USA > Maine > Oxford County > Buckfield > A history of Buckfield, Oxford County, Maine, from the earliest explorations to the close of the year 1900 > Part 12
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Three years after a satisfactory settlement was made be- tween the town and the proprietors. The lands were sold and placed in separate funds. The proceeds of the sale of the min- isterial lands were never used for ministerial purposes, through conflict of denominational interests and in 1830 authority was ob- tained from the Legislature of Maine to transfer the investment to the school fund. This was done. Thus, after many years of controversy, the money derived from the sale of these lots was merged in a perpetual school fund with the municipal officers as trustees. It amounts at the present time to a little over two thousand dollars, the interest of which is annually devoted to the support of the public schools.
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HISTORY OF BUCKFIELD
EARLY PREACHING AND MISSIONARIES.
The first preaching and religious ministrations to the people in Buckfield were from the missionaries who were accustomed to visit the early settlements calling upon families, distributing books, printed discourses and tracts and holding services in farm houses and barns. They were earnest, self-denying men, some of whom were liberally educated, others possessing few acquire- ments beyond their natural gifts for religious work, but all were imbued with a martyr-like zeal in extending spiritual instructions to their fellow men.
Elder James Potter, pastor of the "First Bowdoin Church' Society of the Baptist denomination and of strong Calvinistic doctrines which in those days rigidly prevailed, appears to have been the first to visit Buckfield on a missionary tour. This was in 1789. He left a record of that visit in which he stated that he found here a number of loving brethren and had fellowship with them. Several other missionaries came to Buckfield -- the most prominent being Elder Elisha Snow of Thomaston and Rev. Paul Coffin of Buxton. The latter was a liberal-minded, cultivated man, a graduate of Harvard College and a scholar of repute. He was born in Newbury, Mass., in 1737 and though reared in one of the inost cultivated communities of New England he conceived it his duty to settle among a people living in a comparative wilderness and he moved to the township, afterwards incorporated as Buxton in the District of Maine, and here began a pastorate which con- tinued over sixty years. He died there in 1821, beloved and revered by all. During his long pastorate he made many ex- tended missionary tours into this section. He kept a journal which was printed. The references to his experiences in Buck- field are very interesting. We quote: "1796, June 28, Buckfield, formerly Bucktown. It lies N. of Hebron and above which is Butterfield, etc. Nearly E. is Turner. Preached from Acts 17: 30, 31. Put up with Mr. George ( probably Jolin) Buck, originally from Newbury, who with nothing but two hands has advanced to 500 acres of good land. He has 8 pails of milk from ten cows."-"1798, Aug. 23, left Hebron and rode to Buckfield, guided by a lad, Josiah Pratt of Hebron to whom I gave a testa- ment. Gave Mr. Buck Belknap's Sermon and Hemmingway's Sermon to Benjamin Spaulding and a primer to the children of Isaac Foster." "Aug. 24, rode to Buckfield Mills. There are
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two brothers by the name of Andrews-money getters in trade here with a large house and a shop and a Mr. Record with a large house begun. From this center is a road west to Paris, north to Butterfield and N.E. to Livermore. Preached from 2d Timothy 3: 14, 15. All preaching is thought by many here to be needless and the 'Age of Reason' is too sweet to the people. Oh! the bad effects of lay preachers of several sorts and of deistical writers when these follow as here great ignorance and neglect of the means of grace. How sad is the case of the people in such hands. The low state of religion in this place and the corruption of principle too fully prove such a sad case. Aug. 26, Sabbath, Buckfield. It being rainy I preached to about six score people from Mark 16: 15, 16 and Matt. 5 : 23, 24. . I lost about half my hearers I believe by the rain. What I had gave attention." "1800, Sept. 2, Hebron. Rode to Buckfield with Mr. Benjamin Spaulding and John Clay. Clay is the son of Richard, late of Buxton, whose wife was Ruth Whiton. Clay has three married sisters in Buckfield where is his mother also. Sept. 3, Buckfield. Mr. Spaulding is the first settler here of about 20 years' standing. He lives about ten miles from Mr. Turner's in Hebron. He owns 800 acres and is from small beginnings advanced to wealth. He has four barns and several convenient out houses-makes about five tons of potash yearly. His situation is rich and pleas- ant. He lives in plenty and entertains a friend well. The town has 150 or 160 families, some good houses, no settled minister ; all are divided. He says near 20 ministers from Gorham have en- tered among them to spoil their union and prevent the settlement of a minister. Oh! Gorham what hast thou done? Spaulding has 40 black cattle with sheep and horses. He is situated on the road to Paris and has a grist and saw mill."
