USA > Maine > Hancock County > Traditions and records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert island, Maine > Part 5
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After the organization of the church there is no record for two years and then in August, 1794, it is written that "Rev. Samuel Eaton of Harpswell visited us held the Lord's Supper admitted Mary Manchester and declared us a church."
The first act of the church on its own responsibility was the admission of Samuel Hadlock and Jacob Lurvey as members on Nov. 16, 1794.
Rev. Daniel Merrill of Sedgwick officiated at this ceremony. On this date a new covenant was drawn and adopted with eighteen articles of faith.
About 1800 it was voted to build two meeting houses ; one at Pretty Marsh and one at Southwest Harbor. The latter was situated on the old Bass Harbor road below the present church. It was never quite completed and when the location of the road was changed, the building was taken down and the lumber went into the building of the present church which was completed about 1828, having been several years in process of construction.
The church in this new land where money was very scarce indeed, could not afford to employ a pastor and yet they were
* On April 1, 1793, it was voted in the town meeting that the town "send to the Westward for a minister on Probation and that Mr. Thomas Richardson, Capt. Davis Wasgatt and Capt. Ezra Young be a Committee for that Purpose and that they Wright to the Reverend Samuel MacClin- tock of Greenland in New Hampshire to Provid us a Candidate to Preach the Gospel to us and we will make said Candidate good for his time and expense."
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eager for the services of a minister in their midst. Ebenezer Eaton of Sedgwick was a man of natural ability, very religious and had conducted "meetings." He came to Southwest Harbor and preached several times and was pleasing to the people. He keenly felt his lack of education and refused ordination because of it, but a letter written by Rev. Peter Powers in 1799 says "our Association has licensed dear Mr. Eaton to preach."
In 1798 with the assistance of Rev. Powers, thirty-two per- sons were added to the church, in 1799 ten more joined and in 1800 eighteen persons became members.
With this increase in strength it was felt that a full time minister should be induced to settle in the place and take charge of religious affairs. Mr. Eaton seems to have been the man whose presence was desired and a call was extended to him in the spring of 1801. Mr. Eaton had been serving as "stated supply" since 1793 according to Duren's "Ministers and Churches of Maine."
In October of 1801 the town voted to "give Mr. Eaton $250 per year and four Sabbaths in the year for himself", and also "that the town assist Mr. Eaton in moving his family." Just when the moving took place we do not know, but at the March town meeting in 1803 it was voted "that the town allow John Manchester ten dollars for moving Mr. Eaton from Sedgwick to Mount Desert."
Mr. Eaton bought 270 acres of land which included all of Clark Point and extended north along the shores of the Mill Pond, built his house on the lot now owned by Harvard Beal (1937) and allowed his parishioners to bury their dead on the sunny hillside on his land, first without regard to plan, but later arranged with some design and being the first public burial place on Mount Desert Island.
Any account of the Congregational church of Mount Desert would not be complete without a full tribute paid to the memory of Ebenezer Eaton, the beloved minister who served the church, the community and the whole Island for nearly half a century. That he was not as severe toward the erring ones as most minis- ters of that day is inferred from a record in the time-stained pages of the first clerk's book where is noted that on July 5,
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1803, the church, after a day of fasting and prayer, felt called upon to censure Brother Eaton for "not having dealt with (a certain member of the church) so seasonably as he ought." But it generously admits that the fault was not intentional and the church takes upon itself equal responsibility. Perhaps this len- iency brought him more of the affection of his people and accounted for his long pastorate among them.
Mr. Eaton was the son of Theophilus and Abigail Eaton of Deer Isle. They came in 1768 from Haverhill, Mass., where Theophilus was born in 1720. He first moved to Sandown, N. H., then to Brunswick and from there to Deer Isle. Mrs. Eaton, mother of Ebenezer, died in 1824, aged 102 years, 8 months, at the home of her son, James Eaton, in Prospect, Maine.
Ebenezer's educational advantages in youth were very limited but he was a close student and his principal books, according to a letter written by his grandson, Herrick Eaton, were the Bible and Henry's Commentary. His days when in his home were spent in study and he preached entirely without notes. He always rode horseback. He began preaching when 26 years of age.
