USA > Maine > York County > Eliot > History of the centennial of the incorporation of the town of Eliot, Maine, August 7th-13, 1910 > Part 4
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Anthony had an only son,-James,-who, having pur- chased his father's property, continued to occupy it. He was a large land owner, and an important personage. His fourth son, Daniel, was born Sept. 13, 1667.
Daniel Emery became one of the leading citizens of Kittery, having been elected surveyor of Kittery from 1706 to 1716 ; and selectman from 1704 to 1712; and again in 1718. He died, Nov. 21, 1751. Of his ten children, the Noah of this sketch was the second.
Home of Noah Emery
Frost Garrison House
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Of the early education of Noah Emery, we can learn nothing ; but in all probability it was very limited.
In his early years he was a cooper ; and not until he arrived at early manhood, did he take up the study of law. He was, however, a man of scholarly tastes ; and in 1725, when he was twenty-six years of age, he was admitted to the bar.
The courts of that early period were perambulating affairs ; and the business was largely settling disputes of boundary lines, and the prosecution of people who violated the blue laws enforced at that time.
William Willis, in his Bench and Bar of Maine, says that Noah Emery was possessed of great legal acumen and accuracy ; that he was a ready draftsman, of quick per- ceptions aud considerable ability, which gave him an extensive practice.
He was interested in the Portsmouth Social Library, now probably the Portsmouth Atheneum ; and possessed himself an extensive library, for that time.
The compiler of the Emery Family says he bequeathed to his sons his library ; and that one volume, worth its weight in gold, bearing his autograph on its fly leaf, is now owned by the Massachusetts State Library. This volume is " The Laws of the Colony of Massachusetts ;" edition of 1660. This, however, is denied by the Librarian of the Massachusetts State Library.
Noah Emery was twice married; first to Eliabeth Chick, daughter of Richard Chick, Jan. 22, 1722. Of this marriage were born eleven children ; five only survived young childhood. She died January 15, 1739, and October 30, 1740, he married Sarah Cooper, daughter of John Cooper, and a neighbor. From this union one son was born,-making twelve children in all.
It is worthy of note that the qualities of Noah Emery were transmitted to his posterity; and that several of his descendants have been prominent in the legal profession.
Of his children :-
Daniel, the second of that name, the first died in infancy ;
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Noah, the third child, born December 28, 1725 ;
Richard, born May 9, 1728 ;
Japhet, born July 27, 1732 ; Shem, born May 6, 1738 ;-
children of Elizabeth Chick;
and John, born June 9, 1743, grew to manhood.
Noah seeems to have followed the footsteps of his father in the study of Law. He early removed to Exeter, N. H. and after holding various positions in the provincial government, during the latter years of his life was Clerk of Courts.
Daniel, the first son, remained in Eliot, and was a cooper and lawyer ; probably a' Justice of the Peace, only doing local conveyancing.
A son of Noah, the grandson of our Noah, succeeded his father as Clerk of the Courts at Exeter.
A great-grandson of Noah,-Nicholas Emery,-born Sept. 4, 1776, was appointed a member of the Supreme Court of Maine in 1834, and died August 24, 1861.
It may also be a source of local interest, that our present Chief Justice of Maine, Hon. Lucilius A. Emery, born July 27, 1840, is a direct descendant of Anthony Emery, the great grandfather of Noah, and of the eighth genera- tion ; his great-great-grandfather Thomas, having settled at Biddeford in this county.
The descendants of Noah are scattered from Maine to California.
Noah Emery died Dec. 9, 1761. Of his descendants in Eliot, an honored member of the Centennial Committee, John L. Emery, is a direct descendant, and Moses Morrjll and his wife are both directly descended from Noah ;- all of the ninth generation from Anthony Emery, and the fifth from Noah.
Chester E. Frost, also, is one generation later, being the tenth generation from Anthony, and the sixth from Noah.
It is a matter of note that Noah Emery was succeeded as King's Attorney, in 1761, by his brother Caleb, who had studied law with his elder brother Noah.
Rev. Augustine Caldwell
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UNVEILING THE MARBLE. REV. JOHN ROGERS' GRAVE.
Rev. Augustine Caldwell.
There are occasions when the Past is revived, events transpire anew, names and deeds freshly return.
This is a moment when we live in the far away two hundred years. The new marble, upon which we gaze. awakens a true gratitude that the kindly, thoughtful, ready heart, now erects this memorial by this ancient and sacred grave ; and thus renews memories ; recalls historic and valued facts ; and preserves the name of him who actually was the sunbeam of the Truth, Life and Light, of our early Eliot.
