leader of the old church, volunteered to collect the taxes against these rebellious Southrons, but he was not successful and the following January the rates against forty- eight men who had paid towards the support of the Baptist minister were remitted by a margin of five votes and against a written protest signed by 28 of the old guard.
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In 1811 James Vaughan and Thomas Ham- mond, a committee to consult in matters pertain- ing to taxation and to make proposals to the Baptists, reported that they were unable to find a committee of the new society that was willing to confer, and the following year the Precinct voted to circulate a subscription paper to see how much could be pledged for the salary of the minister, Rev. Mr. Shaw having consented to re- main another year for what volunteer subscrip- tions could be obtained. In 1813 the birth of the donation party occurred, when by vote the day after Thanksgiving was set apart as a day when anyone so disposed could meet at the residence of the minister with their own choice by way of contribution.
In 1816 the standing committee was instructed to meet a committee of the Southern society to apportion the money raised for preaching and also to "persuade those of the Baptist denomina- tion to take proper measures to be set off or to be taxed by the Precinct."
In 1824 the Centre meeting house having been erected, the Precinct voted that all persons south of the Plains have preaching in their own meeting house in proportion to what they subscribed for the support of the minister. Undaunted by numberless defeats, a new committee was chosen to circulate a paper for the purpose of seeing how many would volunteer to pay their taxes. But revolutions do not run backwards, and the old method of supporting the pulpit by com- pulsory taxation was dead forever. Recognizing
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finally in 1825 that further efforts to revive the ancient regime were useless, a special meeting was called in July, which voted to pass subscrip- tion papers for the support of preaching in the North and Central churches. This plan worked so satisfactorily that the next year the South was taken into the plan, and Jabez Sherman for the North, Capt. Lothrop Barrows for the Centre, and Deacon Asaph Washburn for the South were named as a soliciting committee to raise funds for the support of preaching in their respective churches. The annual meeting for 1827 was held in the Central building, and the two societies united for that year.
As it is true that the Precinct was dead long before it was abolished by legislative enactment, it is also true that the Parish was in existence before it was formally adopted as a custom. The old died and the new was born in a common twilight, when the ideal of the fathers blended in the ideal of the sons. The last Precinct meeting was held October 18, 1830, and the first Parish meeting March 28, 1831.
There were radicals and conservatives in that conflict. The conservatives held relentlessly to the old way, the radicals as stoutly for a change. Be- tween these extremes there appears a strong faction whose purpose was to hold the Precinct together in one strong compact and in whose minds sectarianism held a secondary place. This faction fought and compromised against a di- vision of the church, but the Fates were against them.
BENJAMIN W. ROBBINS From a Photograph taken in 1882
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At a period corresponding with the demise of the Precinct the South disappeared as a disturb- ing factor. Methodism had its birth in that end of the town about 1828, and those unconverted to the doctrine of Wesley were left to shift for themselves. This faction controlled the South Meeting house, but it lacked the soul to give it life, and save occasional efforts there was no organized church work until the Union society was organized in 1853.
But for another quarter century after the passing of the Precinct the union under the Parish between the North and Central societies continued. Both societies had the use of church buildings, both were positive forces in the com- munity, both were ambitious to keep their houses open for public worship, but each was too poor financially to stand alone.
This policy of union, desirable as it seemed to many, in the development of sectarian matters at that age, was unnatural. The tendency of the age was against it, and gradually we see the societies; drifting apart.
No language can present this cleavage in a. more eloquent manner than that presented by the Parish votes. With a few notable exceptions the Parish meetings were held in the North meeting house, and the old society leaders disliked to yield to the extent of holding any of the services in the Central building, however much policy may have pointed out the wisdom of such a course. And yielding to this demand for a while one-third of the services were held at the Centre; then
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one-third during nine months of the year; then one-third for six months of the year; then one meeting in every seventh; then one-third for five months of the year. In 1853 nine services were held in the Central building, and in 1854, the year that witnessed the end of the union it was voted to hold one-sixth of the services in the Centre church provided that society would pay for them. Thus ended the union of the two societies and long before the Parish was abolished it had relinquished all claims to the outlying districts, confining its jurisdiction to the northern end of the town with a section of Middleboro, and came to be known as the church and society of North Carver.
There were practical reasons why the Parish should remain intact and when the societies parted the question of supporting a minister be- came a serious problem for both. At times there was no settled minister over the old society and its meeting house had become so poor that it was the main fact that led to the resignation of Rev. Stillman Pratt. From this time to the end of the career of the Parish its annual meetings were stereotyped affairs - simply the election of offi- cers and a vote to leave the affairs of the Parish in the hands of the Standing Committee. There were years when no Parish meetings were held the management of its former duties having been assumed by the church. Thus the Parish, like its predecessor the Precinct, yielded by force of cir- cumstances to newer methods of church govern- ment. From 1896 to 1903 there was no Parish
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meeting, and in 1903 a meeting was called for the purpose of deeding the church building, Parish meadow and woodlot to the church, and in 1907 the final act - a vote to abolish the Parish.