In 1823 he yielded to the wishes of his people and consented to be ordained. After this the records refer to him as Reverend or Father Eaton.
After the death of James Richardson, Davis Wasgatt was appointed clerk and not long after, Dr. Kendall Kittredge was appointed to the office. During his absences Mr. Eaton kept the records as did subsequent ministers, for Dr. Kittredge was clerk for forty-one years. Among the old papers belonging to the church is a bill from Dr. Kittredge for "Bread and Wine for the Table"; from 1817 to 1832; two quarts of wine at 3 s. 6 d. for each communion. The bill is not receipted so we do not know whether the good doctor ever received his just dues or not.
In 1816 there was a great religious awakening all over Mount Desert and thirty-three members were added. This year the Baptist church was organized at Seal Cove and some, who were inclined toward that form of faith, changed their membership to the new church.
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But Rev. Lemuel Norton, the first minister of the Baptist church, speaks of the church at Southwest Harbor as being "a large and wealthy one."
In these days the church acted as a court and was often called upon to settle difficulties between neighbors and sometimes be- tween members of the same household. Once it was obliged to act between the minister and some of his parishioners. The cases of church discipline were many ; some for telling a lie, for disorderly walking, for strong language, for excess of anger, for being overcome by strong drink, for swearing, for breach of the seventh commandment, etc.
Some were dealt with severely, some censured publicly, some excommunicated and others "set aside for a time." Some fell from grace many times and were many times forgiven.
When a complaint was brought before the church a com- mittee was appointed after deliberation and prayer to discuss the matter with the delinquent ones and they were often able to settle the dispute. But sometimes the erring one refused to show repentance and after more than one attempt "at conciliation" the attention of the church was called to the advice in Corinthians I, fifth chapter, 13th verse, which is "Put away from among your- selves that wicked person", and action was taken accordingly.
When Elder Eaton was sent to talk with the accused ones he was frequently able to report that "all was settled in love and harmony."
In some cases the sinning one was obliged to rise in church and "publicly confess the sin."
Meetings were held at Pretty Marsh, at Bass Harbor, Beech Hill and Between the Hills (as Somesville was then called) as well as at Norwood's Cove and Southwest Harbor.
For many years Southwest Harbor meant what is now called Manset; where is now the village was South Norwood's Cove and the upper part of the village was styled North Norwood's Cove. Where the name Norwood became connected with the Cove cannot now be ascertained.
In 1799 one of the signers of the original covenant who had for "above twenty years" been a member of the church, became convinced that infant baptism was not right and that "baptism
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by Plunging" was the only satisfactory manner of administering that rite. He accordingly asked that he be baptized again.
Although the Congregational church is willing to baptize in any of the prescribed ways, it was felt that to perform this office the second time for a member would be to confess that the infant baptism which he had received was not satisfactory and so his plea was refused. He made the request several times and once he declared that as he had no memory of the rite, he was not sure that he had ever been baptized at all. Thereupon his par- ents, who were present assured him firmly that baptism had been performed in his infancy and gave the day and date of the cere- mony. The records say that they "told who Baptized him and how old he was and where they dwelt." He was asked why he did not join the Baptist church and he replied that "he could not put up with the Close Communion."
After being convinced that all his pleas were in vain he took matters into his own hands, and "without any further knowledge of or proceedings with the Church, on the 27th of September, 1801, he went to Eden and was Baptized by Plunging."
The church was in a dilemma when he returned, confessed what he had done and asked what they would do about it. As they were at a loss as to their procedure, it was voted to wait until Conference assembled to "see what they would do with him." But when the next Sabbath came and the sacrament was administered and he was set aside and not allowed to partake, he waited until the ceremony was over and the blessing given and then "he arose and reflected on the church in general and on particular persons for his being set by that Day and made a great noise about it."
When Conference was assembled it was decided that if he would say that if he had young children he would have them baptized they would accept him into full communion, but as one of another church. "Upon this he Declared that if he was to have ninety and nine children more he would not have one of them baptized and declared that he considered himself excom- municated. Since that time" says the record, "he has said that he looked on himself like the blind man that was turned out of the Synagogue."
