USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Lancaster > History of the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts : from the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 > Part 45
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" GENTLEMEN :- In the early years of my life, I was very often at the house of Capt. Samuel Ward of your town, my mother's brother-in-law, and the very intimate friend of my father. Indeed, his house was almost a second home to me. The town was in those days the best possible specimen of an old-fashioned New England town. It had even then a small public library, to which Capt. Ward was a donor. Though I have not been there for more than fifty-five years, I re- member vividly and affectionately the loveliness of the coun- try, its rich intervale, as it was called, its brooks, and fields, and hills, as well as its minister, my father's bosom friend.
" When I went to college, Capt. Ward took part in defray- ing my quarterly college bills, and being unwilling that the generous act should come to an end with him or with me, I have deposited with my friend, Mr. N. Thayer, the sum of one thousand dollars for the benefit of the Lancaster town library, to be called the Capt. Samuel Ward library fund, the income only to be expended year by year, for the purchase of books in the department of history, leaving the word to be interpreted in the very largest sense. In case of diminution of the capi- tal, the fund to be made good out of its income.
" I ask the town of Lancaster to accept this fund in the form of a permanent trust.
"I remain, gentlemen, with the highest respect, your friend, GEORGE BANCROFT."
The second paper is a Memorandum expressing the views of Mr. Bancroft in regard to the kind of books for which the income is to be expended. The title of the paper is a " Mem- orandum for Mr. Thayer." It is inserted here for future guid- ance.
" The idea of a library trust fund I like. Ward is not defi- nite enough. I think it should be 'The Captain Samuel Ward
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Library Trust Fund.' * * I wish you to invest the money at once safely in a seven or six per cent. stock or bond, or whatever you think best, at your own discretion ; only if you pay a premium for it, I want the premium to be discharged out of income, so that when the fund comes to be used, it may be unembarrassed. I wish also any waste of the capital to be made good in like manner out of the income.
" Then I do not want the income to be spent for novels ; and to avoid what might seem a censure on those who buy them for public libraries, I designate a class of books for which I wish the money spent, namely, History, in the largest sense, without limit as to country, or town, or individual, or science, or literature, or manufactures, or commerce, or church, or peace, or war, or opinion, or anything else about which his- tory can be written.
GEORGE BANCROFT."
These communications having been read in town meeting, on motion of Mr. Thayer, a vote was unanimously passed, gratefully accepting the liberal donation of Mr. Bancroft, under the title of " The Bancroft Library Fund in memory of Captain Samuel Ward." It was also voted to instruct the library committee to send a vote of thanks to the donor.
Thus an act of kindness done to a boy, a half century ago, has borne fruit in perpetuating an honorable name, and in providing for the instruction and enjoyment of the youth of this town in all future generations.
CHAPTER XXIII.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCHES DURING THE LAST FORTY YEARS.
THE religious history of Lancaster heretofore has been con- cerned with a single church, and its connection with the town as a parish. The main current of ecclesiastical narrative now divides into four or five channels. We shall follow their course rapidly, making a brief note of events on the way.
I. THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL OR UNITARIAN CHURCH.
In about half a year after the decease of Dr. Thayer, his successor, Rev. Edmund H. Sears, was heard, called and settled. The services of installation took place on the twenty-third of December, 1840. The following churches were repre- sented in the Council, viz., Bolton, Marlborough, South- borough, Northborough, Leominster, Fitchburg, Shirley, Groton, Grafton, Sterling, Leicester, Worcester, Littleton, Harvard, Beverly, Framingham, Second Church in Boston, and Harvard University. The order of exercises was as fol- lows. Introductory Prayer and Reading the Scriptures, by Rev. Alonzo Hill, of Worcester; Sermon, by Rev. Henry Ware, jr., D.D. ; Prayer of Installation, by Rev. Isaac Allen ; Charge, by Rev. Calvin Lincoln, of Fitchburg ; Fellowship of the Churches, by Rev. R. P. Stebbins ; Address to the Society, by Rev. Chandler Robbins, of Boston ; Concluding Prayer, by Rev. Christopher T. Thayer, of Beverly.
The pastorate which begun happily was continued harmo- niously and usefully about six and one-half years. There were
565
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
but a few salient points requiring notice, as the most useful ministerial connections are generally free from the troubles which make history.