"Sept. 4, Thursday, Buckfield. Preached from Acts 24: 25. Put up with Abijah Buck. He and his brother, Nathaniel, and Spaulding are beautifully situated on the north side of excellent intervale land annually overflowed. It bears usually one and one- fourth tons of hay per acre. Buck has a sweet garden running from his door to the stream. Five houses for martins on poles before his door are ornamental. These birds went off three weeks ago. Sept. 5, at Buck's. This morning after a rain is pleasant. All things green and clover fit for mowing. Visited three families yesterday. Mrs. Tyler, Buck's mother-in-law, is
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90 years old. She was born at Haverhill and remembers Hannah Dustin who killed seven Indians. Her husband with one hand only has built more than 200 mills. Visited Messrs. Ricker, War- ren, Hussey, John Cole and John Elwell. Put up again with Abijah Buck. Cold night, but no frost. New corn ground here the first instant. Sept. 6, visited Mr. Harlow, long sick and emaciated. He and his wife appearing mild and Christianlike. Gave a Psalter to their little sweet daughter, Sukey. Mrs. Buck asked me this good question: Can a man be a Christian before he is clever ? Preached from James 3 : 7. Then rode to Sumner over a good road and put up with Joshua Richardson, son of the Deacon-a pleasant family it was."
FIRST BAPTIST SOCIETY.
The result of the work of the missionaries and itinerant preachers was a movement to form a Baptist society and it was found on looking over the ground that it was advisable to locate it in Turner, where the people of the east and southeastern por- tions of Buckfield in which sections the tenets of that faith had taken root, could be quite well accommodated. Accordingly in 1791. two years before the incorporation of the town, a petition to incorporate such a society was presented to the General Court of Massachusetts. Joseph Roberts, Jr., was the first name on the petition. Of the 61 other names on it, 34 were from this town- ship. Their names were as follows: William Irish, William Berry, Jonathan Philbrick, Joshua Wescott, William Doble, Simon Record, Edmund Irish, John Buck, William Cilley, Jona- than Roberts, Jotham Shaw, James Jordan. Jeremiah Hodgdon, James Hodgdon, Thomas Lowell, John Swett. David Warren, Joseph Roberts, John Irish, Jr., Enoch Hall, Benj. Cilley, William Lowell, Eleazer Chase, Caleb Young. Amos Brown, Richard Taylor, Joseph Chase, John Irish, Joshua Davis, Thomas Irish, Stephen Lowell, Lemuel Crooker, Jonathan Record and Nathaniel Smith. In the latter part of the next year the petition was granted and the society incorporated. it never, however. ac- quired much success or stability and its influence in the com- munity was less than expected. It was unable to sustain regular preaching and its promoters soon drifted away to other asso- ciations.
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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCHI OF BUCKFIELD.
The missionary labors of Elders Potter and Snow had re- sulted in the conversion of several persons in the village and vicinity and about the same time that the movement was started to incorporate the Turner and Bucktown society, an association was formed of seventeen persons who united with the church and they entered upon the work of the new society with an energy that promised fruitful results but their isolated situation and meagre privileges for public worship were unfavorable to rapid advancement. For the first ten years of its existence ( till 1801 ), the society was without a pastor and dependent for preaching on itinerant ministers with slight aid from the Baptist Bowdoinham Association which extended its fostering care over the church. Various preachers from it volunteered occasional visits here, hold- ing services and making a few converts, but with its small mem- bership and destitution of a settled pastor, the society after a few years of comparative prosperity began to decline in numbers and influence until its perpetuity became a question of serious con- sideration. But at length through the darkness of depression appeared the dawning of brighter days, which brought rejoicing to the faithful supporters of the church.
Relative to the church here at this period we quote from Mil- lett's History of the Baptists in Maine: "In 1801 Rev. Nathaniel Chase became its pastor. With a warm, vigorous and zealous piety, he strove untiringly to strengthen the things that remained. Nor did he toil in vain. The work of the Lord prospered in his hands and pleasing additions were soon made to the church which now appeared like one coming up from the wilderness."