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Later he was taken into the church again and the vote was "that the church highly disapprove of said (member)'s conduct in going and being baptized by Plunging, but hoping it was only a earrer in Judgement, thought proper to vote him in again only as a Privet brother."
When the Baptist church was formed at Seal Cove in 1816 this man was one of the charter members and was an official of the church during his life.
Another good citizen and pillar of the church was about to set out in his boat from his home at Norwood's Cove one Sunday morning for the church at Manset, when he saw Widow Petten- gil, who lived across the Sound at Sandy Point, trying vainly to drive her cow out of her garden. The good neighbor rowed across the Sound, drove the refractory animal to her pasture and spent the rest of the morning mending the fence. To his aston- ishment and indignation, he was called to account the following Sunday on a charge of breaking the Sabbath and because he stoutly maintained that he would do the same again as it was no wrong, he was excluded from membership. Some time later he was taken back into the fold. (Perhaps the good common sense of the committee came to their rescue.)
In 1831 as Elder Eaton was advanced in years and the task of riding over his wide territory was taxing his strength it was decided to obtain an assistant for him and the Rev. George Brown came to fill that office.
Soon difficulties arose and the upheaval among the people be- came so great that a company of ministers was called to hear both sides of the question and decide what was to be done. The language of their report as recorded on the yellowed pages of the ancient record book is dignified and eloquent. The Rev. Mr. Brown was mentioned as "a Christian and a Christian minister" but he was advised that his usefulness in this parish was im- paired and that he had better seek employment elsewhere. The people were advised to "seek and obtain some other gentleman of approved piety and talents" to labor among them and urged that "the Brethren abstain entirely from bringing up past difficulties touching the ministry among them" and that they "carefully, prayerfully cultivate Christian harmony, love and goodwill
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among each other." The report is signed by John Sawyer, Mig- hill Blood and Stephen Thurston.
In the early days a man and his wife applied for membership and it was voted "to accept the sister, but to take the brother under consideration and let him stand awhile." Later his name appears among those of the members.
Elder Eaton now wished to resign his pastorate. His wife had died and was buried in the little burying ground on their land with a son and a daughter, and the health of the old man was failing. So a call was issued on May 24, 1834, to Rev. Micah W. Strickland to become pastor of the church. The church agreed to pay him the sum of $300 in equal quarterly installments for the first three years of his term, and for the fourth and fifth years he was to receive the sum of $400. This was with the understanding that the Maine Missionary Society should pay him the sum of $100 annually for five years. "It is understood", so says the record book, "that Mr. Strickland is to have four Sabbaths yearly for travelling and visiting if he wishes to."
Rev. Strickland's ordination took place at Somesville at the home of Mr. John Somes and was later adjourned to the school- house that all the people might have a chance to hear the relig- ious examination of their pastor, as to his Christian experience. Ministers present at this ceremony were Rev. Calvin Cary, the well-loved minister of the Baptist church at Seal Cove who served them many years, Rev. Stephen Thurston of Searsport, Rev. Peter Nourse of Ellsworth, Rev. Wooster Parker.
Rev. Eaton soon after went to Sedgwick to visit his daughter, Mrs. Currier, and died while there in 1841 at the age of eighty- seven. The older people of the church hoped that his body might be brought back to the town where he laboured so many years to rest on his own land by the side of his wife, but the years passed and it was not done.
Mr. Strickland took hold of the church affairs with a strong and capable hand. He regulated the finances, made a complete list of the 177 members and arranged what each should pay ; brought the records up to date and added much valuable data as to marriages, births and deaths. He looked minutely after the
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morals of his flock and many were brought to the bar of justice for their errors. He imposed severe penalties upon them, be- lieving that the example of punishment was necessary to pre- serve the standing of the church. He was a thoroughly upright man and one who took his calling seriously, but one wonders if the people did not sometimes look back with affection to the days of the more gentle Father Eaton.
