USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > The story of Duxbury, 1637-1937 > Part 3
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The Story of Duxbury 1637-1937
religion in their liberal gifts to the Parish, the for- mer a pair of tablets, and the latter a set of lamps to light the meeting-house. While their gifts remain an ornament to the Temple Dedicated to God, may they remind us and succeeding Generations that lives of Holiness, Truth and Justice are only ac- ceptable to Him."
Though the lamps have been superseded by mod- ern electric lighting, the tablets remain, with their profusion of oddly assorted Biblical texts.
During their later years, Dr. Allyn and Mr. Moore were assisted by associate ministers. Rev. Benjamin Kent (1826-1833), assistant to Dr. Al- lyn, became an authority on Duxbury history and genealogy. Rev. Frederick N. Knapp (1876-1882) was the associate of Mr. Moore.
Subsequent pastorates were held by Rev. Rush- ton Dashwood Burr (1882-1887), Rev. William H. Branigan (1887-1893), Dr. Walter R. Hunt (1894-1896), now secretary of the American Uni- tarian Association, Rev. Watson Weed (1897- 1900), and Rev. Frederic W. Smith (1900-1904) who was ordained in this church. In 1903, during the pastorate of Mr. Smith, the Misses Lucy and Jerusha Hathaway presented the church with the building now in use as a parish house.
The longest of recent terms of service was that of Rev. Andrew Hahn, from 1905 to 1918. Then followed Rev. Ralph Holbrooke Cheever (1918- 1922), Rev. John Henry Wilson (1924-1927), Rev. Dudley R. Child (1927-1933), and Rev. Frederic
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Churches and Cemeteries
M. Tileston (1933-1936). The present minister, Rev. Carl B. Bihldorff, a graduate of Yale Theologi- cal School, was ordained here in November, 1936.
The Young People's Religious Union in Dux- bury was organized by Mr. Wilson. Mr. Hahn was the minister when the Duxbury Branch of the Gen- eral Alliance was formed in November, 1906, from the Sewing Circle of earlier days. The local philan- thropies of this group have been considerable and its gifts to the church generous.
Since 1925, the parish has held annually in Au- gust a service of commemoration known as "Ances- tors' Sunday." On that day, it is the custom for descendants of early pewholders to sit in the seats once occupied by their kindred, and later to meet informally on the church lawn. The officiating clergyman frequently has been a guest-preacher. Several times, Dr. Abbot Peterson of Duxbury and Brookline has given the commemoration address.
For some years, the men of the parish secured well known guest-preachers for the summer months, among them, Dr. William L. Sullivan, Dr. Preston Bradley and Dr. Samuel M. Crothers.
Beginning with the Partridge Ministerial Fund, established by George Partridge in 1829, the parish has been the beneficiary of generous bequests by its members, including the Misses Hathaway, Miss Margie S. Sampson, Miss Florence G. Ford and Mrs. George B. Frazar.
The church silver, now in the custody of the Bos- ton Museum of Fine Arts, includes three communion
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The Story of Duxbury 1637-1937
cups given the parish by James Partridge in 1731.
On August 14, 1932, the First Church in Duxbury celebrated its three hundredth anniversary. Since for two hundred years the town and the church were one, the ministers of the other two churches in the village took part in the service. Herbert E. Walker extended the greetings of the parish. Rev. Alfred R. Hussey of the parent church in Plymouth offered prayer and Professor Harold E. B. Speight of Dart- mouth College gave the principal address.
Following the service, several former ministers joined in greeting friends at the reception held in the town hall and on the church lawn. Nine hun- dred people came to commemorate the founders and to recall the later men and women who had labored and sacrificed and rejoiced in the perpetuation of this church.
To those who are now the First Parish in Dux- bury, the presence of this great congregation was memorable. It was a challenge to prove their worth as trustees of a goodly heritage.
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THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
By Elizabeth S. Peterson
T has not been easy to secure data relative to I
this church which stood on the main village street in the southeast corner of what is now the Winsor House lot. The executive offices of the Universalist Church in Boston have no record of a church in Duxbury.
Deeds of the Winsor family show that the church was erected in 1826, demolished in 1866, and the lumber apparently carried to South Scituate by its purchaser, David Torrey, of that town.
In the records of the First Parish, we note that the Parish meeting of April 11, 1840, was held in the Universalist church. The present Unitarian meet- inghouse was under construction at that time.
