USA > Maine > Washington County > Milltown > Annals of Calais, Maine, and St. Stephen, New Brunswick; including the village of Milltown, Me., and the present town of Milltown, N.B. > Part 7
USA > Maine > Washington County > Calais > Annals of Calais, Maine, and St. Stephen, New Brunswick; including the village of Milltown, Me., and the present town of Milltown, N.B. > Part 7
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Immediately, Mr. E. M. P. Wells, who does not appear to have been an ordained clergyman, but a good man, began to preach to the little church and its friends ; and he continued to dispense the Gospel acceptably for about two years. There was no sudden growth, yet in 1826, one more member was added to the Church,- Mrs. Mary Arnold ; and thus another family was secured for the Society.
Meanwhile an important advance movement was made. A large, handsome and commodious meeting- house was erected. The lot of land and the avenue leading to it, were given in equal shares by Dea. Sam- uel Kelley and Jones Dyer, Esq. The money and ma-
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terial were furnished by the citizens generally, without regard to sect or belief. The Building Committee were Hon. Anson G. Chandler, Dr. S. S. Whipple, and Capt. Jarius Keene. The House was dedicated Sept. 9, 1826. the sermon was delivered by Rev. Mr. Gale of Eastport. All but seven of the pews were immediately sold at auction, bringing $4761,-a very satisfactory amount for the time and place. The highest prices were paid by Samuel Kelly and Asa Pond. Only three of the original purchasers are now living,-Samuel Kelley, Matthew Hastings and Seth Emerson ; and it is a cu- rious fact that at present, the first is a Baptist ; the sec- ond, a Methodist ; and the third, a Universalist.
The Society thus happily inaugurated, had every- thing in its favor. It was the only live religious organ- ization in the then thriving town ; it had a handsome house and a large congregation ; the leading men in the place were its friends and supporters ; pious women gave to it their love and prayers ; its congregational policy accorded with the feelings of the people ; and its permanent prosperity was assured. Calais certainly had good reason to be proud of this new and noble in- stitution, and happy in its sacred influence.
The next year, four additional members were ad- mitted into the Church. They were Samuel F. Barker, Anna D. Barker, Sarah F. Deming, and Elizabeth Carleton. This was encouraging. A Sunday-school was also organized,-the first one in town, and Dea. Samuel Kelly elected Superintendent. The school thus begun, is still flourishing. During the year, Mr. Wells retired from the pulpit ; and for a time, Rev. Mr. Mc- Ewen, and Moses Church, conducted the Sunday ser-
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vices. They are remembered as pious and faithful workmen.
The next year, 1828, another auspicious event transpired. Hon. George Downes, one of the wealthi- est and most influential men in town, with his excellent wife, joined the Church and became from that time, de- voted workers for the Society. A more firm and settled policy was now adopted. Rev. Aaron B. Church, a twin brother of Moses Church, was chosen pastor, Oct. 2, 1828, and retained the office about five and a half
years. A good proof of the wisdom of this choice, and the efficiency of the pastor, is the fact that during his ministry, forty-three persons were added to the Church. Near the close of his pastorate, he had a public discus- sion in the Central School House, with Rev. Wm. A. Whitwell, Unitarian. It is not certain that any good was done. Some time in this year, 1834, but probably not until after the resignation of Mr. Church, the 1st Congregational Parish was organized. It contained
1 sixteen members, only three of whom are now living, viz : Asher Bassford, Louis Wilson and Samuel Johnson.
The next pastor was Rev. Eber Child, an easy yet earnest speaker, who won the hearts of all his hearers. His pastorate began Jan. 1, 1835, and continued a little more than two years, when illness compelled him to re- sign. In the financially gloomy Winter of 1836, when so many earthly hopes were crushed, the public mind instinctively turned to the All Father, and a sweeping revival of religious interest ensued. Forty-seven per- sons in that year and the next, were added to the Church. Thus in the midst of adversity, there was great ecclesiastical prosperity.
Mr. Franklin Yeaton, a student from the Bangor
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Theological Seminary, a very talented young man, be- gan supplying the pulpit, Sept. 2, 1837, and remained about eleven months. The visible result of his ministry was the addition of seven members to the Church. The parish unanimously invited him to remain and be or- dained and installed as pastor ; but illness and the se- verity of the climate compelled him to leave.