Mr. Strickland carried his vigor into his daily life also. He built the house now owned by Mr. and Mrs. O. W. Cousins, doing most of the work with his own hands. He quarried the stone for the foundation, rafted it down the Sound and put it in place. His wife was a daughter of Dr. Kendall Kittredge and he had a large family of children.
In 1841 the church found it impossible to keep up the pay- ments to their minister and so, at his request, allowed him to leave the pastorate. The fees for weddings did not appreciably swell the pastor's purse if they were all like one that is known where the bridegroom presented the officiating clergyman with seventy-five cents and a quarter of veal for his services.
Mr. Strickland went to Amherst and Aurora to preach and Rev. Charles M. Brown came to minister to the Southwest Har- bor church.
Rev. Joseph Brown had come to Deer Isle in 1804 as pastor of the Congregational church there. He was born in England in 1760 and was educated by Lady Huntingdon. He died at Deer Isle. He was an educated and able man and Rev. Charles M. Brown was one of his sons.
Rev. Charles had had a partial course at Harvard and was a graduate of the Bangor Theological Seminary. He had the affection and esteem of his people whom he served successfully for nine years. Then his mind became confused with the pass- ing years and he resigned his pastorate and bought the place now owned by Mrs. C. E. Cook where he spent the remainder of his days.
Many stories were told of "Uncle Charlie" as he was affec- tionately called. He complained to a parishioner that his mem- ory was failing and he sometimes lost the thread of his sermon. "But", he said, "I usually find that if I say Nevertheless three times and pound the pulpit I can recall what I was going to say."
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He was preaching at Somesville one afternoon and in his zeal he forgot the passage of time. The day waned and the shadows gathered, but still the sermon went on. At last one good brother who had many cattle to look after, rose to creep quietly out. As he reached the door "Uncle Charlie" turned and said, "I came to save sinners but I see that I have the power to cast out devils."
He was teaching and also preaching at Somesville when some of the young men in his classes, seeing that his garments were getting threadbare, got up a dance and used the money to buy "Uncle Charlie" a new suit. When the clothes were presented, Mr. Brown, who knew how the money had been raised, said, "Well the Lord brought them even if the Devil sent them, so I guess I'll take them."
After Mr. Brown resigned in 1850, Rev. Dana Cloyes came for six months and then Rev. Samuel Bowker accepted the call. He was very active and successful, but after he went away in 1855 there is a space of time when no records can be found. It seems to have been a time of religious depression all over the County as Rev. Mighill Blood laments in the records of the min- isterial Association that religion is at a low ebb and "darkness reigns at Mount Desert."
We know that three different ministers were in this church during this time and that Dr. Sewall Tenney of Ellsworth came several times to hold services and to admit members to the church.
In 1866 Rev. David S. Hibbard came as pastor. He and his good wife entered at once into the life of the community, there was an increase in interest in religion and a revival brought many members to the church. Dr. E. M. Cousins, in a historical sketch of our church says, "Here, practically, begins the later life of the church." The interest aroused by Mr. Hibbard and the strength he infused into the church have sustained it ever since.
It was a time of sorrow among the people when Mrs. Hib- bard's declining health made it necessary for them to seek a more inland climate and they went to New Hampshire where Mrs. Hibbard died not long after their removal.
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The two churches-one at Manset and one at Pretty Marsh and later, the Methodist church at Beech Hill, served the people as gathering places for many years, but as the population on the north side of the harbor increased and especially after the Beech Hill church was demolished, meetings were held in the homes and the schoolhouses at Norwood's Cove and at what is now the village corner. The Manset church had been located to accommodate the people from Cranberry Isles and Bass Har- bor; the first road to the latter place being in that locality. In 1847 mention is made in the records of holding meetings in the schoolhouse "at South Norwood's Cove" and at "North Nor- wood's Cove." It is to be remembered that there were a number of homes in the woods toward Somesville, all with large families.
In 1860 the new schoolhouse at the village was built. This was quite a pretentious building for those days with two stories, a cupola and a bell and the lower room arranged to accommodate church services as well as the school with a pulpit-like desk and an organ enclosed in a case for protection.