It is strange to say it is pleasant to stand by a Grave, and renew memories; but the grave around which we assemble, has a story pleasant to unfurl ; it is a Voice, to which we interestedly listen :
.It is John Rogers' Grave,-the First Eliot Minister; the man singlarly connected with a large family of clergymen.
The review of the several generations of early New England, reveals the interesting fact that the early Rogers families were evidently born with a willing tendency to supply pulpits ; to lead the long-ago people in the paths of Bible truths; for when the Rev. Nathaniel Rogers came to New England. in 1636, a pulpit door opened wide to receive him ; and his descendants inherited his charm.
His dying words were: "My times are in Thy hand;" and he knew what he uttered. It was written of him in the Ipswich Church Book,-the Church that received and revered him,-" Mr. Rogers was the best of the true Minis- ters ; he came little, if any, behind the chiefest of them all."
This Rev. Nathaniel Rogers, [of 1636,] was the son of the Rev'd Nathaniel Rogers, of Haverhill, England ; a man whose memorv is, to this day, fresh in the church of that English town. Yes, to this day ; though he died two hundred and fifty-one years ago; his gravestone says, " July 3, 1655, aged fifty-seven."
I once stood by his grave in England ; and was kindly
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led to his ancient pulpit, and allowed to ascend its steps.
And the portrait of this Rev'd Nathaniel Rogers, of of Haverhill, in England, was sent across the ocean, to his son at Ipswich; and years later, it was brought to the home oi our own Eliot Minister,-John Rogers,-yes, his Eliot home ; and it is today in the care of his descendants. [A lady of Boston gladly received and possessed it, since I have been in Eliot.] As I stood by the grave in Eng- land the kindly man who led me to the sacred spot, said, " He was not only our minister, but his grave is sacred because he was a grandson of the martyr-John Rogers."
And this interesting English preacher, was, as I have said, the father of the Rev. Nathaniel Rogers,-the first of the name to come to New England ; and as soon as he arrived, he entered the Ipswich pulpit,-1636; and the people of the new town, the young and the old, gladly ordained him in 1638.
And it is very interesting to note, that in the years immediately following, there were-
Seven Sons and Grandsons who became Clergymen : - First, the Rev. Nathaniel Rogers, Ipswich, 1636.
Then, the Rev. John Rogers, his son, became both Doctor and Minister, and the Ipswich people claimed him for their pulpit ; and his name to this day is not forgotten. His wife, too, was of a singularly interesting family; she was the daughter of that truly wonderful Maj. Gen. Dennison, -who was really the George Washington of his day.
And, next, his son became the Rev. John Rogers, the third; and, as his father, (the minister, ) and the Rev. Mr. Hubbard, (the teacher,) grew old, the Ipswich people claimed this son; and he was sixty years in their pulpit ; and he had a brother Nathaniel, and he was called to our neighbor-the Portsmouth pulpit; and it is on record that he often came from Portsmouth to Eliot,-exchanging pulpits with his nephew, our Eliot John. They joyed that they lived so near each other.
And this Rev. John Rogers, whom we have stated was sixty long years, Doctor and Minister in the Ipswich pul- pit, had three clerical sons :
Rev. John Rogers, father of Rev. John of Eliot
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The oldest of the three was the John Rogers who became
the very First Minister of our Eliot Pulpit,
and beside whose grave we now stand, that we may revive and freshen and preserve traditions and memories.
Yes, he did a beautiful work for our long ago people. He led them onward to actual and perpetual Church organization ; just what the early saints, (and sinners too,) longed for ; as they were all obliged to go, sun or shower, to the far away Berwick meeting.
And when the organization came, and was made com- plete, then our John Rogers was allowed to be ordained.
His brother Nathaniel became a new Pastor at Ipswich; his brother Daniel became minister at Exeter.
What a talented family were blended, really, with our early pulpit. Seven Rogers, who were of successive gener- ations, entered interesting and progressive pulpits ; every one became a man of renown.
Our own Eliot John Rogers was so widely esteemed, and had so many, many calls to assist at ordinations, church conferences, and varied assemblies, that his wise and careful parish officers had, at times, to write to the appli- cants, and say, No!
His own records, in our church books, are full of great interest ; he begins :- "An account of the settlement of the Church, here; my Ordination, &c." Eliot had been a Parish but not a Church, for several years :-
But, in 1714, Mr. Rogers was invited to be the perma- nent Preacher. He had never been ordained; and he could not be ordained in Eliot until the Parish became an organized Church.,
In 1721,-when he had preached in our Parish seven years the pleasant event occurred,-the Parish was trans- figured into a Church; and-
October twenty-five, 1721,
was the day of his Ordination. His own quill recorded it. He writes :
Rev. John Rogers, of Ipswich, [his father, ] gave the charge ;
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Rev. Jonathan Cushing, of Dover, gave the Right Hand ;
Rev. Nathaniel Rogers, of Portsmouth. [his uncle, ] preached .-
And all the Church records that follow, show that he lived a busy, helpful life.