Early in the ministry of Mr. Sears, requests were presented for private admission to the church by persons who could not be present in public, either because of sickness, or distance. For example, Mrs. Eliza Ann Wilson requested that she might be " privately admitted to the church, and that private baptism be administered to her children, she being very sick, and unable to attend public worship." A similar request was made in behalf of Abel W. Rugg and his children, that baptism might be administered to the children at home, be- cause of his sickness and inability to attend public worship. These and similar requests were complied with, sometimes with a vote of sympathy.
Cases of a different kind occur, as that of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sears, of Sandisfield, who desired to be admitted to the church by privately assenting to the Covenant, " they living remote, and being unable to be present, and there be- ing no church in their vicinity with which they could con- scientiously be united."
Dea. Samuel F. White died, March 16, 1843, and in the following December, Br. William Stearns was unanimously chosen his successor.
An effort was made early in the ministry of Mr. Sears to raise the tone of spirituality in the church and congregation. All his labors tended to that result, as he was a man of deep and earnest convictions, in which regard he made progress during his whole life. At a meeting, February 4, 1844, a committee was chosen to " consider what may be done far- ther to promote the prosperity of the church, and produce more of Christian fellowship among its members." The com- mittee were Deacons Bancroft, Osgood and Stearns, and Brs. Ebenezer Bragg, Luke Bigelow and Henry Wilder.
The report presented by this committee, probably written by the pastor, is an interesting paper, and well worth re-pro-
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SPIRITUALITY IN THE CHURCH.
ducing, if the limits of this chapter would admit of it. It concluded with several Resolves. The first reads as follows : " It is highly desirable there should be a more perfect Chris- tian fellowship among the members of this church, and that our Covenant requires a more frequent and friendly inter- course with each other." The second provides for a monthly meeting of the church on the evening of the Sabbath ; the first on the evening of the communion Sabbath, and the next in the alternate month. All who might desire to become mem- bers of the church, were invited to attend the meetings on the alternate Sabbath evenings. All these meetings were to be so spent as to " cultivate a spirit of devotion." It was. recom- mended that the members of the church should meet occasion- ally at each other's houses, for " prayer and mutual conference, and for free conversation upon religious subjects." In addi- tion, a committee was appointed to converse with such mem- bers as had "habitually walked disorderly," in relation to their "standing with the church." At each meeting the mem- bers to be invited to " contribute each a small sum as a charity to be employed for the comfort and benefit of such members as might desire it, or for any other worthy object of benevo- lence."
The report was accepted, and each resolution was voted upon separately, and unanimously adopted. The deacons were chosen as a committee to visit and converse with those whose life and conduct were not exemplary.
A vote was passed on the second of February, 1846, to raise a sum not less than fifty dollars, of which not less than thirty dollars should be "appropriated for the support of a scholarship in the Meadville, Pa., Theological School ;" and the rest for a charity fund for the benefit of the poor of the church. A committee was chosen to receive voluntary contributions, who reported at a subsequent meeting that they had received $56.12, and had sent " thirty dollars to Rev. J. F. Clark in trust for the Meadville school," leaving $26.12 for the charity fund. Forty-eight members contributed.
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
The pastorate of Mr. Sears was terminated by the state of his health, which forbade his continued charge of a large par- ish. Under date of April 1, 1847, is the following entry in the Records. "I close this day my ministry with the first church of Christ in Lancaster, after a connexion of six years and four months. The following is a summary of its records Additions to the church, 56; Baptisms, 80; Deaths, 151; Marriages, 50. E. H: SEARS."
Mr. Sears made an impression in this place which the lapse of years has not effaced. He was held in the highest estima- tion, and was always welcomed whenever he returned to visit his former friends and parishioners. His labors as a pastor and an author, after leaving, made him one of the most use- ful and eminent men in his connection. The occasional ser- mons and hymns which came from his facile and elegant pen, carried his influence far beyond his personal presence ; and his most elaborate work, "The Gospel of John the Heart of Christ," bids fair to hold a permanent place in religious liter- ature. His sympathies as a man and a Christian were much wider than any denominational lines, and his writings have been much valued by evangelical believers of every name.
