USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Memorial history of Bradford, Mass. > Part 10
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formation of the American Board. The General Asso- ยท ciation met at Bradford that day. Adoniram Judson, Samuel Newell, Samuel Nott and Gordon Hall, were present, and on Thursday, June 28th. they laid on the sacramental table before that body, in the church which stood on the common, their proposal to give their lives to work among the heathen. The fact that the Gener- al Association met at Bradford that year has no special significance. But the work of missions had already in- terested Pastor and people. Missionary enthusiasm was here already. Parson Allen had been familiar with the Judsons ; he studied theology with an uncle of Adoni- ram Judson. It is said that he introduced the mis- sionary to Nancy Haseltine. It is said that the meetings for prayer in the old Academy building, at the very time when Mills and his companions met by the "hay- stack " in Williamstown, were marked by a manifest de- sire to know the will of God more perfectly in regard to personal duty in bringing the world to Christ. It is certainly a suggestive providence that when the plans had been laid for the great work and the young men were ready to go forth to foreign lands, the two young women who sailed in the "Caravan"-Ann Judson and Harriet Newell-were young converts in the revival of 1806, and they had their training in Bradford Academy and under the faithful ministry of Parson Allen. Char- acter which shapes events and is ready for grand op- portunities, is not an accident, it is a result of nurture and care.
Other organizations began in the early years of this century. The church in Bradford welcomed them all. The spirit of the people may be illustrated by allusion to the history of one effort which hal its origin here.
The Philendian Society was formed April 2, 1813. Its object was "to support female teachers" in places where they might be useful in the moral and intellect- ual training of neglected children. The society was of
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special interest and care to Mr. Allen, the Pastor in Bradford. The membership included the most influen- tial women of Bradford and extended to Haverhill and Newburyport. Schools were established in Haverhill, in Byfield, on the Isles of Shoals and in Wenham. The results were very gratifying. The blessing of God ac- companied the work and the conversion of many souls followed. Other societies for benevolent work came into being, and as they covered this field, this particular organization ceased after five years of faithful work. It was among the early beginnings of mission effort at home, and was itself a fruit of the reviving of God's work among his people. The names of many cherished women of Bradford appear in these records. The Has- eltines, Mary and Abigail C. were teachers at Byfield. The amount raised for the object was nearly one thou- sand dollars. But the contribution of labor was consid- erably more. The best part of the work was the free- will offering of time and ability by the members who devoted themselves to the good of the needy in the name of God.
The interest in missions continued. The generation of christian women which followed excelled in those rare traits which belong to the best type of woman- hood. It was the custom of these women to follow every month in most careful study all the missionary enterprises of the time. They mapped out the fields of labor, gathered materials for discussion at great pains. compiled their incidents and their thoughts and opinions into labored essays, and for years these semi-monthly dis- cussions were the marked feature of the social life of Bradford. The memory of those women is precious in the history of the town. The children love to remem- ber their names. Hasseltine, Tenney, Greenleaf, Kim- ball, Carleton, Munroe, Ordway, Johnson, Emerson, Pike, Hall, Trask, Payson, Peabody, Gage, Morse, Spofford, Chadwick, and a still larger number we can-
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not name, whose intelligent virtues gave character to all social life while they lived.
BRADFORD ACADEMY.
Neither the history of the church or town would be complete without some notice of the institution which has been a pioneer in the cause of education and which has maintained its life and enlarged its sphere of labor and sent forth its thousands of pupils into all lands. In the early part of 1803 the people began to feel the need of better advantages for education. The town had al- ways given attention to this subject. As early as 1710 the faithful clerk placed this record in fair hand on the town book :
" The Town did Impoure the Selectmen to Imply Wemen to teach letel " children to read."
Nearly a century later this record was made :
" At a meeting of a number of the Inhabitants of the First Parish in " Bradford, March 7, 1803, It was mutually agreed upon that a Building "should be erected for an Academy and the following persons became sub- " scribers to defray the Charges of building said Ilouse."
