USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Pittsfield > The history of Pittsfield (Berkshire County), Massachusetts, from the year 1800 to the year 1876 > Part 27
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
purposes, by the assessors' books should be raised, they remitted to them the payment and expenditure of the money; thus vir- tually dissolving the connection between the town and the parish.
This, and other votes of the town, confirming and perpetuating the separation of town and church and producing very nearly an equality of the parishes before the law, was probably the result of a union between the federal voters in the Union Parish and the democrats among the Methodists and Baptists, with the aid of a few Episcopalians ; for there was a considerable democratic majority in the town, taking all denominations together.
After this vote of October, the members left in the First Par- ish after the secession of those who were incorporated into the Union Parish, were organized as a religious society ; but it was not incorporated, such a step not being necessary, as it retained the vested rights of the original town-parish. It must not, however, be confounded with the present First Parish, which, although its successor, is that of the Union Parish as well. On the 10th of August, 1810, the First Church chose Rev. Wil- liam Allen to succeed his father in the pastorate, and, the parish concurring, he was duly installed ; Rev. Joseph Eckly, D. D., of Boston, preaching the sermon.
There is no statement anywhere of the amount of Mr. Allen's salary ; indeed all the knowledge we have of the financial affairs of the First Parish during his ministry, is afforded by the record of the town's action concerning the unwarranted payment to him, by Capt. John Dickinson, the town-treasurer, of certain funds which had been appropriated to the support of schools ; both the treasurer and the minister probably deeming the vote illegal and void. We give an abstract of the town's action.
On the 5th of November, 1810, the following preamble and resolution were adopted, in pursuance of the policy indicated by the vote already quoted as having passed in October, 1809 :
Whereas, the principal part of the avails of the ministry-lands, which have been sold by the town, and all the avails of the school-lot, sold to Ebenezer White and others, have been appropriated to the building of a meeting-house, now in possession of the Congregational society, of which the Rev. William Allen is pastor, and is now held for their use ; and whereas, it appears that the town did raise by tax, and appropriate, other moneys to build that meeting-house-to the amount of more than six thousand dollars : Therefore, voted, that moneys owing this town,
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
seenred by note, bond, mortgage, or other security, and payable with annual interest, be, and the same hereby are, appropriated as a fund, the interest of which shall be annually appropriated to defray the expenses of the schools in the several school-districts of this town.
In the warrant for a town-meeting held in November, 1814, was the following article relative to a violation of the above vote :
'To see if the town will choose a committee to ascertain whether the treasurer of the town has paid six hundred dollars-more or less -- to the use of the First Parish in Pittsfield, or their teacher of piety, morality, and religion, out of the moneys derived from the debt which the late Rev. Thomas Allen owed the town, and which moneys the town had voted should be put out permanently on annual interest, and the annual interest be applied to the use of schools in said town ; and to pass such votes upon their report as the exigency of the case may require, to effect the purposes of the town in their said vote, and in preserving said fund, and the faithful application of it to the use of schools.
The consideration of this article was postponed to the March meeting of 1815; and the hearing of the report from the usual annual committee appointed in the previous year to settle with the treasurer, was deferred to the same time. When the March meeting came, the hearing of the auditing committee's report was again postponed until April, and then to May. In May it was not read; and the choice of a new committee to settle with the treasurer of the year then ensuing, was indefinitely postponed. Nothing was done by either meeting in regard to the alleged use of the town's funds in contravention of its express vote; but John Dickinson, who had been treasurer since 1812, was re-elected in 1815, and also chosen representative in the legislature. It is evident that the democratic majority in the town, now become very large, had determined, without rescinding the vote of 1810, to sustain their treasurer in his non-compliance with it. It was not until March 11, 1816, that the report of the committee to examine the treasurer's accounts, bearing date, November 7, 1814, finally obtained a hearing. The following are the closing paragraphs :
" Your committee find that said treasurer has opened an account current with the First Parish in Pittsfield, which he has exhibited to
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
us, and in which he charges himself with the sum of $886 69, collected of the town's debtors, as follows, to wit:
The whole debt due on the note of the late Rev. Mr. Allen, . . $112 17 [ Being the principal and interest of the note for $87, reported as
found in the treasurer's hands after Mr. Allen's death.]