He lectured certain weekdays at the School House ; and he went yearly to ordinations, dedications, conferences, &c.
One of the invitations to an ordinatio, indicates a slight confusion ; it came from the third church of Kittery,-to ordain Mr. Chase. The response was :
"No knowledge of Mr. Chase, or the members !"
One of Mr. Rogers' records will make us smile: Caleb Emery, of Berwick, wished to remove his name from the Church Book at Berwick, to the list at Eliot ; he intended evidently, to live at Berwick. And the church at Berwick consented, and wrote, (as the reason of its willingness, ) that the said ;Caleb Emery, "was a regular walker;" and they would, therefore, willingly commend him to the christian watch and Holy Communion at Eliot.
We have no doubt Mr. Rogers smiled, as he dipped his quill in the ink, and wrote of the "regular walker."
We find in the records of Pastor Rogers, an interesting item,-the introduction of Watts' Hymns, into Eliot church service. How many old time choirs, sang Watts' sacred songs ! In June, 1762. our good old minisfer suggested that-" Dr. Watts' Psalms and Hymns become the Hymn Book." And John Heard Bartlett, James Fogg, Robert Morrell became the committee to secure the hymn books.
In 1761, the good Pastor evidently had a soulful desire for more earnestness in both pulpit and pew. It was a time of sorrow, for one Deacon died; the other Deacon lay at the point of death. And Parson Rogers tenderly spoke to his saintly hearers, and asked them to permit him to appoint a Fast Day. His language was : "Shall we hum- ble ourselves ?" They all answered-Yes. And February twenty, was the day of comfort, blessing and good results.
Third Congregational Church.
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1768, began a new theme in the Church interests. The pleasant Parish had many, many thoughts. Mr. Rogers was an old man then; he asked for a Church Meeting at his house; and Wednesday, February 17, 1768, the wise and thoughtful ones assembled ; and the aged minister Rogers wrote :-
" After earnest prayer to ye Head of ye Church for his Direction, respecting the choice of a minister, our Church unanimously chose Mr. Alpheus Spring to settle in the work of the Ministry, as a Colleague Pastor with the Rev'd Mr. Rogers in the work of the Evangelical Ministry;" and the result was, Rev. Alpheus Spring was ordained by ten ministers ; Mr. Rogers gave the young man "the charge."
We cannot quote many church items today, from his interesting pen ; but we can judge of the true spirit and purpose of the long-ago Pastor when we find in our church records one hundred and forty names of people who were received into our communion, by him. No wonder he was spared to the early flock more than half a century ; he was the choice and loved Pastor, Teacher, Friend,-
Fifty-nine years ;- 1714-1773.
Yes, more than a half-century ; then the colleague.
But we must before we close speak of two fragments of the biography of our earliest Pastor and of Mrs. Rogers, his wife ; and Mrs. Rogers, like himself, was lovely in character; a lady highly regarded.
Of our Mr. Rogers, one pleasant and interesting fact will never be forgotten :- he descended from the Christly John Rogers, of England, who was burned at the stake; and he held in his possession, here, in our favored Eliot town, that martyr's own Bible.
Yes, our pleasant Eliot town can say that it once shel- tered the Holy Bible, not only owned, but literally trans- latrd by the very John Rogers who was burned at the stake. And it was the very first Bible ever printed in the English language. Tyndale and Coverdale began the translation; and the Martyr,-John Rogers,-continued it at their deaths, translating and revising; and myriads, till this
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hour, have later editions of the blessed Book that cost John Rogers his life. The anger of Romanists was roused. The martyr was shut up ; then led to the stake.
Let us never forget that our first Eliot Pastor, -our own John Rogers,-was a direct descendant of the revered martyr and possessed the very Bible the martyr had held in his hands; yes, the very Bible that the martyr translated; and volumes went forth in English words.
And Mrs. Rogers, our minister's wife, whose grave is here,-side by side with her husband's :
She was of a beautiful and intellectual family. She was Susanna Whipple, of Ipswich, the daughter of John Whipple. She had a sister Martha, who married Rev'd Richard Brown, a minister of Newburyport. These two sisters names are remembered till this day. .