After him, Mr. Batchelder supplied the pulpit for a year, beginning in Sept. 1838. He was a very worthy and pious man ; but contrasted with flowery and elo- quent Yeaton, he seemed a dull and cold sermonizer. Nevertheless seven more members were added to the Church during his short ministry, and the parish was stronger than ever before.
Next came Rev. Dr. S. H. Keeler of Amesbury Mills, Mass. He commenced his pastorate, Nov. 20, 1839, and nobly filled the office for twenty-eight years. He was a ripe scholar, a respected citizen, an able man- ager, an interesting preacher, and a warm, true, pious Christian. His amiable wife readily won the hearts of all her acquaintances. Throughout his long ministry, the parish glided along smoothly, pleasantly, prosper- ously. There was no trouble, no complaint, no dissat- isfaction, worth recording. Evidently he was the right man in the right place. On the first Sunday in July, 1850,-a year made gloomy by financial prostration and failure, twenty-seven persons were added to the Church ; and during Dr. Keeler's pastorate, about two hundred. Greater success it would be difficult to find in any parish in any part of the country.
In 1849, the congregation having become too large for the meeting-house, it was remodelled and enlarged ; at an expense of about $4000. The Building Committee
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were L. L. Lowell, Esq., Hon. A. G. Chandler, and James C. Swan, Esq. Thirty feet were added to the length of the house, and twenty additional pews put in ; giving the edifice more comely proportions, and a more commodious arrangement. It had been in use about twenty-three years, and it continued to be used as a place of worship about twenty-three years more. In 1872, it was sold to W. W. Pike, moved to Church St., converted into an opera house, and festive hall ; in which condition it bids fair to be useful to the public for many years.
The Church at first adopted, and probably without much discussion, the Calvinistic creed then generally held by most Congregationalist churches in New Eng- land ; but in 1855, in consequence of some drift in be- lief or feeling, it framed and adopted the following "Confession of faith." It requires,
1. "Belief in one God, revealed in his Word, as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; and that these three are essentially one, and equal in all divine attributes.
2. Belief that the Bible is the Word of God, written by holy men as they were moved by the Holy Ghost ; and that it is the only rule of faith and practice.
3. Belief that God created all things for his own glory ; that known to him are all his works from the beginning ; and that in perfect consistency with man's free agency and accountability, He governs all things according to the counsel of his own free-will.
4. Belief that the first parents of our race were cre- ated holy ; that they became sinners by disobeying God ; and that in consequence of their fall, all their posterity are destitute of holiness, until regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
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5. Belief that God in mercy gave his Son to die for our race ; and that in consequence of the sufferings and death of Christ, God is not only just while he justifies every believer, but freely offers salvation to all on con- dition of faith and repentance.
6. Belief that all who become Christians "were chos- en of Christ before the foundation of the world, and that they are saved, not by works of righteousness which they have done, but according to the mercy of God, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
7. Belief that the Spirit in regenerating the heart, so uniformly operates in connection with the means of grace, that none are ordinarily saved, without a proper use of them.
8. Belief that all who are in the Lord Jesus Christ, will be kept by the power of God unto salvation ; and that the best evidence of being in Christ, is a holy life.
9. Belief in the resurrection of the dead and in a day of final judgment, when the wicked will go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal.
10. Belief that Christ has a visible Church on earth, the terms of admission to which are Scriptural eviden- ces of faith in him, and a public profession of that faith.
11. Belief that Christ established two Sacraments to be observed in his Church to the end of time; viz : Baptism and the Lord's Supper ; that the Lord's Supper is to be administered only to members of the visible Church in regular standing, and that Baptism is to be administered only to believers and their households."
This creed has for the past twenty years been gen- erally deemed satisfactory ; but the onward march of
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thought has disclosed some defects in its form of state- ment and perhaps in its spirit ; and hence a movement is going on for its revision.
In November, 1868, Rev. Wm. Carruthers from Danvers, Mass., assumed the pastoral care of the So- ciety. Having proved himself a gentleman of refined taste, pleasant address and unquestionable piety, in 1874 he was formally installed as pastor; and in all probability he will retain the office many years.