Debt of the late Deacon Hubbard, 97 35
Debt of Robert Stanton, .
193 61
Part of debt of E. Tracy,
355 00
Part of debt of Isaac Ward,
128 50
$886 63
And, in the same account, said treasurer charges that parish with the sum of $971 83, as paid by him to the Rev. William Allen, on account of his settlement with them as their minister: by which it appears that the said treasurer considered it his duty to pay the same, and deemed himself legally entitled to be idemnified, out of the debt of Erastus Tracy, for the balance. Signed, JOHN B. ROOT,
JOIIN C. WILLIAMS, JOSHUA DANFORTH.
Messrs. Root and Danforth were active members of the First Parish, Mr. Williams of the Union parish ; so that the substance of their report must have been familiar to every citizen, soon after it was prepared : and probably its details also. It is cer- tain, therefore, that the information contained in it-of a nature so interesting to the excited politico-religious factions of the day -was the subject of animated discussion. In town-meeting, espe- cially-although the majority for two years refused to permit it to be formally communicated-it could not have failed to excite vigorous debate.1
The report of the committee having, at last, then, in 1816, obtained a hearing, the treasurer's account as to ordinary town- charges, was allowed; but it was voted, "that Thomas Gold, Esq., Deacon Samuel Root, and Mr. Thomas Hubbard, be a com- mittee to settle with Mr. John Dickinson, the town-treasurer, respecting the sum paid by him to the Rev. William Allen, and, if he does not settle with them, that they be, and hereby are, appointed agents, in behalf of the town, to bring an amicable suit on the bond of the said John Dickinson and his sureties."
No satisfactory settlement with the treasurer being effected,
1 No inference to the contrary can be drawn from the silence of the record, where neither discussions, nor abortive motions, were ever mentioned.
34
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
suit was commeneed as directed, in the court of common pleas. the declaration alleging the wrongful payment by Captain Dick- inson, to Rev. Mr. Allen, in the year 1814, of sums amounting to $1,121.80, and a debt due from him to the town, including this sum, of $1.500. The defendant demurred to the declaration as insufficient in some legal point, in which he was sustained by the court.
The town thereupon, by its attorney, Thomas Gold, appealed to the supreme court, in which the case was brought forward at the April term of 1816, and the First Parish requesting to be joined, as a party in the suit, with the defendant, permission was granted, and the case continued to the next term ; and then still further, to the September term, 1817.
In the meantime, at the March town-meeting of 1817-four months after measures for the reunion of the two parishes had been initiated, there was an article in the warrant :
To see whether the town will pass a vote to notify the attorney em- ployed by the town to institute a suit against the First Congregational Society in said town for moneys alleged to have been made use of by said society for the settlement of Rev. William Allen, belonging to the school-fund of the town, to withdraw the prosecution.
No action upon this proposition is recorded, but the reunion having been perfected, and it being desirable that all causes of difference between those who had been members of the late par- ishes should be speedily removed, the following was submitted to a meeting, Angust 14th :
To see whether the town will agree to refer by rule of court, the suit now pending against John Dickinson, together with all demands sub- sisting between the town and the late First Parish thereof, so that all disputes between the town and parish may at once be decided, under this rule. And that the said Dickinson may have the benefit, by way of offset, or otherwise, under the same, of any claims which the said First Parish may have against the town.
This proposition was adopted; and it was further voted, that " the town consents that the Honble William Walker of Lenox, the Honble Ezra Starkweather of Worthington, and the Honble Joseph Woodbridge of Stockbridge, be the referees," and that "the agents of the town, appointed at a former meeting, be hereby directed to aet accordingly."
