USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Lancaster > History of the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts : from the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 > Part 47
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At a meeting of the church, November 2, 1860, it was voted that a " contribution be taken each communion season to defray the expense of the communion table, and the bal- ance, if any, to be applied to the relief of the poor of the church under the direction of the pastor and deacons." Dea. Charles Wyman was chosen treasurer of the church, and Br. Caleb T. Symmes, auditor.
Remarks were made by the pastor upon the expediency of substituting " The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book " for the " Church Psalmody." No vote is recorded, but the change was made not far from this time.
Br. Leander Rowell was chosen deacon, on the twenty-first
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REV. MESSRS. LAWRENCE AND LEAVITT.
of February, 1864, in place of Dea. Charles Humphrey de- ceased. Dea. Humphrey was held in high respect and esteem by the church and the community.
Mr. Lawrence having asked a release from his pastoral re- lation, the church, on the sixth of March, 1864, voted to unite in calling a council, but deeply regretted the occasion that compelled the pastor to renew his request. It was far- ther voted : "that we tender to him our cordial sympathy, and unite in the hope that the complete restoration of his health may soon permit him, in the fulness of his strength, to resume his labors in the gospel ministry." The church al- so promised to remember him and his family in their prayers that the Great Head of the church might " ever attend them with his gracious guidance and bestow upon each of them his rich blessings." The council was held, of course, but no trace of its action is on the Records. Thirty-one were added during this pastorate ; all but eleven by profession.
Mr. Lawrence since his dismission, has been engaged in pastoral duties, in assisting in the preparation of learned works for the press, and in foreign travel. His present place of residence is Newton.
Various clergymen occupied the pulpit for nearly a year. At one time an effort was made to engage a minister for a year, but this proposition was unsatisfactory. At length, on the twenty-third of February, 1865, a unanimous vote was passed in these words : "that we cordially invite Br. George R. Leavitt, of Lowell, to settle with us in the gospel minis- try." The invitation was accepted.
The ordaining council met, March 29, 1865. The follow- ing churches were invited to be present by pastor and dele- gate. High Street church, Lowell, Rev. Owen Street, pas- tor; Calvinistic church, Fitchburg, Rev. Alfred Emerson ; Church in Harvard, Rev. J. Dodge ; Evangelical, Clinton, Rev. B. Judkins; Church in South Groton, (now Ayer,) Rev. M. C. Stebbins ; Church in Ashby ; Evangelical, Ster- ling, Rev. J. C. Larabee ; Church in Blackstone, Rev. Jona-
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:
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
than E. Edwards ; College Street church, New Haven, Rev. O. T. Lanphear ; Trinitarian church, Fitchburg, Rev. Mr Hutchings ; Free church, Providence, Rev. James C. White ; Rev. Messrs. Lawrence and Ames, resident clergymen, were also invited. Mr. Edwards had been a resident here, several years, before going to Blackstone. At the request of Mr. Leavitt, Rev. Drs. Beckwith, of Boston, and Leavitt, of Providence, were called to the council. The action of the council, and the order of service are not recorded.
At a meeting held, May 5, 1865, after the preparatory lec- ture, it was voted to " take up a contribution for some be- nevolent object once in two months," upon the " first Sabbath after cach communion." This vote is still in force, but the objects of benevolence were subsequently somewhat modi- fied. At the same meeting provision was made for prepar- ing and printing the present " Manual" of the church. The pastor, and the clerk, Br. Spencer R. Merrick, were charged with this service.
The church, at a meeting held at the close of the morning service, October 18, 1868, appointed a committee to sub- mit a plan for the organization of the Sabbath school, and the choice of new officers. On the following Sabbath the committee reported a plan, and the church adopted it, thus making the Sabbath school an institution of the church. This plan was re-enacted in 1872.
Mr. Leavitt resigned early in the year 1870, but none of the proceedings leading to the council are recorded. The minutes of the council, however, are on record. The only reason given to the council why the pastor asked a dismis- sion, was the inadequacy of the salary to meet liis " neces- sary and somewhat peculiar burdens." In sundering the relation the council resolved "that we most cordially recom - mend him to all churches of Christ, as a preacher of supe- rior abilities, as a pastor of abundant labors and conscientious fidelity, and as a Christian of earnest devotion to the Master and his work.
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BIBLE SERVICE.