On Christmas night, 1843, Miss Mary A. Rice, who was teaching a private school in Duxbury, attended in the Universalist church her first Christ- mas service. In her autobiography, she wrote that this church made a larger use of Christmas than did the other Duxbury parishes, Unitarian and Meth- odist; that "on Christmas Eve, their children were treated to a small feast and a bountiful supply of
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The Story of Duxbury 1637-1937
presents. On Christmas night, a joyful religious service was held in the church, which was decorated and illuminated most brilliantly." After her first Christmas service, Miss Rice greeted the young minister, Rev. Daniel Parker Livermore, whose discourse had greatly impressed her. In 1845, she became his wife. Mrs. Livermore's association with Duxbury is one of its happy memories.
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THE PILGRIM CHURCH By Rev. Gordon L. King
T HE first church in Duxbury was Congrega- tional, or as it was then called, "Independent." When the residents of this part of the Colony found it difficult to transport their increasing families to Plymouth for Divine Service, Elder Brewster gathered them into a church of which he was the leader. They worshipped in a building which stood within the enclosure of the Standish Cemetery.
Some time after 1800, this church became Uni- tarian. Those who did not favor this transfer of ecclesiastical polity formed a Methodist Episcopal Church in 1821. A small building was erected on the site of the present Episcopal Church. The society grew and flourished, for this was the era of ship-building in Duxbury.
Differences of opinion concerning slavery became so sharp that even Christian brethren found it im- possible to dwell in unity.
Under the leadership of Seth Sprague, affection- ately known to his friends as "Father Sprague," most of the members of this society withdrew from the Methodist Episcopal Church, because, in their
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The Story of Duxbury 1637-1937
minds, it condoned slavery by refusing to condemn it. As Abolitionists, they could no longer lend their influence to an institution which had not taken a forthright stand for emancipation. Fifty-nine members withdrew with the intention of forming another "Independent" church in Duxbury.
In a letter addressed to the church, Mr. Sprague explained his withdrawal from its communion. "When I joined the Methodist Episcopal Church," he wrote, "I thought that the churches of that order were Anti-Slavery and Temperance Societies. By degrees, the sin of slavery crept into the church and when an attempt was made by a few of its members to expel this enormous sin, all the official influence of the Church was arrayed against them, and for eight years past it has been persecuting Abolition- ists and defending Slavery. I consider the Meth- odist Episcopal Church as one great prop in the support of slavery and feel that so long as I remain a member of it, I am giving my support to that."
Thus was begun a new chapter in the history of this band of worshippers when, on Sunday after- noon, December 24, 1843, in the schoolroom of District No. 1 (which, according to one authority, stood on the northeast corner of the lot now occupied by the Pilgrim Church, and according to another, on Surplus Street), they met for re-organization. Here they worshipped until the present building was erected in 1844 on land given by Mr. Sprague, who also contributed several thousand dollars.
For some unexplained reason, the original in-
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tention of organizing an "Independent" church did not materialize. Instead, a "Wesleyan Methodist" church was formed, and until 1870, was affiliated with that Conference.
Since the only hall in town, the property of the Masons, was not available for rental, the vestry of the Pilgrim Church was used for varied purposes. In it were held singing schools, lectures, and en- tertainments; even traveling showmen staged their performances here.
The first regularly called pastor of the church was a Rev. Mr. Latham. In 1870, under Rev. J. W. Haley, it was voted to transfer from the Wes- leyan Methodist to the Congregational Conference. Thus, by the re-establishment of a Congregational Church, was completed a cycle of change in eccle- siastical polity which finally brought this group back to the faith of their Pilgrim Fathers.
The church became known as the Wesleyan Con- gregational Church of Duxbury. At a Council meet- ing held on September 7, 1870, the church was formally received into the fellowship of the Congre- gational Churches of New England. Its present name, Pilgrim Church, was not adopted until 1873.
Three years previous, the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims at Plym- outh Rock had been commemorated. The idea then arose in the minds of the members of this church that the term, "Pilgrim," was a more fitting designation for their church than was the term, "Wesleyan."