The ministry of Mr. Sears closed on the first day of April, and that of his successor began early in the succeeding Au- gust. The Letter Missive calling a Council reads : " having invited the Rev. GEORGE M. BARTOL to settle among us, and become our Pastor, and he having accepted our invitation, we have appointed Wednesday, the fourth day of August next, for the ceremony of Ordination." John M. Washburn, Ezra Sawyer and Luke Bigelow were the committee. Twenty churches were invited to be present by pastor and delegate. Sixteen churches in the county, including all in the neighbor- ing towns, were in the number; Shirley in Middlesex, and one in Beverly, Boston and Portland, Me., each.
The Council met in the Lancaster House, and organized by the choice of Rev. Joseph Allen of Northboro' as moder- ator, and Rev. Thomas Allen of Sterling as scribe. Thirty-
569
ORDINATION OF REV. GEORGE M. BARTOL.
two pastors and delegates were present. The following was then read as the action of the Society in Lancaster : "voted, unanimously, that the parish do give a Call to Rev. Mr. Bar- tol, to become their pastor." The reply of Mr. Bartol was then read by the scribe.
" Boston, June 19, 1847. My Christian Friends : I have given to the proposal of the Unitarian Society in Lancaster, by you, their committee, my most serious consideration. I beg that you will not deem me wanting in a proper sensibil- ity to this mark of confidence and esteem on the part of those whom you represent. I return my warmest thanks for the invitation, and for the flattering terms with which it was ac- companied. I am happy to accept it, and hereby very respect- fully do so. With fervent prayers that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit may be with you all, I remain, my brethren, in the truth and affection of the Gospel, ever your friend and servant."
Certificates as to the education and Christian standing of the candidate having been presented, the Rev. E. Everett Hale, then of Worcester, moved the following : "that we are satisfied with the above testimonials, and that we are ready to proceed to ordination." The following was the order of service.
Anthem ; Introductory Prayer, by Rev. William H. White, of Littleton ; Reading of the Scriptures, by Rev. Mr. Hale ; Hymn ; Sermon, by Rev. Cyrus A. Bartol, of Boston ; Hymn ; Prayer of Ordination, by Rev. Joseph Allen, of Northboro'; Right Hand of Fellowship, by Rev. C. T. Thayer, of Bever- ly ; Charge, by Rev. Alonzo Hill, of Worcester; Hymn ; Concluding Prayer, by Rev. Mr. Frothingham, of Salem ; Anthem ; Benediction by the Pastor.
Mr. Bartol is a native of Portland, Me., a graduate of Brown University, and of Cambridge Divinity School. Since his ordination, thirty-one years of ministerial life have passed over him, with the usual incidents of a permanent pastorate.
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Marriages, births and deaths have added to and taken from his society, which is respectable and wealthy as at his coming. At the close of twenty-five years, on the fourth of August, 1872, the silver wedding of his connection with the church and parish, was attended by a large and genial party in the town hall, manifesting their esteem for himself and his fan- ily. Remarks were made by Rev. E. H. Sears, his prede- cessor, Rev. A. P. Marvin, then pastor of the Evangelical church, the venerable Rev. B. Whittemore, and others, to whom Mr. Bartol happily responded. Prayer and singing were interspersed, and the occasion was one to be held in pleasant remembrance.
This church, during the two hundred and eighteen years of its history, has had eight pastors, including the Rev. Andrew Gardner, and the present incumbent, and has never dismiss- ed one except Mr. Sears, and then reluctantly in compliance with his request. Mr. Rowlandson, after twenty-two years of faithful labor, was deprived of his pastorate by the de- struction of the town. Mr. Whiting and Mr. Gardner met a tragical fate in Indian raids. Mr. Prentice began to preach in 1705, and died in 1748. In the latter year, he was suc- ceeded by Mr. Harrington, whose ministry continued until 1795. Mr. Thayer was his colleague about two years, and sole pastor to the summer of 1840. Thus these three ven- erable men filled a term of one hundred and thirty-five years of continuous service as pastors of the same church. The present pastor, living in times of change, has seen, with rare exceptions, every pulpit, of every denomination, in the re- gion round, occupied by successive ministers, whose power for usefulness has been, in many cases, weakened by the fickle- ness of the people. The record is honorable to the church, and to the parish and the town with which it has been con- nected, during nearly seven generations of men.