Sixty-seven members were admitted to the church during the pastorate of Mr. Leavitt ; forty of them by profession of their faith. Mr Leavitt, in the course of a few months, was settled as pastor of the Pilgrim church in Cambridgeport, where his ministrations have been attended with great success.
The Rev. Abijah P. Marvin, then residing in Worcester, supplied the pulpit during the months of February and March, 1870, with the exception of one Sunday. He also was here a few Sabbaths in June and July. He began as Acting Pas- tor on the first Sabbath in October. This relation was con- tinued until May, 1872.
On the fifth of November, 1871, the church voted to use the Hymn and Tune Book entitled the "Tribute of Praise," in the Chapel.
At the same nieeting a committee previously chosen to present a Plan for the " Bible Service " made a report, which was adopted, and followed with much interest and profit for two or three seasons. By this arrangement the Sabbath school was held in the afternoon, instead of during the interval of worship. At the close of the lessons, the pastor made a short address explanatory of any difficult passages in the lesson, and enforcing some prominent truth contained in it. He also led in prayer, and after singing, dismissed the congregation with the benediction. The cause of the discontinuance of the Bible service was this. About three-fifths of the chil- dren belonging to the congregation, lived so far from the meeting-house that they did not return to the afternoon meet- ing. If they were to receive Sabbath school instruction, it was necessary to give it to them at the close of the morning service.
At a meeting of the church, held March 19, 1872, it was " unanimously voted that we extend a Call to Rev. A. P. Marvin to become pastor of this church." The parish con- curring in this action, the invitation was accepted, and the council for installation assembled on the first day of May, 1872. Rev. J. W. Wellman, D. D., of Newton, was chosen
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
moderator, and Rev. William J. Batt, of Leominster, scribe. The parts in the public services were performed as follows.
Invocation and Reading the Scriptures, by Rev. L. D. Mears ; Prayer before Sermon, Rev. S. De Witt Clark ; Ser- mon, Rev. Dr. Wellman ; Installing Prayer, Rev. W. J. Batt ; Charge to the pastor, Rev. Alfred Emerson ; Right Hand of Fellowship, Rev. Davis Foster, of Winchendon; Address to the people, Rev. George R. Leavitt ; Concluding Prayer, Rev. L. W. Spring, of Fitchburg. The choir performed very acceptable service on the occasion.
January 5, 1872, the church voted to observe the " Week of Prayer," and to have the meetings on the afternoon and evening of alternate days, beginning with Sunday evening. At the same meeting Br. Frederick Whitney was unanimously chosen deacon of the church, in place of Dea. Charles Wy- man. The latter served with acceptance from the organiza- tion of the church until his lamented death in the spring of 1870.
The pastoral relation of Mr. Marvin was terminated in the fall of 1875. He asked a dismission on the twelfth of Sep- tember, which was agreed to by the church at a meeting held on the seventeenth. The council met on the twenty-first of October, and organized by the choice of Rev. William A. Houghton, of Berlin, as moderator, and Rev. DeWitt S. Clark as scribe. The result expressed the esteem of the council for Mr. Marvin, and sympathy for the church. .
The admissions to the church during the last pastorate were thirty ; cleven of which were on confession of faith in Christ. On the first Sabbath of July following, [1876,] twelve young persons, all members of the Sabbath school, were received into the church, by profession. None have since been ad- mitted to this date.
Mr. Marvin has continued to reside in the town, preaching as occasion offered, and engaged in writing the History of Lancaster. In the first year and a half after his dismission, about forty ministers were heard, one or more Sabbaths, each.
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ORDINATION OF MR. LOVE.
Rev. Henry C. Fay supplied in the early part of 1876, and the Rev. Marcus Ames, formerly Superintendent of the In- dustrial school, was acting pastor from April 1, 1877, for one year.
Mr. William DeLoss Love, jr., a graduate of Hamilton college and a member of the senior class of Andover Theo- logical Seminary, came here, by invitation of the committee of supply, in April, 1878, and after preaching several Sab- baths, received a unanimous call to settle in the ministry from both church and parish. He accepted the call, and was or- dained and installed on the eighteenth of September. The churches represented in the council, were the Rollstone church, Fitchburg, Rev. G. R. W. Scott; the Pilgrim church in Cam- bridgeport, Rev. George R. Leavitt ; and the Congregational churches in Leicester, Rev. A. H. Coolidge ; Berlin, Rev. Wm. A. Houghton ; Clinton, Rev. DeWitt S. Clark; South Natick, Rev. Pearse Pinch ; Townsend, Rev. A. F. Newton ; Leominster, Rev. S. C. Kendall, with their delegates. The following clergymen, without charge, were also members of the council. Rev. William DeLoss Love, D. D., of Ando- ver ; Rev. George H. Gould, D. D., of Worcester; Rev. Marcus Ames and Rev. A. P. Marvin, both of Lancaster.