The signatures include the large majority of the names of the families in the parish. In three months the build- ing was completed and the school was opened by Mr. Samuel Walker, Principal, and Miss Hannah Swan, Pre- ceptress. The school was incorporated in 1804. Fol- lowing Mr. Walker the Preceptors were as follows : Samuel Green, 1803-4; Rev. Dr. James Flint, 1805; Rev. Abraham Burnham, D. D., 1805-7; a man whose influence in the revival of 1806 was very great and pre- cious, and whose life afterwards in the ministry was abundantly successful. Isaac Morrill, 1807 ; Samuel Pea- body, 1808; Rev. Daniel Hardy, 1808-10 ; Rev. Luther Bailey, 1811 ; Hon. Samuel Adams, 1811; Richard Kim- ball, 1811-12 ; Rev. E. P. Sperry, 1812; Hon. Nathaniel
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Dike, 1812-14; Daniel Noyes, 1814; Benjamin Green- leaf, 1814-36, who was the last Preceptor. The school from that date was established as an institution for the education of young ladies. Up to this time it had been a mixed school.
The early fame of Bradford Academy is due very largely to Benjamin Greenleaf, a man of versatile talent, an enthusiast in teaching, a mathematician and author of world-wide fame, a christian of simple and unques- tioning faith and rigid virtue, a man of kindly sensibil- ities, generous, unsuspecting, unalterable in friendship, a citizen pure, unselfish, upright, and a teacher devoted, affectionate and unwearicd in labor. He lived to a good old age, and died greatly lamented. His pupils fill honorable positions, and are scattered far and wide, and his books which he wrote during the busy years of his life in Bradford are in use by a great number of schools far and near. October 29, 1864, he passed from the labor of earth to the reward of heaven.
The name of Abigail C. Hasseltine was already fa- miliar in the school. She had been preceptress from 1815. When Mr. Greenleaf resigned, she became Prin- cipal, and continued in that office till her death, being relieved in the later years of life of the active duties. A rare woman, in person tall, slender, in presence com- manding and queenly, as a teacher, faithful, earnest, in- spiring. She formed character, taught her pupils to live for a high purpose, made them to feel the nobility of christian womanhood, and created in their minds the strong desire to live for the highest end-the glory of
God. She had the largest views of education. She fitted life for all duties, suited her counsel to all minds. When she spoke of the subject of duty she was often stern and severe, but she mingled with the rigidity and severity words which expressed the exceeding joy to be found in doing well. She belonged to the number of them "that turn manny to righteousness." By her
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devotion and fidelity she earned the reputation which extended to all lands. Her pupils, scattered over all the world, often speak of the loving sympathies of her heart - of the inspiration of her presence - of the wonderful devotion to her life-long work - of her noble christian zeal.
It is not the purpose of this sketch to trace the lives of all those who have given shape to the institution which is the pride of the town. The list of teachers includes names of persons of rare excellence. When after long service Miss Hasseltine resigned the more ac- tive duties, it was not an easy task to fill her place. The principal had wrought herself into the work and, when she withdrew, it was like the removal of the school's life. Short terms of service followed in the principal's chair. The school did not regain its full life and prosperity till it was given into the charge of a young lady, born in Bradford, a namesake of the former principal, Miss Abby Hasseltine Johnson. The new teacher had many qualities of mind and heart which had made her predecessor so distinguished in her work. For several years enjoying the counsels of Miss Hassel- tine, and always working in harmony with her, Miss Johnson not only made the success of the past sure, but she carried the school forward into new and en- larged fields of usefulness. The work, so long under the direction of one " developing, energizing, executive mind," seemed still to be pervaded with the same spirit and thrilled with the same noble purpose.