In 1871, it being manifest that the meeting-house was old, too small, somewhat out of repair, and desti- tute of a vestry, the parish resolved to erect a new, more elegant and more commodious edifice, and soon after, the dear, old, religious home was sold. When the last meeting was held in it, May 26th, 1872, the pastor delivered an eloquent address, appropriate to the occasion ; and then the congregation, with many a tear and many a hallowed reminiscence, bid it a final fare- well. A new church has since been erected near the site of the old one, at a cost of about $36,000. It is a large, substantial, and handsome structure, containing 114 pews, and having all the modern improvements and conveniences of a first class church. There is no better house in the county. It was solemnly dedicated in Au- gust, 1873. The sermon was by the pastor ; Drs. Keeler and Carruthers assisted in the service ; a large audience was present; and the scene was deeply impressive.
Since its organization, 448 persons have been members of the church ; and although "many have fal- len asleep" and many have moved away, it is still the largest ecclesiastical organization in town. The parish feels that the era of enlarged prosperity has now be- gun, and that nothing can hinder it from long remaining
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a mighty power for truth and virtue. The deacons of the church have been, Samuel F. Barker, George Downes, James Robbins, and Joseph M. Dyer ; the last of whom is the only one now living.
CONG. CHURCH, MILLTOWN, N. B.
In 1845, a number of persons residing in Milltown, some of whom were Congregationalists and others Methodists, "united for the purpose of sustaining a Congregationalist meeting in that place." Prominent among them were Wm. Todd, J. E. and H. F. Eaton, S. H. Hitchings, G. M. Porter, W. E. McAllister, Ed- ward Foster, Joshua Allen, J. G. Kimball, Thomas Bowser, Samuel Darling, and their families. The movement urged on by such men, was of course success- ful. Hitchings' Hall was leased and fitted up as a place of worship, and Rev. J. S. Gay, a young man from An- dover, was engaged to supply the pulpit. His services were generally acceptable, but he remained only a few months.
In June, 1846, Rev. Franklin Yeaton, who for a time had preached in Calais, was engaged to conduct the Sabbath service. Oct. 26th, 1846, a Church was organized, containing twenty-nine members, most of whom were the persons referred to above. Since then some two hundred have been added to the number, and there are at present, one hundred and twenty members living. Oct. 27, 1847, Rev. Mr. Yeaton was ordained and installed as pastor of the Society. In 1849, the meeting-house was erected. This substantial edifice costing about $8000, was paid for at once, and dedica- ted in October. It was used and enjoyed by the So-
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ciety until Jan. 1875, when it accidentally caught fire. and the inside was essentially spoiled. Loss, $3000. It will be repaired. In the Autumn of 1849, Mr. Yea- ton's health having failed, he resigned and went to Glou- cester, Me., where he started a school for boys. He has since gone to rest.
For several years after his retirement, the able and excellent Rev. Henry G. Storer from Scarboro' where he now resides, supplied the pulpit. Oct. 5, 1854, Rev. H. Q. Butterfield, a substantial and scholarly man, was chosen pastor. He gave general satisfaction, and re- tained the office until Aug. 19, 1857. The next pastor. Rev. C. G. M'Cully commenced his labors, July 17, 1860. He is now a highly esteemed clergyman of Hal- lowell, Me. The last and perhaps most dearly beloved pastor, Rev. Edgar L. Foster from Machias, Me., was ordained and installed Oct. 4, 1867. and after a pro- tracted illness, died Nov. 18, 1872. Since then the pulpit has been supplied by Revs. J. G. Leavitt and J. J. Blair ; both talented and promising young men.
Several things pertaining to this church, are par- ticularly worthy of notice. It has never had any dis- sension. All the members have ever had and manifest- ed the kindest feelings for each other ; and the results have been peace, virtue, piety and prosperity. The ex- penses of the parish have always been defrayed by an ad valorem tax assessed on the property of its members. These tax bills range from $5, to $450. Thus both the rich and the poor bear their fair proportion of the bur- den ; and the Treasury of the Society is never empty. The creed of this Church, whether true or false, is a per- fect model of perspicuity, honesty and candor. It is the following
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ARTICLES OF FAITH.
1. "We believe there is one God, self-existent, eter- nal, perfectly holy, the Creator and rightful Disposer of all things, subsisting, in a manner mysterious to us, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
2. We believe that the Bible is the revealed will of God to mankind, and was given by inspiration, as the only unerring rule of faith and practice.
3. We believe that mankind are fallen from their original rectitude, and are, while in a state of nature, wholly destitute of that holiness which is required by the divine law.
4. We believe that Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, was made flesh, or in a mysterious manner became man ; and by his obedience, sufferings and death, made full satisfaction for the sins of the world, and opened a way by which all who believe in Him, with repentance for their sins, may be saved without an impeachment of the divine justice and truth.