The organization was effected by the choice of Rev. Mr. Coolidge, moderator, and Rev. Mr. Newton, scribe. After a thorough and satisfactory examination of the candidate, the public services were conducted in the following order. In- vocation, Rev. Marcus Ames ; Reading the Scriptures, Rev. George W. R. Scott ; Sermon, Rev. Dr. Gould ; Admission of the pastor elect to the Church, Rev. William A. Hough- ton ; Ordaining Prayer, Rev. A. H. Coolidge ; Charge to the Pastor, Rev. Dr. Love ; Right Hand of Fellowship, Rev. De Witt S. Clark; Address to the People, Rev. George R. Leavitt ; Concluding Prayer, by Rev. A. P. Marvin ; Bene- diction by the Pastor. The various parts, including the ser- vice of song by the choir, were very acceptable to a large audience.
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
The first minister of this church began with a salary of $500. This was increased to $600, and $800, in his time, or soon after ; and was raised to $1,000, per annum, previous to the settlement of Mr. Leavitt. During his pastorate and that of his successor, the salary was raised to $1,200. But those were times of high prices. The salary is $1,000 at present.
The church has been in the habit of aiding its own mem- bers, when in need, from the beginning. This has been done by taking a collection at every communion, and by private benevolence, of which no account is kept. In addition, the members realize the duty of aiding any of their neighbors or townsmen, in seasons of want and sickness.
The contributions to benevolent objects, through the vari- ous Congregational organizations, have been taken at stated times, for many years. There has been an increase since the close of the war, and in some years, as between 1871 and 1876, the amount reached from $400 to about $800.
The audience is of the average number for a country con- gregation, representing about eighty families.
IV. THE NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.
There have been, in this town, for more than half a cent- ury, a number of persons who receive to some extent, the religious views of Emanuel Swedenborg. A letter from Timothy Harrington Carter, of Newton, says : "I think my brother Horatio was the first receiver living in Lancaster, in 1824. He was a member of Dr. Thayer's church, and sub- sequently seceded." Horatio Carter was a deacon in the Uni- tarian church. He resigned, and asked a dismission on account of his change of opinions. The letter proceeds : "My three sisters soon after became receivers, and then my grandmother, Arethusa Harrington, daughter of Rev. Timothy Harrington, at the age of eighty-two. She joined the Boston Society.
" The first Sabbath meetings were held at the house of my brother George, in 1830, [the Dr. Lincoln house]. Mr.
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THE NEW CHURCH.
Joseph Andrews, then living in Lancaster, was the first reader, usually from Swedenborg's writings, or a selected sermon, with some of the chants and the prayer.
" Mr. Henry Wilder about this time attended the meet- ings, and a Mr. and Mrs. Douglass from England. Soon after Mrs. Southwick and her family occupied the Stedman Mansion house, and the office was fitted up for the Sunday meetings ; and Mr. Gilman Worcester sometimes officiated as reader."
Mr. Artemas Barnes, then residing on the Eli Stearns place, (now S. R. Damon's, ) became a member, and continued so after removing from the town. His love for the New Church and its doctrines is shown by the following anecdote. He bought certain equities in real estate, which cost the seller ten thousand dollars, for five hundred dollars. The seller threw in a copy of the " True Christian Religion," (Sweden- borg's work). Mr. Barnes " lost the five hundred dollars but said it was the best bargain he ever made."
By the removal of the families of Mr. Andrews, the Messrs. Carters, and others from the town, the number of worship- pers became so reduced that the meetings were discontinued. But in the fall of the year 1857, they were resumed. At first the company met at the house of Mr. Worcester, who then lived in the house of the late venerable William Nowell. Later the meetings were held in the academy. Next, they were at the house of Mrs. Mary G. Ware. In these years Mr. Wil- der was reader, and conducted the services. The meetings were suspended again, but at what precise date is not known.