Rare wisdom has been shown in the choice of the Board of Trustees. The list of Presidents is as fol- lows : Rev. Jonathan Allen, A. M., 1803-27, who gave to the institution the best wisdom of his riper years ; Rev. Isaac Braman, 1827-43; Hon. Jesse Kimball. 1844 ; Hon. Samuel H. Walley, 1845-49; Benjamin Greenleaf, A. M., from 1850, till the second era in the life of the institution when its course of study was enlarged and
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broadened and the plan was formed to rear the present academy buildings and furnish the school with every- thing needful to meet the increasing demands for the higher education of woman, the Presidency was as- sumed by Rev. Rufus Anderson, D. D., late Secretary of the Am. Board of For. Missions. Associated with him were such men as Samuel D. Warren, Ezra Farns- worth, Rev. Nathan Munroe, Hon. J. A. Palmer, Hon. E. S. Tobey, Hon. George Cogswell, Hon. William A. Russell, James R. Nichols, M. D., Frederic Jones, Na- than Durfee, M. D., Rev. R. H. Seeley, D. D., Rev. J. H. Means, D. D., who were led by the venerable Presi- dent to devise large things for the Academy. In its early life the institution had received the free will offer- ings of Lieutenant Edward Kimball and Jonathan Chad- wick, Esq., and others, and these gifts secured pros- perity. The new prominence given to the widening sphere of woman's work suggested something more as needful for the future than had been gained in the noble history of the past. Generous contributions were made, and the present spacious edifice which overlooks the val- ley of the Merrimack was built and furnished with - li- brary and cabinet and laboratory, and under the care of Miss Abby H. Johnson, the school attained a prosperity which was, at least, equal to the best success of past years. After the new building had been erected and the success of the school had been assured by a few years of prosperous life, Dr. Anderson resigned the of- fice of President and was followed by Rev. James H. Means, D. D., who has contributed largely to the pros- perity of the institution.
Of the present condition of the Academy, its popu- lar and highly esteemed Principal, Miss Annie E. John- son, the plans for further enlargement, under the care of the wise and devoted President, Hon. George Cogs- well, it is not my design to speak at length. It may be sufficient to say that the generous men who have
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done so much hitherto, still devise liberal things. The foundations are now ready to be laid for the enlarged accommodations. The school is to be completely fur- nished with everything needful. The success of the past is to be rivalled by the future. One of the glories of Bradford is still to be its Academy. The spacious Halls, the increasing Library, the Rooms of Natural Science, the Studio of Art, the Conservatory of Music, the Astronomical Observatory, the lecture rooms for Literature and Language and Philosophy are the pres- ent possession which this generation may use for the culture and refinement of the daughters of the land, and which it is our sacred duty to guard and maintain and enlarge and so transmit to them that come after us.
THE FIRST COLLEAGUE PASTORATE.
The later years of Parson Allen's ministry have left little record. His time of service was long, extending through nearly half a century. He was no longer young ; he had reached nearly four score years. His duties had been arduous. The church called to his aid a young man to be colleague Pastor. Mr. Allen presided at the meetings, gave counsel to the church and guided by his rare wisdom Pastor and people for three years longer, and then entered into rest. Rev. Ira Ingraham, then late Pastor of the church in Orwell, Vermont, was called to be colleague Pastor. He was born at Cornwall. Ver- mont, 1796, graduated at Middlebury 1815, installed at Bradford, Dec. 1, 1824, as colleague Pastor with Rev. Jonathan Allen, dismissed April 5, 1830. The council which installed Mr. Ingraham met on the 1st day of Dec., 1824, and the following Pastors were present : Rev. Joshua Dodge, Haverhill, Rev. Peter Eaton, D. D., 2d church Boxford, Rev. Jacob W. Eastman, Methuen, Rev. Isaac Braman, 2d church, Rowley (now George-
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town), Rev. Gardner B. Perry, 2d church, Bradford (now Groveland), Rev. Isaac Tompkins, 3d church, Ha- verhill, Rev. Justin Edwards, South Parish, Andover, Rev. Elijah Demond, 2d church West Newbury, Rev. Alonzo Phillips, Presb. church, Princeton, Rev. Jona- than Allen, Pastor 1st church, Bradford, Rev. Isaac Jones, Bradford.
It was a gala day for the town. The council met at the old Academy. The people gathered in great num- bers. After the morning session the council, with Par- son Allen leading, moved in procession with the people to the church in the common. They were escorted by the Bradford Brass Band. Our venerable Deacon Wil- liam Day, then in opening manhood, was a member and played the leading instrument in the bass. The town had not witnessed the induction of a minister of the gospel for forty-three years and more, and some one pro- posed to set up a booth in the park and sell drink. But this was not approved by the church. If these occa- sions come so seldom the people could afford to be gen- erous. Arrangements were made with Mr. Eliphalet Kimball to spread tables with choice liquors, and every- body was free to drink and the church paid the bill.