The material body of the Precinct was similar to that of our modern town. A moderator was chosen to preside at the meeting and its adjourn- ments, and the annual meeting was held in March. At the beginning of the meeting an auditing com- mittee was chosen to examine the account of the treasurer, and as the account was brief the audi- tors finished their duty and reported before a new treasurer was chosen.
A standing committee, annually elected, was the executive arm of the Precinct, bearing the relation to its affairs that a board of Selectmen holds in the affairs of a town.
Assessors were annually chosen who assessed the poles and estates for the support of the church. The Baptist church was the first to attack the work of the assessors holding it unfair to tax one for the support of a doctrine foreign to his belief. In the latter days of the Precinct it was voted to apply to the courts for authority for the assessors to enforce their decrees, an authority they already held but which had become obsolete through public sentiment.
The position of a collector was an undesirable one and not until 1764 did one of these publicans succeed himself. So unpopular was this official as sentiments changed, that frequent special meet- ings were necessary to fill the vacancy caused by the declination of the elected officer, and twice at
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least the Precinct voted to prosecute its collector for declining to qualify. Consider Chase seems to have been imbued with peculiar taste or quali- fications for this position, and he was several times accepted after endeavoring to fasten the duties on some other candidate.
The years 1743 and 1744, no assessments having been made, there was no work for a collector, and this situation occurred frequently in later years. Sometimes as a matter of precedent, or law, a collector was chosen and the Precinct voted that in the event of any work falling to him he "should be honorably rewarded." The compensation of this official varied. Sometimes he was agreed with for a stated amount; sometimes he was voted a commission; sometimes the collections were put up at auction; and once at least the Collector volunteered to do the work for what he could col- lect from people who resided outside of the Pre- cinct and once also he was paid by subscription among the wealthier residents of the Precinct.
The most serious situation confronting a Col- lector arose in consequence of the inflation attend- ing the Revolutionary finances. The Collector was held responsible for his collections, and after making his collections to find that his money was almost worthless he was in a sea of trouble. To help him out of this dilemma the Precinct voted to fix the ratio with which he could exchange his paper for silver. One Collector who found his receipts heavily loaded with counterfeits, was re- leased on the ground that he "took it ignorantly."
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Frequently, beginning in 1781 when the au- thority of the Precinct had begun to wane through the persistent mutiny of the South Meadow peo- ple, two Collectors were chosen, one for the North and one for the South. To fill the latter position was a difficult undertaking, for that section of the Precinct was solidly opposed to the rates, and it was necessary at times to vote to sustain the Col- lector in the event of a law-suit following his at- tempt, before any one would accept.
Beginning with 1734-35 an agent was annually chosen "to keep the key to the meeting house and see that it was swept." In 1765 this agent was called the sexton, but the 19th century was well under way before this official became permanently known under that designation.
The critic of the twentieth century does not appreciate the importance of the Meeting house of the seventeenth century. The residents were scattered farmers without newspapers, telephones or railroads, and with no communication through the mails. Even horses and carriages were not in common use, roads were rustic and blind, and the travelling was necessarily slow. The custom of meeting at the taverns had not developed and the family really lived in a world by itself unmindful of the wishes or circumstances of its neighbors. It can readily be understood how, under such con- ditions, the Meeting house should be regarded as the first essential of civil government, the centre where the isolated people could meet to learn of each others sorrows and joys, and to transact business of a common concern. And the ser-
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mon, for there was no reading matter available and few could read even if they had the books, and thus to the common people the Bible and the sermon furnished the only message between peo- ple and people. Hence the erection of a Meeting house was essential before a community could be robed in the rights, immunities and powers of a civil body.
In the early days of the 18th century the resi- dents of the South section of the town of Plympton felt the necessity of one of these Meeting houses and in 1731 the initial papers were drawn. The building was to be located on the hill north of the burying ground and the subscriptions, one third in money and two thirds in specie, were payable to Richard Dwelley and Isaac Waterman. The temple was erected according to plan between October, 1731, and December, 1732.
The location of the Meeting house was a bone of contention from the start. While there appears to have been no dissatisfaction over the original site the rapid growth of the Southern section of the new Precinct early gave rise to discontent which became the subject of agitation for upwards of a century. In 1767 a serious attempt was made to move the building to a lot near the Cross Paths, the South Meadow people contending that the Meeting house should be near the centre of population, and as their polling strength ap- proached that of the defenders of the old site they proved a factor to be reckoned with. The ques- tion came to an issue at a Precinct meeting in the year above mentioned when a motion to move the
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