In the year 1865, the meetings were resumed again, and were held in an ante-room of the town hall, with Mr. Wilder as the reader. When ministers were present, the services were in the town hall. This arrangement was continued about ten years, until the decease of Mr. Wilder, in the summer of 1875. He was an earnest friend of the cause, and did not forget it when preparing for the future. By his will the friends of the New Church, here, became contingently on the decease
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
of his widow, heirs to a handsome property. But a con- dition of the will required the formation of a church or re- ligious society to hold the property.
Accordingly a church holding the religious opinions of Swedenborg was organized in August, 1875, under the title of the "New Jerusalem Church of Lancaster." The mem- bers to the number of twenty belonged to the towns of Lan- caster, Harvard, Lunenburg, Leominster and Berlin. The officers are a Clerk, Treasurer, and an Executive Committee of three. Since the organization of the church, Horatio D. Humphrey has been the reader.
The church hold weekly meetings on the Sabbath, in the south ante-room of the town hall. The services consist of singing, prayer, and the reading of a discourse. When a minister is present, he delivers an original sermon.
A meeting for conference, reading and devotions is also held weekly at some private house.
The Rev. Abiel Silver, of Boston Highlands, has spent sev- eral summer vacations in the town, and always rendered acceptable service. Rev. James Reed, of Boston, has offi- ciated on several occasions. Rev. Joseph Pettee always comes at quarterly meetings, and administers the communion.
It will gratify many to have a brief statement of the " Doc- trines of the New Church." The following is from good authority.
"I. God is One in Essence and in Person, in whom there is a distinct and essential Trinity, called in the Word, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the Lord Jesus Christ is this God, and the only truc object of worship.
" II. In order to be saved, man must believe on the Lord, and strive to obey his commandments, looking to him alone for strength and assistance, and acknowledging that all life and salvation are from Him.
"III. The Sacred Scriptures, or the Divine Word, is not only the revelation of the Lord's will and the history of his dealings with men, but also contains the infinite treasures
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SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS.
of his wisdom expressed in symbolical or correspondential language, and therefore in addition to the sense of the letter, there is in the Word an inner or spiritual sense, which can be interpreted only by the law of correspondence between things natural and things spiritual.
"IV. Now is the time of the Second Coming of the Lord, foretold in Matt. xxIV., and the establishment of the New Church signified by the New Jerusalem in Revelation XXI., and this Second Coming is not a visible appearance on earth, but a new disclosure of Divine Truth, and the promulgation of true Christian Doctrine, effected by means of the Lord's servant, Emanuel Swedenborg, who was specially instructed in this Doctrine, and commissioned to publish it to the world.
" V. Man's life in the material body is but the preparation for eternal life, and when the body dies, man immediately rises into the spiritual world, and, after preparation in an in- termediate state, dwells forever in Heaven or Hell, accord- ing to the character acquired during his earthly life.
" VI. The Spiritual World, the eternal home of men af- ter death, is not remote from this world, but is in direct con- junction with it, and we are, though unconsciously, always in immediate communion with angels and spirits."
v. SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH.
The Seventh Day Adventists are a variety of the great body of Millenarians, who believe in the speedy Second Coming of Christ, in bodily form, to begin and continue a personal reign on the earth. The first meetings of the Ad- ventists, in Lancaster, were held in the year 1856. Those interested in the subject met at the house of Lewis H. Priest, who then lived on the Lunenburg road, at the old Sodi San- derson place. Persons came from other towns, and the meet- ings were kept up about four years. By the removal of fam- ilies and other changes, the meetings were suspended a few years, but in 1864 an organization was effected, at the house of Mr. Priest, who had removed to South Lancaster. At this
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
time, the church consisted of ten members, five males and five females. Elder Stephen N. Haskell moved into the place, this year, and has retained the relation of elder till the present time, making this his permanent residence. Joel Crandall has also been in the position of elder during the past year. Elder Robinson resides here, though his labors are chiefly in other places.
Elder Haskell bought the old Odd Fellows' Hall, that stood where Mr. Weeks now lives, fitted it up for a dwelling house, and for some time opened his rooms for a place of wor- ship. That house now stands on the east side of the road, and a little back, about east of the school-house. Meetings were held in this house until Mrs. R. A. Rice bought the house on the corner between Dea. Rowell, and Wellington's shop. This was an ancient tavern, and had a large hall over the L part. Here the meetings began to be held about ten years ago. In 1875 the society moved into the chapel which stood on the spot now occupied by the church. The latter edifice was dedicated early in May, 1878. It is a very neat and con- venient house of worship, well finished without, and taste- fully furnished in the interior. An unpretentious and well- proportioned steeple improves the appearance of the building. The length of the edifice is fifty-six feet ; the breadth is thir- ty-two feet. The cost was not far from $3,000.