Rev. Mr. Edwards preached the sermon, Dr. Eaton offered the consecrating prayer, Parson Allen gave the charge, Rev. Mr. Phillips gave the right hand of fel- lowship, Rev. Mr. Dodge offered the concluding prayer.
The agreement with Mr. Ingraham was very carefully drawn. The following paper represents the contract in part :
" I hereby certify and declare that in my settlement as minister of the " first or west parish in Bradford, it was agreed and understood between " the parish and myself that the parish should have and keep possession " and enjoyment of all the parsonage lands, or other real estate of said par- "ish, or of the minister and parish, or however else the same had been " held and used before that time ; and to have and keep possession of all " the income and improvement thereof, to their own usc, without any in- " terference by me. They gave me a certain sum of money only for com-
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"pensation, reserving to the parish the whole income and use of the said " Parsonage or real estate, and leaving said Parsonage to be exclusively " under the control of said Parish."
The salary, as expressed in the call, was five hundred dollars. The property referred to in the above unique paper, was the land which was obtained at the settlement of the first Pastor, partly by the covenant with the Rowley Plantation and the colony, partly by town pur- chase, and partly by personal gifts. At the retirement of the elder Symmes from the active duties of the Pas- torate an equitable arrangement was made whereby this property reverted to the town, and ultimately it was vested in a ministerial fund and given to the charge of permanent trustees. The land was in different parcels. one lot being at present owned by Orestes West, and lying south of the road leading past the old home of Lieutenant Kimball and Jonathan Chadwick ; another parcel included the parsonage and farm opposite the old Cemetery ; there was also the marsh meadow. The fund has been carefully guarded and has been increased by donations. The act of incorporation of this Board of Trust is dated Feb. 10, 1804. It has reference first to a generous gift. The preamble is as follows :
" Whereas Jonathan Chadwick of Bradford, in the County of Essex, " hath given a state note of eleven hundred and twenty-five dollars, prin- " cipal and interest, the interest of which is to be applied towards the sup- " port of a congregational minister in said society forever hereafter. Be " it enacted, &c."
To this Chadwick fund was added the Parsonage property including what was realized from the sale of wood and timber and land. The first payment from this fund was made to Rev. Jonathan Allen, Jan. 25, 1813, one hundred dollars. This is distinct from the Albert L. Kimball fund which was given by the person whose name it bears, Jan. 20, 1880, one thousand dollars. The kindly feeling shown by the above gift in 1804 was re- peated in another and graceful donation about the same time, by the same donor, two silver tankards and six
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silver goblets for use at the sacramental table, the same which are now in use. Other pieces have been added. A silver pitcher bears this inscription :
" From Mrs. Thos. D. Bradlee, a testimony of respect for the church " of her native place."
This last was received during the ministry of Mr. Munroe.
For a time the new pastorate ran smoothly. Three years passed and all was well. On the sixth day of March, in the third year of Mr. Ingraham's ministry, the aged man of God, the senior Pastor, fell asleep and in his sleep he entered into rest, and it was spoken in an undertone along the street, Parson Allen is dead. That very year a precious revival had brought the church very near heaven. Many were added to the membership. It seemed as though the faithful Pastor, now nearly four score years old, had lead his flock up to the very gates of heaven, and passed over the threshold and into the glory beyond, leaving the flock with the young shep- herd.
Troubles began. Mr. Ingraham was the apostle of the temperance reform. His people would not follow his bold leadership. This great reform had been in progress for years. But the work was not positive, there was no decisive action. The " Massachusetts Society for the Suppression of Intemperance," was formed in 1813. The best men in the commonwealth were engaged in it. Dr. Worcester, Dr. Jedediah Morse, Rev. Abiel Abbott, and Benjamin Wadsworth, Dr. Reuben D. Massey, Wil- liam Thurston, Dr. Joseph Torrey, and others not less distinguished. The second article of the constitution runs thus :
" To discountenance and suppress the too free use of ardent spirits and " its kindred vices, profaneness and gaming, and to encourage and pro- " mote temperance and general morality."
From which it appears that the first work in temper- ance reform was not on the basis of total abstinence.
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They pledged to abstain from the excessive use. Men slowly came to the apprehension of the fact that the use of intoxicating spirits, as a beverage, is evil and always evil and only evil.