The church was in connection with the town as a parish from 1660 till the Second Precinct was formed, when the church and the First Precinct were united. When Sterling
571
ORGANIZATION OF THE UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY.
became a town, Lancaster resumed its parochial functions, which continued till near the close of the ministry of Dr. Thayer.
In the year 1866, the meeting-house was somewhat altered and improved in the interior. The frescoing in particular, is very elegant and appropriate.
II. THE UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY.
The exact date of the first Universalist preaching in Lan- caster might be hard to find, but there is evidence that it was in the year 1837, and at the house of J. M. Damon, near the Whittemore place. The organization of the First Universal- ist Society is a matter of record. A preliminary meeting was held, January 16, 1838, at the town-house by inhabit- ants of this town and vicinity. John Hawkes called the meeting to order. Capt. Joseph Whitney was chosen mod- erator, and J. M. Damon, clerk. A prudential committee of three was chosen in "relation to further support of preach- ing by Universalists in this town." The committee were Ben- jamin Wilder, Joseph Whitney and Sidney Harris. Each member of the committee was to circulate a subscription pa- per to raise funds, and Benjamin Wilder was elected treasu- rer. The treasurer reported that the "funds were adequate to pay all demands up to this date," besides a small sum to be collected. This proves that services had been held pre- vious to the organization. An invitation was extended to singers to take part in the exercises.
Another meeting was held, March 7, when it was voted by those present, John Hawkes being chairman, that " we form ourselves into a body to be known and denominated the First Universalist Society in Lancaster, for the purpose of extend- ing a knowledge of faith as held by Universalists, and the support of public worship in this town." Accordingly J. M. Damon was directed to present a petition and procure a war- rant authorizing a legal meeting. The warrant was issued by Nathaniel Rand, Justice of the Peace, and under this
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
warrant, a meeting was held in the town-house, April 3, over which Mr. Rand presided. The officers of the society were elected as follows. Josiah Fay, clerk ; R. S. Pope, moder- ator; Joseph Whitney, James Wheeler and J. P. Nourse, prudential committee; Benj. G. Wilder, treasurer ; John Bennett, collector. Measures were taken to raise money by subscription for the support of preaching. R. S. Pope, James Wheeler and J. M. Damon were chosen a committee to draft a Constitution.
This committee reported to a meeting held on the thirtieth of April, when the Constitution was accepted without amend- ment. It is not necessary to give this document at length, but its purpose and spirit may be indicated. In the preamble we read as follows. "We the subscribers, feeling desirous to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, do hereby form ourselves into a society that we may be helpers to each other." The object was stated to be " the promotion of truth and morality among its mem- bers, and also in the world at large," and as the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is " calculated, above all truth, to inspire the heart with the emotions of benevolence and virtue," the members were in favor of supporting the preaching of that gospel, and in any other practicable way to spread a knowl- edge of it among men. Any person might be admitted, on application, by a majority vote, provided he sustained a " good moral character."
It was regarded as the "duty of every member to adorn the doctrine of the Lord Jesus with a holy life and conver- sation ; " to aid in supporting the society, and to attend on its public services. An habitual neglect of either of these duties was "regarded as a sufficient reason for striking the name of any member from the roll by a vote of the majority." There were fifty-eight signers to the Constitution, though some of the signers were not original members. Of these, twenty were females.
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PROGRESS OF THE SOCIETY.
From this date meetings were held annually, when officers were chosen, and measures taken to sustain preaching and public worship, until the year 1855, when the matter of " pro- curing preaching for the present year," was left to the pru- dential committee. During this year the society was much weakened, by the loss of twenty-one members, whose names were stricken from the rolls, either because of their remo- val from the town, or their neglect to pay for the support of preaching.
It does not appear that public worship was statedly held after this time, and members still living state that the removal of many, as well as divisions among the remainder, led to a sus- pension of measures for the vigorous support of the society.
During several years, however, the society was flourishing, and the meetings were attended by a considerable audience. In time a neat and convenient house of worship was erected in New Boston. This was the center of the families who be- longed to the society, as quite a portion of the congregation was from the village of Clintonville.