There are eighty members of the church, the majority of whom live in the neighborhood, though some reside at a dis- tance. About twenty families have their homes in sight of the church ; some live in Still River and some in Bolton. South Lancaster is the head-quarters of the New England Conference, and camp-meetings are held here nearly every season.
The church has regular service on the seventh day of the week, - Saturday - and observe the day with great strict- ness. There are meetings of the church held quarterly. On the second Sabbath of every third month, there is a general quarterly meeting, including several churches. The general
f
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ADVENT TENETS.
conference of the whole body is held yearly at Battle Creek, Michigan, which is the grand center of operations for the whole denomination.
In their general doctrinal views, the Seventh Day Adven- tists are allied to Evangelical Christendom. The following are some of their distinctive tenets.
1. The seventh day is the Sabbath. 2. Immersion in the name of the Trinity is the only valid baptism. 3. Christ will soon return, and begin his personal reign. The time is not known, but is near. 4. The saints sleep after death until the first resurrection, which will take place at the second advent of Christ. 5. At the advent, the "dead in Christ " will be raised, and go to live with their Lord in the air. 6. After a thousand years, the wicked will be raised. This is the second resurrection. 7. They will be destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming. That is, they will be annihi- lated. 8. Souls are not naturally immortal, but immortality is imparted to the righteous, through grace. 9. The earth will be renovated, and become the final, blessed abode of the righteous.
VI. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Several years passed after Roman Catholic families began to settle in Lancaster, before they provided themselves with a church. For many years they resorted to Clinton for spi- ritual direction, and for the purpose of worship. But in the year 1872 they had become so numerous as to make the erec- tion of a sanctuary a matter of economy as well as conven- ience. A large and valuable lot of land was obtained, and a house was covered in before winter. In the spring following, work was resumed, and the church was ready for dedication or consecration on the twelfth day of July, 1873. The ser- vice was attended by a large company, who rejoiced in the realization of their hopes.
The dimensions of the building are about seventy-five by forty-two feet. There is a basement which has not been put
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
to use, except for heating purposes. The pews are near to- gether, giving a large seating capacity. The cost of the land and the edifice was great, as prices were high at the time. It is said that the whole expense was not far from thirteen thousand dollars.
The pews are owned by the church, and are rented quarter- ly to the occupants. The Rev. R. S. Patterson, of Clinton, or " father Patterson " as he is styled by his attached parish- ioners, has had the spiritual care of the parish from the beginning. The attendance on public worship is large and punctual, and the influence of the services is manifestly con- ducive to good morals, as it is doubtless comforting to the worshippers.
CHAPTER XXIV.
BUSINESS. PUBLISHING. SOCIETIES. POPULATION. AUTHORS AND BOOKS.
THIS chapter must, of necessity, be miscellaneous, as there are many subjects which could not be well placed in other connections.
BUSINESS.
Some information will be arranged under the head of busi- ness, though nothing but a brief notice of different branches can be given. Stores, mills, factories, shops, banks, etc., have given employment to many in past times.
STORE CORNERS .- The first store in Lancaster was the " trucking-house " of Mr. King, in the " Indian camp pasture." This was on the side of George hill, near the dividing line, between the land of George A. Parker and Jonas Goss. The place has been already marked, only it may be said, in pass- ing, that this spot became a corner when the road was made over George hill from South Lancaster, by the Tuttle place, crossing the road from Deers Horns towards the north part of the town. Both these roads have been discontinued so long as to be forgotten.
This store business was sold to John Prescott, in a year or two, when he built the second trucking-house in the town. This stood a few rods northwest of the Ward house, now owned by Mrs. Ware. It was about midway between Mrs. Ware and Mr. Kilbourn, on the west side of the ravine. This was then a corner, as the road went northeast by the store, and crossed the ravine behind the house where Mr. Heald
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
now lives. Prescott had a blacksmith-shop on the south side of the road from Chandler's corner to George hill. His son Jonathan carried on the business of blacksmithing after his father. It is supposed that Mr. Tinker, who afterwards re- moved to New London, was a trader, and possibly he suc- ceeded John Prescott in the store. But this is conjecture.
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