Elder Nathaniel Chase was a man of great activity and energy. Through his instrumentality, a meeting-house was built, the first church edifice in town, which has always been known as Elder Chase's Church. It stood south from the village near the residence of the late Sylvester Murdock. It fell into disuse in after years and was moved to the village and occupied as a town horse until a recent period.
Elder Chase was pastor of this church society for fifteen years, after which he continued his church relations, occasionally preaching here for many years and representing the society at the association meetings and conventions nearly every year. He had ardent supporters and co-workers in Deacons Job Prince,
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Stephen Benson, Job Packard and William Berry. After his pastorate, no regular preaching was sustained but meetings with various preachers were held and the Sabbath School with Bible classes were continued.
The decline of the church began in 1804 after which it sus- tained an annual net loss. In 1828 it reported a membership of thirty-two, but its report of 1839 states: "This church has scarcely a name to live." In 1841 only twelve members remained and the association dropped it from its rolls with a recommenda- tion for the members to unite with other churches. Elder Chase united with the church in Hebron and the mission of the First Church was ended but during its existence it exercised a broad and healthy influence in the community and town and left a last- ing impression for good.
REV. NATHANIEL CHASE.
Nathaniel Chase, the central figure of the first church in Buck- field, was a man of remarkable personality. Reared under the hardships of pioneer life, in youth a Revolutionary soldier, in 1781, at the age of twenty years he came to the forest wilds of Buckfield, destitute in worldly goods, but rich in courage, untir- ing perseverance and vigorous manhood. An account of his in- coming is given in sketches of early settlers. He cleared ten acres of land on which he built a log cabin, to which he brought his father and mother from Windham in 1782, giving them the land and starting anew in the forest for himself. Legislative provisions enabled him to secure one hundred acres for himself to which he subsequently added more than two hundred acres by purchase. He was a diligent worker, and as the years went by his farm broadened in improved acreage, wrested from the forests till his landed possessions were among the largest and most valuable in the settlement and he was ac- counted a wealthy man as measured by the standard of those days. Here he successively built three houses ; first, a log cabin ; second, a small frame house, which in time was succeeded by the large square house still standing on the Chase farm in which he lived till his death in 1853, when he was almost ninety-two years of age. He was three times married and he reared a large family of sons and daughters.
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Under rigid religious influences of his youthful days he was converted and became possessed with a desire to preach the gospel. The associations of his youth afforded few educational oppor- tunities. He never attended school a day in his life, but through aptitude and perseverance he gathered knowledge from every- day life and such few books as were attainable until he became well informed. He was ordained to the ministry in the Baptist church in 1800 and he preached in Buckfield continuously fifteen years and occasionally during the remainder of his active life. He also preached many years in Harrison, Woodstock, Liver- more, Paris and other places, largely without compensation, re- viving and building up churches. He always preached without notes, his Bible and hyni book being his only pulpit aids, but his sermons were characterized with earnestness, terseness and vigor- ous expression which always impressed his hearers. He was a hard working man on his farm and his fields and the woods were his places of study and while toiling through the week his mind was engaged in preparing his sermons for the following Sabbath. It is amusingly related of him that he would frequently complete the hoeing of a row of corn and then hoe back on the same row, so absorbed was his mind with thoughts of some future discourse. He was a man of firm will, blunt speech, thoroughly honest and zealous in all his undertakings, and under his religious austerity were a kindly heart and a lurking sense of humor. Always an in- dustrious man, he had no sympathy for idlers. His house was a rendezvous for all visiting preachers of his faith, but if one of them showed a disposition to unreasonably loiter on his hospital- ity he was plainly told that "he should not eat the bread of idle- ness." Several of the Elder's sayings have passed into local proverbs, as: "The longer I live the more convinced I am that it takes a pretty good man to make a good Christian," and "If a man will steal sheep before he is converted he is quite likely to afterwards." Many anecdotes concerning him are also pre- served: He had a large family of boys who kept up the pro- verbial reputation of minister's sons for mischievous pranks, in which a nephew named Eleazer, took a conspicuous part. It was the custom of the Elder to select his hymns for the Sabbath and then carefully wrap his hymn book in his handkerchief and place it in the pocket of his Sunday coat, ready for use. On one occasion this mischievous loving nephew surreptitiously w th-
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drew the book and substituted a pack of cards. When Sunday came the Elder opened the meeting, taking out the supposed hymn-book, and, as he unfolded the handkerchief, a shower of cards fell in all directions from the high pulpit to the consterna- tion of preacher and congregation. Recovering from his amaze- ment, the Elder gave a tremendous hem and exclaimed: "That's some of Lezer's work." Uncle Nat, as he was familiarly called, was an extensive and prudent farmer and raised large crops of corn, always having a yearly surplus to lend or sell to his neigh- bors. One cold winter night he had occasion to be out late and on returning, he heard a noise in his corn house as of some one shelling corn. He went in and found a poor man there, who had already shelled about a bushel which he intended to steal. Uncle Nat was greatly displeased and bluntly exclaimed: "You pesti- lent fellow ! What in the name of the world are you doing here at this time of night-stealing are you? Don't you know any better? Take your bag and go home. Stop -- take half the corn. I suppose you are needy and I am willing to pay you for shell- ing ; but you are a good-for-nothing fellow, and don't let me ever catch you stealing again."