In 1858 the house was sold to the state and removed to the Old Common, where it became the chapel of the State In- dustrial School for Girls. The ministers who preached for the society, and led in their devotions, were, first, Rev. R. S. Pope, who held services, as said above, at the house of Mr. Damon. That house has been removed to a spot near the Dyer place, but at the time stood midway between the Whittemore place and the corner of the road. The company becoming too numerous for the rooms, Benjamin Wilder, then treasurer of the society, had an article inserted in the warrant for the November meeting, to see if the town would grant the use of the town-house for public services. The request. was rejected, one prominent man giving the reason, that if granted, the Orthodox would be wanting it next. However, the matter was reconsidered. Davis Whitman, Esq., a re- tired merchant from Boston, who had lived many years in town, and a leading man in the first parish, took an earnest stand
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
in favor of the application, and by a combination of the Uni- versalists, Orthodox, and more liberal Unitarians, the town voted the use of the hall for religious purposes.
The next minister was Rev. Lucius R. Page, since, D. D., who was then employed by the printing house of Carter & Andrews as a proof-reader. He lived in the Dr. Lincoln house. He was engaged as a preacher about three years ; sometimes holding meetings in the hall, and at other times in the Academy. .
Then came the Rev. John Harriman, who also conducted services in the Academy building. Another minister was the Rev. J. S. Palmer.
About this time, that is, in 1848, the Rev. Benjamin Whit- temore, D. D., became the pastor. His labors were contin- ued several years, and he was the last stated minister of the society.
The meeting-house, which was neatly cushioned, carpeted and furnished, making it a convenient place of worship, stood on the east side of the main street in South Lancaster. The exact position was at the east end of the lane which opens between the houses of Warren Wilson and Charles Lawrence.
III. THE EVANGELICAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
The Orthodox or Evangelical Congregationalists of Lan- caster, were organized as a church, on the twenty-second day of May, 1839. The Rev. Asa Packard, a retired clergyman, who had been settled in Marlborough, then resided in what has long been known as the Capt. Jacob Fisher house. In that house the Council met, and instituted the church. But before citing the doings of the Council, and detailing the his- tory of the church, a few words will be needed in showing the steps which led to this result.
Mr. Thayer was a Liberal Christian at the time of his settlement. The church and the community were in a measure prepared to receive and retain him as such, though there were
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A DEMAND FOR EVANGELICAL PREACHING.
individuals who still adhered to the doctrinal belief of the former generations. After the lapse of twenty years, in which a new generation had grown up, there were not, perhaps, a half dozen Orthodox Congregational families in the town. The pastor of the only church in the place, was the minister of the town, and his preaching satisfied the demands of his par- ishioners, with few exceptions. There were three or four Bap- tist families, including Dea. Haven, living on the Old Com- mon. There were, perhaps, twice as many families, to whom the ancient formulas, and the ancestral worship, were dear, who sighed for what they considered more earnest and scrip- tural preaching. What was true of Lancaster, was also true in regard to nearly all the towns in the valley of the Nashua.
But a change began to show itself about sixty years since. The demand for evangelical preaching, for prayer meetings, for family worship, and for more direct efforts to promote piety, began to be heard. This met with stern, and some- times discreditable opposition. The Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury, then a student, and afterwards an honored and useful mis- sionary among the Cherokee Indians, came to Lancaster about the year 1818, to visit friends. He held a few neighborhood meetings, when a plot was formed by " certain lewd fellows of the baser sort," to " ride him on a rail" out of town. The plot failed, and doubtless was frowned upon by all decent people. A young woman came on a visit to a sick friend, and by Christian conversation, awakened a spirit of opposi- tion almost incredible at the present time.
About the year 1825, the Rev. Mr. Brown, a Baptist min- ister, called on Dr. Thayer with an urgent request that he might have the use of his pulpit on the Sabbath. The Doc- tor treated him with his habitual courtesy, but other arrange- ments prevented the granting of the request. In consequence, Mr. Brown arranged for an open air meeting on a week day. He gave notice of a meeting, in the afternoon, in the Cem- etery on the Old Common. According to the narratives of two aged men, who were present, the meeting was composed
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