It is said that Parson Allen was foremost in the par- tial reform movement. A society was organized in Brad- ford. One day Mr. Allen and his good friend Deacon Griffin went to the upper part of the town in the in- terest of this society, and specially to visit Mr. Uriah Gage, one of the influential men of the town. Mr. Al- len opened the matter : "You know, friend Gage, that many men drink too much, make bad use of rum, waste property, trouble their families and injure their influ- ence, and we have formed a society and signed a pledge to abstain from this excessive use." Mr. Gage was a genial, hospitable man, and went to his cupboard and brought out the decanter and loaf sugar and the toddy- stick and invited the minister and deacon to "take something." Parson Allen looked at Deacon Griffin and Deacon Griffin looked at the Parson, and Mr. Allen said, "I believe, Deacon, we have a clause in our con- stitution which allows us to drink on extra occasions." " Yes," said the Deacon, " and this is a very cold day." " And," said the Parson, "it is very clear that this is an extra occasion." Nothing more was said of temper- ance that day.
In 1827 the leaders had come to apprehend the need of more decisive action. The American Temperance So- ciety had been formed on the basis of abstinence from strong drink. Hewitt was preaching zealously on the subject in Connecticut and that year came over the bor- der to do good service in the old commonwealth. Ed- wards was sounding the trumpet in Andover. Dr. Muzzy led the whole Medical Society into line against rum. Beecher came up to the work-a mighty man of valor, and it was reported by the Massachusetts Society, " It is becoming unfashionable to drink ardent spirits in de-
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cent company, and it is no longer considered a mark of hospitality to offer them."
The opposition was intense, spirits were sold by mem- bers of the church. They had the place of honor on the aristocratic sideboard and on the humbler pantry shelf. The country store furnished rum with the bun- dles of dry goods and groceries. The old account books tell a tale of drink; workmen on the farm were fur- nished free, in winter because it was cold, in summer because it was hot. The shops were places of frequent indecent carousal. The glass of sling was a part of social etiquette at the afternoon tea party. The taking of wine was a part of every marriage festivity and of every funeral solemnity. It was furnished in liberal quantities at the birth of a child, at the call of a min- ister in his pastoral visitation, at the raising of a build- ing, at the dedication of a church, and at the ordina- tion of a minister.
Mr. Ingraham was undaunted. The Bradford pulpit gave no uncertain sound. He stood in the forefront with Edwards and Beecher and Muzzy and Hewitt. And yet his utterance would not be considered very strong now-a-days. He preached one sermon in Bradford which gave great offence. The substance of that sermon is given because it shows the position which was taken, and that the trouble was not with the doctrine, but with the times. The text was from Prov. xxiii : 29, Who hath woe ? Who hath sorrow? Who hath conten- tions ? Who hath babbling ? Who hath wounds without cause ? Who hath redness of eyes ?
" I. Let us take a mental walk along this river of death. The use of " intoxicating drink in this country was extremely limited until the Rev- " olution. During that struggle our allies the French, brought with them " to this land of Pilgrims, Puritans and Huguenots, infidelity and brandy. " By the former many minds were poisoned ; by the latter came 'woe,' " . sorrows,' ' contentions,' ' babblings,' ' wounds without cause,' and 'red- " ness of eyes.' The use increased with great rapidity. The impression " became almost or quite universal that severe cold or heat or wet could " not be safely endured without this artificial stimulant. The more com-
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" mon liquors were found in every habitation, field, shop, factory, store, "counting room, office. It was furnished to every workman and provided " for every guest. In 1826 probably ninety-nine hundredths of all the " adult population made some use of liquor. During this year some of the " choicest spirits in the nation waked up to the peril. They were persons " of greatest weight of character in church and state. While these friends " of God and man were inquiring, seeking to know what should be, what " could be done to roll back the tide of death, there appeared a ray of " heavenly light. It is the great principle of entire abstinence."
"II. The principles to be established. (a) Entire abstinence is the " only principle sound in theory or safe in practice. (b) More than three- " fourths the taxes and expense for support of the poor and punishing " crime comes directly as the natural, the necessary result of the use of " intoxicating liquor.
" (c) It is thus settled that the entire business of making, selling, fur- " nishing and using such drinks as a beverage is an immorality. The " whole is an immoral business.
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