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During the pastorate of Rev. W. W. Lyle, the change of name was made by adoption of the fol- lowing resolution:
". . . As the name of the Church was left for further con- sideration since the time when we became a Congregational Church, and as the year in which this change was made was the Memorial Year, or 250th Anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock, and whereas the Sacred Edi- fice in which we worship stands on soil first trodden by the feet of the Pilgrim Fathers and consecrated by their endur- ing faith and holy ardor and heroic devotion, therefore- Resolved that this Church be hereafter known as the Pil- grim Church of Duxbury."
This church has championed the causes of tem- perance and church unity. For many years it had an active W.C.T.U. which did good work in educat- ing the people to the importance of reform. In reference to church unity, a resolution was passed in 1907, putting the church on record as "favoring the union of the Methodist Protestant, Congrega- tional and United Brethren churches under the name of the United Churches." This is an ideal not yet attained on the denominational scale. The Pilgrim Church co-operated with the First Parish Church in holding joint worship services during the winter of 1928 and 1929.
The church was incorporated in 1891. Inasmuch as the church had been accepted by the Congrega- tional Conference, it was desired to incorporate it under the name of the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Duxbury. But because the First Parish
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Church in its incorporation had used the term, "Congregational," it had to be struck out of the name of this organization.
The records disclose the interesting fact that the church once requested the town to provide an officer of the law to keep order within and with- out the church during services. It is recorded that on another occasion, the pastor relinquished to a deacon the chair of moderator in order that he might take the floor to discuss "the faults of the people and his own, looking towards a better understand- ing between each other."
For some time, the church has maintained an ac- tive young people's society, which for many years functioned as a Christian Endeavor organization. Mrs. Sarah Sweetser was the first president. A few years ago, the young people formed an independent organization, the Pilgrim League; and for the past year and a half they have been active as the Pil- grim Chapter of Comrades of the Way.
The Sunday School has also been a vital part of the church life. The roster of pupils shows the names of more adults than minors. For many years, Mr. Allen Prior was the superintendent. The larg- est number of pupils enrolled at any one time was one hundred eighty.
No record of this church would be complete with- out reference to the work of the women's society known as the Home Workers. Their annual fairs, monthly suppers, weekly sewings and other activi- ties have contributed much to the financial welfare
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and social life of the church. Perhaps the larg- est single task undertaken by the group was the re- modeling of the parsonage at a cost of several thou- sand dollars.
For many years, most of the financial support of the church was derived from pew rentals. Not long after the organization of the church, this prac- tice was stopped for a year; but during this period, the income dropped to such an extent that the rent- ing of the pews was resumed. The plan was per- manently abandoned some years ago.
The records show a bequest of five hundred dol- lars left for the Trustees to loan. The first loan was made to the Town of Duxbury at seven per cent interest. Thereafter, the money was loaned to various individuals, and on one occasion to the pastor.
The tower clock on the church was given in mem- ory of Mrs. Almeda Ellison by her children and grandchildren. The names of William and Almeda Ellison are prominent in the earliest records of the church. In fact, the first records of the secretary are in the handwriting of Mr. Ellison. In subsequent years, Mrs. Ellison also acted as secretary.
With few exceptions, the pastors of the church seem to have been beloved. In one instance, a pas- tor who had spent a long and successful ministry here, was twice invited to resume the pastorate of Pilgrim Church. This was Rev. W. W. Lyle.
The pastor best known to the present genera- tion was Rev. Lewis J. Thomas, who for thirteen
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years held the pastorate, and who as a resident lay- man for almost a decade before that, had labored in the interests of the church.
The present minister is Rev. Gordon L. King. Other officers of the church are:
Clerk, MRS. LILA SHAW Treasurer, HARRY L. TINKER
Deacons, WILLIAM H. HOLWAY and JOSEPH T. C. JONES President of the Home Workers, MRS. ARTHUR W. WRIGHT Superintendent of the Church School, MRS. GORDON L. KING Executive officers of the Comrades of the Way, JOHN MERRY and ALMA NICKERSON
During its ninety-four years of existence, about four hundred persons have entered the member- ship of the church. Though it has been aided in the past by Home Missionary funds, it has more recently been self-supporting.
With a heritage that reaches back to the May- flower, the Pilgrim Church in Duxbury, through all her vicissitudes, has sought to perpetuate the Pil- grim Spirit.
Three hundred years from now, circumstances will no doubt have changed as much as they have changed during the past three centuries. But we feel certain that the Pilgrim devotion to the ideals of a democratic religion, of freedom to worship God, will live on undimmed, and that in Duxbury there will always be those who wish to worship in that spirit.