The grandfather of our Susannah Whipple Rogers, was known early as 1640; his name was very prominent. He was for eight successive years Representative to General Court. And,-better even than that,-he was blended with the Rev. John Rogers, of Ipswich, and others, and they organized the Grammar [or Latin] School in that ancient town in 1651. And that school was a blessing to the youth in old Ipswich town, -till within my own mem- ory and school days. When a boy I entered it with several playmates; and though we were but ten years old, we were, every one of us, compelled to begin Latin Lessons ; and we had read the Fables when the term closed.
That endowed ancient school, organized by the grand- father of our Susannah Whipple Rogers, was wide open for youthful boys from 1651 to 1850; and then was trans- figured into the High School, for girls and boys. In its early history, it fitted boys for college.
The Mr. Whipple of 1650, was a Deacon ; also, what was called a Ruling Elder of the Ipswich church ; a Feoffee of the endowed Latin School, which he aided in organizing.
We may add to this that Mrs. Rogers was the cousin of William Whipple, who settled in Kittery ; and whose son William signed the Declaration of Independence.
Thus we see that our First Minister, and his lady-wife,
n
Parson Rogers' Church, 2nd Congregational
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were not only choice and valued people, but their origin is pleasant ; and their memory has not faded,-even in nearly two hundred year. It is a kindly thought of this Centennial to mark these graves and other historic spots.
The Inscription-
upon the new marble at the Graves of the Rev. John Rogers, and wife :
REV. JOHN ROGERS, First Minister of Eliot, 1714-1768. Born, Ipswich, Mass. Jan. 27, 1692; Died, Eliot, Oct. 16, 1773.
Beside him lies his wife,
SUSANNAH WHIPPLE, dau. of Maj. John Whipple and Katharine (Leighton) Whipple, Born April 2, 1696. He was a direct descendant of the Martyr.
We will close by reading the Inscription on the ancient slab, resting upon the grave of the Rev. Daniel Rogers, at the old Cemetery, in Exeter, N. H .; he was a brother of our Rev. John, and was the Pastor in the long ago, at Exeter. The slab seems like an outline of the sacred family of Rogers, whose ministerial influence and interest was a wonder :
Inscription,-on the ancient slab that lies upon the grave of Rev. Daniel Rogers, Old Cemetery, Exeter. Born at Ipswich, Mass. Brother of Rev. John Rogers, first minis- ter of Eliot ; another brother, Rev. Nath'l, was the last of the line of the Rogers Pastors at First Church, Ipswich.
[ See next page, Inscription copied by Joseph H. Dixon, of Eliot, while spending an hour in the Exeter Cemetery: ]
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ยท REV. DANIEL ROGERS. Inscription :
Cemetery, Exeter, New Hampshire.
Here lie the Remains of
The Reverend DANIEL ROGERS,
Pastor of a Church gathered in this place, 1748,
Who died December 9th, 1785, aged 78 years.
He had been many years a Tutor in Harvard College ; Was a pious, faithful Minister of JESUS CHRIST,
And a worthy son of the Reverend JOHN ROGERS Pastor of the first Church in Ipswich,
Who died December 28th, 1745, in his 80 year,
Who was a son of JOHN ROGERS, of the same Place,
Physician and Preacher of GOD'S Word,
And President of HARVARD COLLEGE ;
Who died July 2, 1684, aged 54 years ;
Who was eldest son of the Rev. NATHANIEL ROGERS, Whe came over from England in 1636 ; settled at Ipswich,
Colleague Pastor with the Rev'd NATHANIEL WARD, And died July 2, 1655, aged 57 years ;
Who was the son of the Rev. JOHN ROGERS, A famous Minister of GOD'S Word, at Dedham, England, Who died October 18th, 1639, aged 67 years ;
Who was Grandson of JOHN ROGERS of London,
Prebendary of St. Paul's, Vicar of St. Sepulchres, And Reader of Divinity, Who was burned at SMITHFIELD, February 14th 1555, First Martyr in Queen MARY'S Reign.
Thou martyr'd Saint, and all ye holy train, O be your honor'd Names ne'er read in vain; May each descendant catch your hallow'd flre, And all your Virtues all their breasts inspire ; Prophets, like you, in long succession rise, Burning and shining, faithful, firm and wise ; And Millions be their crown beyond the skies.
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THE TABLETS.
The marble memorial at the graves of the Rev. and Mrs. Rogers was the kindly gift of Ex. Gov. Hill; and it was not his only thoughtfulness of memorizing interesting and historic places. Five beautiful bronze tablets, presented by him, were of great interest ; and marked the sites of historic houses and scenes.