5. We believe that they, and they only, will be sav- ed in consequence of the merits of Christ, who are born of the Spirit, and united by a living faith to the Son of God.
6. We believe that God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world ; when there will be a resurrection of the dead ; and when all the righteous will enter on eternal happiness, and all the wicked will be condemned to eternal misery."
The officers of the Church are Geo. M. Porter, Deacon ; S. H. Hitchings, Clerk and Treasurer.
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PHYSICIANS.
XVI. PHYSICIANS.
Though the climate has some very repulsive char-' acteristics, the St. Croix valley is a healthy locality. The winters are long and extremely severe ; the sum- mers short and cool ; and very little space is left for spring or autumn ; but during a large part of the year, the air in Calais and St. Stephen, is dry, pure and bra- cing, and therefore hostile to pulmonary diseases. The rock formation is granitic, and hence the water of springs and wells is clear, sweet and wholesome. Excellent roots . and cereals are easily raised, and the beef, mutton and pork fattened on them, are in a high degree palatable, nutritious and sanitary. Generally escaping that fell destroyer, Consumption, most of the people are robust, and many live to a green old age. Several persons now living are over ninety years old, and not a few of our most active men and women are past seventy. As re- sults of this general healthiness, the Schoodic people in both size and beauty are above the New England aver- age.
Still, even in the best climate, sooner or later, dis- ease and death find their way into every household. On such occasions, when home skill and ordinary root and herb medicines fail to bring relief, although in theory we may have little faith in doctors and drugs, it is nat-
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ural and a great comfort to call a physician and place the responsibility in his hands. He may do no good ; he may do harm; but he takes the great burden of care, and thus helps us bear our afflictions. On this account every town needs a good physician : and large towns several. Demand brings supply, and Calais and St. Stephen have had a full quota of learned and skil- ful "medicine men." But of the earlier ones, little ex- cept their names, is now known.
A good physician, though one of the most useful and important members of society, makes very little noise or public parade. He is not a candidate for any county or state office, and his name gets no prominence in the local newspapers. He is neither the idol nor the tool of any party. His work is quiet and his re- ward private. He may save many lives ; he may keep the pestilence at bay ; he may sacrifice his own happi- ness and health for the sick and suffering poor ; and still his name may scarcely be heard of outside the narrow circle of his personal friends. These things being so, I have been able to obtain but little infor- mation on the subject of this chapter ; but the following list comprises the names of all the regular, M. D. physicians now remembered :
ST. STEPHEN ;- Paddock, Louis Weston, Wm. Coulter, Dugald Blair, Robert Thompson, Arthur Tol- man, W. C. George, W. H. Mitchell, W. H. Todd, W. T. Black, R. K. Ross, H. B. Knowles, R. Gross, D. B. Myshrall.
CALAIS ;- S. S Whipple, Cyrus Hamlin, Daniel Quimby, Job Holmes, C. C. Porter, C. E. Swan, Walk- er, Geo. T. Porter, E. H. Vose, D. E. Seymour, W. M. Caldwell.
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PHYSICIANS.
In addition to these educated and talented gentle- men, others of less reputation have from time to time practised the healing art ; but even less is known of them than of the others. Without doubt, Drs. Emer- son, McDonald, Noble and others, botanic, hydropathic, eclectic, . homeopathic, Thomsonian, or spiritualistic, have wrought cures, gained friends and attained a brief popularity. A diploma is not needed by every man ; yet the sick are safest under the care of the educated and experienced. Being compelled by lack of infor- mation, to omit biographical notices of the doctors, I submit only such few facts and incidents as seem worthy of notice.
Before any regular doctor had located on either side of the river, and for some time after, Mrs. Ananiah Bohannon of Calais, performed the duties of a ladies' physician, in all the families of the vicinity. She is said to have been very skilful and energetic; and her services were ever highly prized.
One of the earliest physicians on the river, Dr. Vance, came to a sad end. He went to the West In- dies and enlisted as a surgeon, on what he supposed an English armed ship ; but which in reality was a pirati- cal craft. Not long after, she was captured by a gov- ernment vessel, and her officers and crew were tried, condemned and executed'as pirates. Dr. Vance, though innocent, was hanged for the crime of having been found in bad company.