At another time, when breadstuff was scarce and could only be obtained for cash at high prices, a man came to Uncle Nat to buy corn.
"How much do you want to buy?" the Elder asked.
"Six bushels," replied the man.
"Have you the money to pay for it?"
"I have cash in my pocket.
"Well, then, I can't let you have any. If you have money in your pocket you can bay corn of those who won't sell for any- thing else. Some of my neighbors, with large families are very poor and can't get money and I must keep all the corn I can spare to lend to them till they can raise some or can pay me in some other way."
SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH.
In the minutes of the Oxford Baptist Association, held in Sumner in 1850, appears the following historical sketch :
THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN WEST BUCKFIELD.
The West part of Buckfield was settled in 1790. It pleased God to send some praying souls to settle in the place, who estab lished prayer meetings and continued them till 1802, when the
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Lord appeared in answer to prayer, and poured out His Spirit, and sinners were converted to God. In July, 1802, He moved upon the minds of His people to be organized in church fellow- ship, to be called The Second Baptist Church in Buckfield. The number organized was thirteen-seven males and six females. After the church was embodied they made choice of Bro. Job Prince to fill the office of deacon, and Bro. John Simmons, as
Baptist Parsonage, West Buckfield
clerk. Twenty-five were added to this little band the same year. In November, 1803, one of their number, Brother George Ricker, was ordained. and became their pastor. The church continued in a flourishing state till 1809 or 1810. About this time Elder Ricker was dismissed, and removed to Minot. This left us des- titute of preaching, which caused trials in the church, and many of the members were dismissed to the First Church in Buckfield and Hebron. But the church still held together, and in a good degree kept up the worship of God with but very little preaching till 1815, when God appeared in mercy pouring out his Spirit, and sinners were converted. Thirty-four were added to the church. A good interest continued, by the help of ministering brethren, and the gifts in the church. till 1825, when Bro. Ephraim Harlow was called to ordination, and in July he was set apart to the Gospel ministry. The church had to pass through many trials, until 1830, when God, in his mercy, appeared to build up Zion, and fifteen were added. Nothing of importance oc-
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curred in the church till 1839. This was a year of great interest. In this year, twenty-three were added, and a good degree of in- terest continued until 1842, when we lost our house in which we met for worship, by fire. We were then dependent on other dis- tricts for a house to meet in, which caused some difficulty. The enemy crept in, and we were under the necessity of excluding some. Others were dismissed to churches in different places, while others have died and gone to receive their reward, until our number is reduced at present to twenty-six. We are few in number, but are in peace among ourselves.
The deacons who have served in this church, are Job Prince and Ichabod Waterman, from its organization to 1811; Daniel Faunce has served from 1811 to the present time ; David Farrar, from 1819 to 1842; Warren Besse, from 1824 to 1847; David Farrar, Jr., from 1841 to 1847. The clerks who have served the church are John Simmons, Ichabod Waterman, David Farrar, and William Pearson.
E. HARLOW, Pastor, WILLIAM PEARSON, Clerk.
West Buckfield, September, 1850.