On Monday, as has been said, the procession of visitors and towns-people walked from the Library to these various localities, where the tablets were unveiled ; it was indeed a revival of the long-ago. [See pages 24-25. ]
The first point of visitation was the site of the Academy ; a school of many memories and traditions. This interest- ing structure stood on land opposite the Library grounds, and adjoining the homes of the Kennard families. The inscription on the beautiful bronze reads :
The Site of Eliot Academy Erected 1839 Burned Dec. 21, 1875. Here was opened the first Normal School in Maine:
A little farther up the road, the procession reached a spot of interest ; it was the site of the old home of Andrew P. Leighton ; and the tablet is a page of history :
The Homestead of Hon. Andrew Pepperrell Leighton, an early representative of Eliot in the Maine Legislature. Here for many years was the First Public Library, of which he was Librarian.
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Then the company went a little farther on, to the site of the old-time Everett Tavern,-where the following tablet is placed :-
On this Spot stood William Everett's Tavern, where on Nov. 16, 1652, was signed the Submission of Maine to Massachusetts.
On the bank of Sturgeon Creek, by the corner of the River and State Road, is a simple slab to commemorate a goodly place :
The site of The First Quaker Meeting House in Maine. Built in Dover, N. H., taken down and Re-errected here in 1766.
And next,-the bronze memorial at the old Leighton house on Goodwin road :
The home of Capt. Samuel Leighton, Capt. of the 30th foot regiment of the United Colonies, and his Son, Gen'l Samuel Leighton, the first representative of Eliot to the Gen'l Court of Mass., 1810-1811-1812-1813.
1
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Greenacre from the River
Greenacre Inn
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THIRD DAY.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1910.
0- -
GREEN ACRE DAY.
PROGRAM :-
At three o'lock p. m., in the tent, the Green Acre con- tribution to the Centennial observance began :
Miss Mellicent Melrose, soprano, of Boston, gave a solo. The oration was by Prof. Charles Zueblin, of Winches- ter, Mass., formerly of Chicago University ; the noted orator and eminent sociologist ; and his topic,-
The Fellowship of the Common Life.
A large audience gathered at the pleasant Greenacre to listen to this powerful address.
The speaker pointed out that this was the age of com- mercialism, when Mammon was the only God before whom the masses bow. The great law of evolution was working out a sweeter and nobler civilization; and the brotherhood of man would yet prevail. In this world there was enough for all ; and this was the design of the God of nature ; but man's inhumanity to man, was making it a charnal house of misery and woe. It would not long be thus. The leaven was working; and the time was not far distant when there would be a fellowship and a com- mon life of happiness and plenty.
The following is an abstract of Prof. Zueblin's address :
The common life is the only avenue of approach to the universal or ultimate in human relationship. We are virtually all suffering from social poverty, quantitative and qualitative poverty. We do not know enough people, and the people we do know we do not know well enough. We excuse ourselves from the first indictment, by saying that we cannot know many people well; that we have only a given amount of affection, a certain definite quantity of love. That argument is about as appropriate as if we
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should maintain that having acquired a certain amount of knowledge we have filled our minds, and now the mind reaches the point of satiety, and it is not possible to put any more knowledge in it. Whereas we know very well that the more we learn, the larger our capacity to learn. It is equally true in the training of the affections that the more we love the more capacity we have for loving.
Modern life gives more promise than ever before in the history of the world, of the possibility of attaining the fulness of life, of enlarging the lives, not only of the few, but of all. It is possible to enable all people to satisfy all kinds of human wants; not all human wants, of course, we * * * do not want that. * These six wants are health, wealth, sociability, taste, knowledge and righteousness.
In trying to find a basis of universal fellowship, what is the chief consideration ? Not money. That is not a basis of fellowship. The work we do in the world qualifies us for fellowship, not the money that we have. Every human being ought to do his work well in the world. In a free society we should know that work qualifies us for fellow- ship, regardless of the kind of work, if it is worthy and we do it well. But unfortunately we live in a society with class distinctions. We see paraded before us, the resource- less lives of the idle rich, who find nothing to satisfy their poor dwarfed natures. In these days of free publicity, they are commonly before the world, and we see their poor naked souls shriveling up.
Sometimes one is almost prone to think that if we could get rid of economic distinctions, we might have a more spontaneous friendship. You may have heard of what occurred at the time of the earthquake in San Francisco. For a time all economic distinctions were levelled, when they all stood in line to get their bread, rich and poor, educated and uneducated. They had never known such good feeling, such a depth of human sympathy, as on this occasion, where there was but one economic standard .- Whether this is the way it will come about, we may hope that the time will come when we shall not care whether there are, economic differences. 1
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