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
These agents were Jonathan Allen, Henry H. Childs and John B. Root, all democrats, and members of the defendant parish ; who had been substituted for the previous committee, two mem- bers of which were federalists and members of Union Parish.
At the September term of the supreme court, the above action of the town was submitted to it, and ratified by the appointment of Messrs. Walker, Starkweather and Woodbridge as referees ; and at the same term the award of these gentlemen, "that neither party should recover or pay anything, either debt or costs," was returned, and declared final.
This is the last we hear of this remarkable transaction, or series of transactions, except a vote passed by the town, October 19, 1819, appointing the selectmen, together with Colonel Dan- forth and Phinehas Allen, to make a proper allowance to Thomas Gold for his services, and for money advanced by him in com- mencing and prosecuting the suit against the parish. We learn of no protest by the members of Union Parish against the appar- ent injustice of the town's action. Probably in the era of good feeling which attended the reunion of the parishes, there was no disposition to keep alive any of the old dissensions.
But before the happy era, consummated by this settlement, there had been obstacles to overcome of a more serious and deli- cate character than that which arose from the misapplication of a few hundred dollars of the town's money, in a manner which was not likely to be used as a precedent. The measures of discipline, commenced, before the death of Rev. Thomas Allen, against the members of the First Church, who had left it to connect them- selves with that of Union Parish, were resumed on the 28th of February, 1810-only seventeen days after his decease. At the meeting of the First Church on that day, although only seven members-Deacon James Hubbard, James Hubbard, Jr., Captain Daniel Sackett, George Butler, Amos Delano, Josiah Lawrence and Daniel Foote-were present, it was unanimously voted that Woodbridge Little, Joseph Fairfield, Nathaniel Fairfield, Zebe- diah Stiles, Charles Goodrich, Captain Nathaniel Tremain, Tim- othy Cadwell, Deacon Daniel Chapman, Isaac Tremain and Rich- ard Barnard, should be suspended from their communion for the space of six months ; and then, still remaining unrepentant, suffer excommunication. A similar vote was passed concerning Charles Goodrich, Jr., Timothy Haskell, and Jonathan Weston. The
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
time allowed for repentance was afterwards extended to Septem- ber 25th, on which day-two weeks before the ordination of Rev. William Allen-the sentence of excommunication was made abso- lute.
On the 25th of the next month, eight of the persons excom- municated tendered the following confession :
To the Church of the First Parish in Pittsfield :
We, the subscribers, do voluntarily and cheerfully confess that, IN THE MANNER OF OUR LEAVING YOU, "we are chargcable both with error in judgment and irregularity in practice " (agreeable to the opin- ions of the two ecclesiastical councils which have been convened in this place, and which have attended to our difficulties). This acknowledgment, which we consider ourselves as having made to you on the 23d of October last, we again frankly make, and ask, not only the Divine forgiveness, but also yours, and that of every person who has been offended thereby.
A confession differing from the above only in the omission of the words printed in italics-was signed by Messrs. Tremain, Stiles, Haskell and the Goodriches. Upon this confession, the First Church pronounced the following decision :
We should have been glad if the confession had been more precise and definite ; yet, considering the circumstances of the case, remembering that the confession followed the sentence of excommuni- cation which had been passed upon them, we must think that by " the manner of their leaving us," they mean the irregularity in departing from us for which they have been disciplined.
A majority of the above-mentioned persons have said in their con- fession of October 23, 1809, that " the course which they have pursued did not originate in any disaffection to the church." We are fully sensible that the church gave them no just occasion for their secession from it; and that their conduct has been irreconcilable with gospel rules and contrary to the gospel spirit. They "acknowledge that, in the manner of their leaving us they arc chargeable both with error in judg- ment and irregularity in practice (agreeable to the opinion of the two ceclesiastical councils, which have been convened in this place, and which have attended to our difficulties.)" Whatever may have been the opinion of the first council, whose result has never been presented to us, there ean be no doubt respeeting that of the second, with whose result a compliance is professed. This council declared, that the cen- sured members, above-named, " had violated their covenant engagements with the church"-that " the manner of their withdrawing was irregu- , lar, and not according with the gospel rule," and that they had not
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
" made Christian satisfaction to the church for withdrawing from them." If the confession of the persons referred to, relates, as they say, to the irregularity pointed out by the council, then they confess that they have violated their solemn covenant engagements with us. In this light, we must view the confession of all the above-named per- sons ; and it is only in this light that we are disposed to view it with any complacency.