For nearly half a century this church exercised a strong and centralizing religious influence in the west part of the town. In its seasons of weakness and depression it was frequently the recipient of the ministerial services and fatherly counsel of Elder Chase of the First Church, also of Elder Hooper of Paris. Its membership consisted of frugal, industrious farmers and their families whose interests and associations were largely confined to the quiet events and rigid simplicity of a rural neighborhood in the early days. Church conferences were of frequent occur- iences which were recorded as occasions of prayer and "travail of soul," at which members unburdened their minds, relating their trials and crosses, reporting the short-comings of others and confessing their own. One member was reported for his failure to include his money at interest in his valuation return to the assessors of the town, and both informer and delinquent were admonished. The following entry in the church records appears under date of May 19, 1820:
"Met in conference. Told our minds with great coldness, after which there appeared a difficulty in the minds of some that
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N. Harlow ought to be reported for driving home from Portland on the Lord's day." Thus personal differences, back-biting, in- temperance, neglect of neighborly visits and church attendance and various other short-comings were frequently the travail of mind at these meetings, which were gravely considered and brought under the corrective influence of the church. But the heaviest burden of this church and the greatest disturber of its peace was its intolerance of Free Masonry, the outgrowth of the historic Morgan crusade, which took deep root in this neighbor- hood in 1828, when Nathaniel Harlow was clerk of the church and his brother, Ephraim, its pastor. The latter in his historical sketch spoke of the many trials of the church previous to 1830, but he omitted to associate them with their origin which was in anti-Masonry. He also failed to include in his list of clerks the name of his brother, Nathaniel, who, under date of 1828, made the following record : "About this time a great excitement arose in the church about Masonry, and Nathaniel Harlow being one, was visited by Deacon Farrow, who was sent to visit me, and a request was made by the church for me, in order to have standing in the church, to renounce Masonry, which thing I have not agreed to do not being anything immoral in said society."
At a church meeting, Oct. 11, 1828, the following vote was passed : "Voted that we will not receive a Free Mason into this church nor hold any in fellowship who attend their meetings or in any way support them, they being a wicked and immoral society."
The foregoing entry was the last one made by Nathaniel Har- low as clerk. He was soon superseded in office and at a church meeting, Feb. 7, 1829, following grave deliberations and much excitement over Free Masonry, church fellowship was withdrawn from him. Here began the decline of the church which led to its final dissolution ; for its action in the case of Mr. Harlow was strongly opposed by several members, who also were later de- prived of church fellowship and who were subsequently received as members of Elder Chase's church. This action of the First church, in accepting dismissed members of another without let- ters, was contrary to church regulations and caused a breach of good feeling between the two churches which continued through much controversy and ineffectual attempts at reconcilation till 1835 when harmony was restored through the agency of the Bap- tist Association. But the society never recovered its former strength and prosperity, but it gradually declined till like the First church it "fell asleep."
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BUCKFIELD VILLAGE BAPTIST CHURCH.
This church had its birth during a period of inactivity in the religious affairs of the village when its citizens were devoting their energies to business enterprises associated with the opening of the railroad. It was a time of material growth and prosperity, with increasing population and great activity in the erection of new buildings and but little interest was manifested in church matters. No Sabbath meetings were held in the village by any denomination. The Universalists were inactive, the First Baptist church had passed away and the lights of the Second church at West Buckfield had faded to a glimmer. Nathaniel Chase and Ephraim Harlow, the aged pastors of these two churches, still lived, but had passed their years of activity. But a leaven from those old churches still lingered in the community from which a new church was to arise.
In the year, 1850, Rev. Dr. Adam Wilson, then pastor of the Baptist church in Heborn, became interested in the religious con- dition of the village and during the summer of the following year, he made arrangements for himself and Albion K. P. Small, the perceptor of Hebron Academy to preach occasionally in Buck- field. Their efforts were productive of considerable public in- terest and encouraging results and on the first day of September of that year Mr. Small severed his connections with the academy and with his wife moved to Buckfield, hoping to be able to sustain preaching for one year. No church society existed, and no salary was provided. At first the attendance was small and few persons had confidence that meetings would be continued through the winter, but Mr. Small was a young man of energy and promising ability and under his preaching the interest of the people steadily increased till a congregation of respectable size was acquired and one hundred and forty dollars were raised for his support. The second year of Mr. Small's labors brought some additional sup- port, but it was one of many discouragements; for, while there was a general desire to have his work sustained, yet none were found prepared to unite in church fellowship. This condition was disheartening to the young preacher, who sometimes felt that his labors were in vain, but with aid from the Missionary Society and his salary as teacher of the winter terms of the village school, he was enabled to support himself and family. At length, the prospects grew somewhat brighter ; several persons manifested a
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