Louis Weston, M. D. one of the first, best, and most esteemed doctors of St. Stephen, also came to an untimely end. All his children, twelve in number, hav- ing died of consumption, he became entirely disheart- ened ; and while the last one lay a corpse in his house,
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he went out in the evening, and by accident or other- wise fell into a cistern of rain water near his door, and drowned. Dr. Gill was also drowned while attempting to cross the river at Milltown, to visit a patient, about the year 1824.
Early in 1835, a strange sickness, baffling all med- ical skill, broke out in Calais and St. Stephen. The symptoms were pain, weakness and constipation, loss of appetite and sleep. partial paralysis, nausea, &c. During February, March and April, hundreds were sick in the same way ; the best treatment did little good ; and some twenty or thirty persons died. No age or class was exempt from the malady. At length poison was suspected in an invoice of sugar imported by James Frink, from Barbadoes. It was a nice looking article, and being sold at retail, it was used in many families, and freely taken by the sick, in their food and medicine ; but on being subjected to analysis by a Boston chemist, it was found to contain a fatal per cent. of lead ! The secret was divulged. The people ceased using the su- gar, and the strange sickness slowly disappeared ; though some have suffered from its effects to the present day.
Subsequently, Dr. Cyrus Hamlin while visiting Barbadoes to regain his health, traced the sugar to the plantation where it was manufactured. On investiga- tion he found that some of the 'syrup from which the sugar was made, had remained in lead-coated cauldrons until it fermented, in which state it decomposed and absorbed the poison lead. No blame was attached to the ignorant planter ; but no more of his sugar ever came to St. Stephen ; and some people never after really relished any kind of West India sweetening.
From that time to the present, advised and treated
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PHYSICIANS.
by such skilful physicians as Whipple, Thompson, Holmes, Porter, Swan, Todd, Black, George, and oth- ers younger but not less trustworthy, the people have escaped all fatal epidemics ; and though exposed to "the thousand ills that flesh is heir to," have been blessed with an average share of health and longevity.
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UNITARIAN CHURCH.
XVII. UNITARIAN CHURCH.
Although the Congregational church erected in 1826, was intended to accommodate all who might de- sire to attend public worship, yet there were many in- telligent and influential citizens in town, who did not believe in Calvinism nor enjoy hearing it preached. They deemed its peculiar tenets false and pernicious, and therefore they could not conscienciously help sup- port the Congregationalist meetings. Still they wished to attend church, and to worship according to the dic- tates of their own consciences.
Accordingly, after many consultations and mature deliberations, they met in 1831, formed a Unitarian So- ciety, and resolved to procure and maintain a clergy- man of their own faith. Work in earnest at once be- gan.
The first Unitarian sermon heard in Calais was de- livered by Rev. Charles Robinson of Eastport, who was brought to town for that purpose by Hon. Geo. Downes. After him. came Rev. H. A. Mills, afterwards for a long time the pastor of a Church in Lowell, Mass., and still living though retired from the ministry. Others were occasionally engaged, a few weeks at a time. Themeet-
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ings were at first held in that cradle of churches, the Central School House ; but subsequently in the Town . House, now the Catholic Chapel, which at considerable expense was fitted up for this purpose.
These pleasant, religious services so rapidly devel- oped and consolidated the strength of the Society, and increased the courage of its members, that in the Winter of 1832-3, they resolved to erect for themselves a church suited to their needs, taste and means. To render their proceedings legal and binding, a petition for an "act of incorporation." was sent to the Legislature of Maine ; and the request was granted Mar. 2, 1833. The peti- tioners were :
Hon. Joseph Granger, Geo. I. Galvin,
Otis L. Bridges, Esq.,
Joshua Veasey,
Enoch I. Noyes,
Benj. King,
M. B. Townsend, Esq.,
P. H. Glover,
Luthur C. White,
Jas. S. Cooper, Esq.,
S. S. Whipple, M. D.
Geo. F. Wadsworth.
Cyrus Hamlin, M. D.
Four of them,-Granger, Bridges, Townsend and Cooper, were lawyers ; and two,-Whipple and Hamlin, were physicians. The others were enterprising men of business. The Act of Incorporation gave them and their associates, power to organize "The First Unita- rian Society of the Town of Calais, for the purpose of diffusing morals and religion, and to hold property to the value of $12000."
At the first meeting of the Society, April 27, 1833, Joshua Veazie was chosen chairman, and Hon. Joseph Granger, Secretary ; and a committee appointed to draft a code of By-laws. At the next meeting, May 4, 1833, the code of By-laws was presented and adopted, and the following officers elected :-
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