We believe that, in order fully to discharge their duty, they are under obligation to return to our communion. But, although they at present neglect to return to us, yet, as they express their penitence for the irregular manner in which they left us, we trust that our Congrega- tional churches will not censure us as abandoning the wholesome disci- pline of the gospel, if, on account of their professed repentance, we take off the sentence of excommunication. This we now do. We can not, however, adopt this measure without explicitly deelaring our belief that the foundation of the church with which they have connected . themselves, was laid in error and irregularity.
We are still ready to restore these persons to our communion, and receive them into the church, if they should return to us, declaring that they take upon themselves again their former covenant.
With this rather forced construction of, and decidedly ungra- cious response to, the humble admission of their fault, the gen- tlemen named were left for five years, in the course of which Mr. Little and Captain Goodrich died, and the country passed through a war, and much political commotion. The confession " of twenty-one females, members of the (First) church," who had joined that of Union Parish was rejected " as equivocal-although it was not charged to be designedly so "-inasmuch as it did not expressly declare their penitence for the faults which they admit- ted. But, in June, 1815, sixteen of these ladies signed a paper similar to that of the male seceders in 1810; and met with a similar response. At the same meeting in which this action was taken, it was voted unanimously " that we are ready to restore to our communion those members of the church of Union Parish who were formerly members of this church, and to renew with ยท them our covenant ; and also to receive into our fellowship all the other members of the church of Union Parish, if they will unite in the same covenant."
In its terms this proposition was but a small advance upon that with which the action of the First Church in 1810, closed. But the hindrances which had obstructed reunion, were slowly giving
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
way ; and, twenty-five days after this last vote, the following declaration was adopted by the First Church ; and, if still ungra- cious in tone, it shows a marked advance towards the conciliation which was a necessary preliminary to the consolidation of the Congregationalists of Pittsfield upon the old basis.
Whereas, several years ago, certain members of this church were, in violation of their covenant, in a hasty and irregular manner, with- out dismission and without necessity, embodied into the church of Union Parish in this town, being a majority of said church of Union Parish ;- and whereas, they have presented to us a written confession of their faults acknowledging that they have done wrong-we have taken the same, with attending circumstances into serious considera- tion. We think that the offending members would more fully observe the rules of ecclesiastical order, and discharge their duty, by returning to the church from which they have departed ; especially as they are generally convinced that but one religious society is required in this village.1 Yet. as they consider themselves bound by their new cove- nant, by which they are connected with others never belonging to this church, and as they profess repentance of their sin in leaving us in an irregular manner ; Now, therefore, although retaining our persuasion that " the foundation of the church of Union Parish, was laid in error and irregularity," yet influenced by the desire of promoting the inter- ests of the gospel of peace, we think ourselves allowed to vote, and we do hereby vote, that we will hereafter overlook, in our measures of dis- cipline, the offense which has been acknowledged, and that hereafter we will treat the church of Union Parish as a Christian church.
From the beginning of the rupture, both parties made the strongest protestation of their desire to prevent a division of the parish; and, after that had become an accomplished fact, each was vehement in proclaiming its willingness to take any steps which could reasonably be required of it, toward reconciliation and reunion ; but each unfortunately held that the terms pro- posed by the other were inadmissible; and, indeed it was true, that what each required was very like an unconditional surrender of the very point upon which the other had set its heart. But the protestations were none the less strong on that account. It was to emphasize its professions of a desire for harmony that the new parish assumed the name of Union. The adherents of the
1The ignoring of the Methodist and Baptist societies in all the action regarding religions matters during these troubles is noteworthy and suggest ive.