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THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
By Rev. Allen Jacobs
Much of this historical sketch has been taken from an excellent account of St. John's Parish written by Mary Etheridge (Mrs. Henry H.) Warden.
TN speaking of the life and growth of St. John's Church, one must not fail to mention the de- voted interest of Miss Lucy Sprague Sampson, through whose untiring energy the beginning was made, and whose interest never failed while she had health and strength. For years she was called "our little bishop."
The first services were held in a hall. Next, a small school-house, bought and furnished in 1884, was used for about sixteen years. In memory of her mother, Sarah Sprague Sampson, Miss Sampson in 1895 bought the old Methodist meeting-house which her grandfather, Seth Sprague, had helped to pay for, and which stood on a site that he had donated.
On July 18, 1895, on the occasion of the first visit to St. John's by Archdeacon Edmund Rou- manière, Miss Sampson formally presented the building at a parish meeting in the Free Library.
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E. C. Turner, Photographer
Hunt House (Built 1640)
Churches and Cemeteries
After adaptations in design had been made by Er- nest Machado, a Salem architect, the building was consecrated by Bishop William Lawrence.
An upstairs room in the church has been fitted as a chapel to be used for services in the winter months. Its comfort and completeness we owe to Mrs. Warren G. Bigelow. Recently, Mrs. Sydney Harwood gave all the cushions for the pews, and Mrs. Marion Speare gave one thousand dollars to paint the church and put the grounds in order.
Two of the most helpful workers in early years, who maintained a constant interest in the parish, were the Misses Hannah and Adeline M. Train (Mrs. Charles Weld and Mrs. Horace H. Soule).
A branch of the Women's Auxiliary, formed in 1884, has done consistent, good work.
In 1899, the building known as Sprague Hall was given to St. John's Parish in memory of Seth Sprague and his son, Peleg Sprague. With im- provements made subsequently, the building has been of great usefulness.
St. John's was and is a mission. For some years, an allowance of fifty dollars a year was given by Englishmen of the French cable staff. The Diocese and the offerings of the congregation helped in the support of the church. Here Miss Sampson's aid was never-failing.
A Junior Guild, formed in 1936, is very active. A Young People's Fellowship has been formed, from which membership comes to the church.
Bishops of the Diocese who have visited St.
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John's include the Rt. Revs. Benjamin Paddock, Phillips Brooks, William Lawrence, Henry Knox Sherrill and Suffragan Bishop Samuel Babcock. Bishop A. A. C. Hall and Bishop Brent were much interested, and came often before they were made bishops.
Ministers in charge of St. John's have been Rev. Gustavus Tuckerman (1886-1888), Rev. Frederick H. Rowse (1888-1890), Rev. E. J. V. Huiginn (1890-1892), Rev. G. Sherman Richards (1892- 1894), Rev. Ernest Pressey (1894-1896), Rev. Edward Borncamp (1896-1898), Rev. Thatcher R. Kimball (1898-1906), Rev. Samuel A. B. Mercer (1906-1908), Rev. Charles Mockridge (1908- 1910), Rev. Frederick B. Bartlett (1910-1911), Rev. Theodore D. Martin (1911-1912), Rev. Her- bert N. Cunningham (1912-1916), Rev. G. H. Kal- tenbach (1916-1918), Rev. Reginald H. Coe (1918-1930). Rev. Allen Jacobs has been the pas- tor since 1930.
Of these, Mr. Huiginn is especially remembered in the town for his research in connection with the discovery of the grave of Myles Standish; Mr. Borncamp and Mr. Kimball for their interest in young people and the organization of a successful Boys' Club. Rev. Herbert N. Cunningham, who became strongly identified with civic as well as church life in Duxbury, has been greatly missed in the community.
St. John's looks forward to greater usefulness to its parish and to the town.
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THE WEST DUXBURY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
By Rev. Tharold C. Northup
I N the year 1829, the inhabitants of West Dux- bury and Ashdod were introduced to Metho- dist preaching. For the next three years, the com- ing of the Itinerant Methodist Preachers was looked forward to with much interest by a num- ber of the residents of that locality.
In 1832, the newly organized Methodist Society erected and dedicated a meeting-house at Ashdod. About 1842, some members of the new society were attracted to the Wesleyan Church in Marshfield; but the early dissolution of this church left the field to the Methodist Society at Ashdod. For thirty years the little group struggled through the usual difficulties faced by a growing church.
In 1867, the time of the Civil War Reconstruc- tion, it was found that the community enterprises had shifted their locations; that the religious cen- ter of the western part of the town, along with financial and industrial centers, had moved from Ashdod to West Duxbury proper. It was decided
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that the church should be moved to this new center of activity.
In spite of some opposition, the cornerstone of the existing church was laid on the new site at the corner of Taylor and High Streets in 1868. The sum of seven thousand dollars was expended for materials and construction. On June 11, 1869, in the presence of eleven other clergymen and a large congregation, Rev. Samuel F. Upham dedi- cated the new building to the service of God, "for the saving of souls."
While this church was being built, a number of the members of the society withdrew and built a meeting-house at Ashdod. The existence of two churches of the same faith in the same locality made difficult the development of both. Had effort been centered in one society, progress would have been more rapid.
At the time of the dedication of the new church on High Street, there was an indebtedness of thirty- five hundred dollars. Before the service had been concluded, the debt had been reduced by eight hundred dollars through contributions and sub- scriptions. Sale of the old church building and lot produced three hundred dollars; and the balance of the debt was reduced by pew rentals.
The ministers serving this little church have been numerous. Because of this fact, the church has received a well rounded ministry. Since the erec- tion of the new building, the terms of the pastors have been brief. Most of them have been theo-
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logical students who have served only during the academic year and then have gone to wider fields. The church is proud of the fact that many of its ministers have gone to larger opportunities. One of the early pastors, Rev. George W. Wooding, who resigned in 1869, became chaplain of the Con- necticut State Prison.
It is interesting to note that Rev. Winfield Hall, pastor in 1883, was the first of our pastors to live within the bounds of his charge.
In 1886, Rev. A. N. Searls raised money to have the church painted. The next year, Rev. F. L. Brooks, a student minister, moved his family to West Duxbury and began his efforts to pay the debt ; and in 1888 was held a jubilee marking the end of indebtedness.
In about 1895, the West Duxbury and Marshfield churches were formed into a circuit served by one Methodist minister. After the dissolution of the circuit some years later, the West Duxbury church was served alone.
In 1913, the West Duxbury church and that at Bryantville were formed into a circuit, and Rev. W. T. Johnson was appointed to serve the newly organized parish. During his four-year term, the church building was reshingled, and through the help of Mr. A. Carnegie, an organ was purchased. Led by Rev. Newell S. Booth, now a missionary in the Belgian Congo, Africa, the congregation met on two occasions for a "painting party"; they painted the outside of the building and redecorated
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the interior. A concrete walk was built and the lawn was graded. In 1927, the sixtieth anniversary of the church was celebrated.
In the years 1932 to 1936, under the able leader- ship of Rev. J. Richard Sneed, the church was quick- ened in spirit and increased in membership. Thirty- seven new members came into the fellowship of the church. The Epworth League was organized and is now going forward under the competent leader- ship of Miss Agnes Tervainen. The young people's choir was also organized. During this same period, The Ladies' Aid recarpeted and improved the church in many ways.
Rev. Tharold C. Northup, the present pastor, succeeded Mr. Sneed.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of West Dux- bury has been a valuable aid to the community, largely through the effective efforts of a few de- voted members under the energetic leadership of Mr. M. R. Putnam, a layman in the church. In appreciation of what the church has meant to them, a number of people have left endowments. Such gifts have increased the usefulness and effectiveness of the church.
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CHURCHES AT ASHDOD
Methodist Episcopal, and Free Christian Society (Adventist Chapel)
TN 1867 the Methodist Episcopal church which had stood since 1832, was taken down, and material from it was used to build a church of the same faith in West Duxbury. Somewhat later, a chapel was built on the same site and was used for Methodist worship. Rev. Bartholomew Otheman, Rev. Chase Taylor and Rev. Mr. Bosworth were among the pastors.
Still later, this chapel was sold to the Free Chris- tian Society, popularly known as Adventists. The pastors of this church were Rev. Robert B. Swan and, later, Rev. Jairus C. Osgood. In this chapel and in the dormitories and dining-hall later con- structed, notable conventions of this denomination have been held during the spring and fall for forty years. Though the society is at present inactive and without a minister, the semiannual conventions are continued.
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