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HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD.
First Church retorted that the seceders adopted a strange method . of manifesting their desire for union when they drew a fixed line of separation, and set up, behind it, a new organization with all the elements of permanence which it was in their power to pro- vide.
The latter portion of this retort was, however, not strictly true ; for, while the Union Parish included among its members, Woodbridge Little, Oliver Wendell, Charles Goodrich, John Chandler Williams, Lemuel Pomeroy, and other of the wealthier citizens, and thus had abundant means for the erection of a meet- ing-house, immediately upon its organization, it actually delayed that measure for more than a year; either in the sincere hope that a reconciliation would render it unnecessary, or else to avoid the odium of being first in assuming that reunion was no longer to be hoped for.1
With the exception of the ordination of its minister, and the building of its meeting-house, we have no positive information of any act of Union Parish during the seven years of its existence. One event, nevertheless, of permanent interest to both parishes, after their rennion, occurred during this period. Woodbridge Little died on the 21st of June, 1813, and by his will left five hundred dollars for the purpose of establishing a fund of which the interest should be "yearly appropriated toward the salary of the Congregational minister in Union Parish ; " recommending that it should be placed in the care of trustees. To this request, he added the following provision : " And, as it has ever been my sincere and ardent desire to prevent the causes, and avoid the consequences, of the unhappy division which has taken place in the Congregational church in this town, and which has issued in the establishment of Union Parish; so, if at any time, a union shall be effected between the two societies, on principles of Chris-
I In the winter of 1810-11, Union Parish finally determined to build a house of worship ; and, a liberal sum having been subscribed for that purpose, the town was asked, not to give, but to sell for a suitable consideration, a site " north of the printing-office of Phinehas Allen," on what was then the burial-ground, although as yet unoccupied by graves. The democrats being in majority, this request was refused, and the new house of worship was built, where the South Congregational Church now stands, on South street. It was a neat, tasteful and convenient structure, with a rather graceful spire, and was supplied with a bell. After the reunion of the parishes, it served a good purpose as a lecture and school room.
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tian charity, and they become in fact one society and church, then said sum should be given to the united parishes."
After making liberal legacies to several friends and giving one hundred dollars to the Congregational Missionary Society, Mr. Little's will provided that his property should be sold within twelve months after his decease; and what remained after the payment of legacies, and the cost of erecting a monument at his grave, should be paid to the president and trustees of Williams college ; to be added to the fund created by him in 1811, for the purpose of aiding indigent young men in their preparation for the ministry. The amount of Mr. Little's gift in 1811, was twenty-five hundred dollars; and, as residuary legatee under the will, the college received thirty-two hundred dollars. These were the first donations which the college received after it commenced its corporate existence.
Mr. Little's bequest to the Congregational parish did not become available until the year 1818, when his earnest prayer for its reunion had been answered. At a subsequent period his sug- gestion regarding its committal was heeded; and it became the nucleus of the fund for the support of the Congregational minis- try in Pittsfield. Mr. Little was buried in the old First burial ground; but, after two disinterments, his grave is now in the " Pilgrims' Rest," at the Pittsfield cemetery. For four years after his death, the divided parishes struggled on; wrangling almost to the last. But, all along, a restless feeling that neither was altogether in the right, possessed the best minds in both. As time wore on, this consciousness extended and increased in power ; and they looked and prayed longingly for the moment which would give them the opportunity to mingle . once more in a com- mon fold.
No one ever pretended that the number of Congregational wor- shipers in Pittsfield was such as to require two parishes of that order in town ; nor was their wealth so abundant that the burden of a superfluous establishment could be disregarded. In the heat of conflict, indeed, men subscribed, without hesitation and without stint, for the support of whatever institutions scemed essential to the maintenance of their rights and privileges, or to the honor of their party; but when the conflict was in some measure past, and the necessity arising from it had become at least doubtful, all naturally began to look about for some honor-
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