Here the services were held until the completion of the Union church, now the Congregational church.
In 1853 the church at Somesville was built, but the people did not separate themselves from the mother church until 1876. Cranberry Isles was made a separate church in 1899 and the church at Tremont was incorporated in 1922.
The need of a church building had been felt for a long time by the people of the north side of the harbor and a reply from the president of the Bangor Seminary to a letter written by Rev. Timothy Lynam during his brief residence as pastor, says in regard to the building of a church, "You can do no better than to be guided by the excellent judgment of Deacon H. H. Clark in this matter."
And so it was decided to build a church to accommodate the different denominations in the town. After much discussion the location was settled and the land purchased of Deacon Clark. Ground was broken for the foundation on the morning of Tues- day, October 9th, 1883. James T. Clark was master builder. The foundation was completed and the building raised and closed in before cold weather. The following summer, the women of
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the Ladies Benevolent Society held a strawberry festival in the unfinished church to raise money for its completion.
Rev. Amos Redlon accepted a call to the Congregational parish beginning his duties in June of 1884. The church was completed before the summer of 1885 and Rev. Oliver H. Fer- nald preached the first sermon within its walls. The dedication took place on September 9, 1885, and the dedicatory sermon was by Rev. J. E. Adams, president of the Bangor Theological Semi- nary.
A newspaper of 1884 tells us that the Ladies Benevolent Society placed the sum of $889.80 in the church treasury for the purchase of church furniture and Rev. Amos Redlon was en- trusted with the commission to make the purchase, which he did and the newspaper account says that "the report being eminently satisfactory to the society, it was accepted and a vote of thanks tendered to Mr. Redlon for the prompt and efficient manner in which he had invested the funds."
The society then bent all energies toward the purchase of a furnace, which was accomplished before the year was out.
The first donation toward a bell for the new edifice was re- ceived from a summer visitor, a Capt. Connor of Seabright, N. Y., who sailed into the harbor in his yacht while the process of building was going on and wrote later to Mr. Redlon to ask how the church was progressing and what were its needs. Mr. Redlon replied with details and received from Capt. Connor $25 toward a bell for the building. This was purchased and hung in the belfry in 1887.
Mrs. Redlon presented the Bible for the pulpit and Miss McNaughton, who was a summer visitor at the Dirigo, made and presented the embroidered book mark which is still in use. August 8, 1885, is the date when the church doors were first opened with pews and pulpit furniture all in place. Rev. Warren Applebee of the Methodist church, Prof. Fernald of Orono and Rev. Ingalls, minister of the Seal Cove Baptist church, assisted in the service.
The plates for the offering were given by Mrs. Jesse Pease. A newspaper item of December, 1884, says, "the quilt on which $100 has been raised for the new church was sent as a Christmas gift to Rev. and Mrs. A. N. Jones at Phippsburg, Maine." Mr.
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Jones had been minister of the Southwest Harbor church at a previous time.
The first communion set is of pewter and is still used by the church at Tremont. In 1892 the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the church was celebrated on October seven- teenth and Rev. Amos Redlon came from his pastorate at Scar- boro to be present. The sacrament was administered using this service. In many families six generations have been baptized from that same old pewter chalice.
On November 3, 1935, the fiftieth anniversary of the church building was celebrated. The morning sermon was preached by Rev. John M. Arters of Bangor, District Superintendent of the Methodist church and in the evening the sermon was by Rev. Oscar L. Olsen of Castine, a former pastor. Mrs. Seth S. Thorn- ton gave the history of the first hundred years of the organiza- tion and Mrs. Robie M. Norwood told of the events of the last fifty years. There was an interesting exhibit of old photographs of places and people who have been intimately connected with church work in the past.
Three generations worshipped the Lord in schoolhouses and in private homes before the building of the church. Our church now is the result of the piety and courage of those seven men and eight women who adopted their covenant, signed their names and organized the Congregational Church of Mount Desert on that October day in 1792.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF TREMONT AND SOUTHWEST HARBOR
On July 5, 1799, a Baptist church was formed at Salisbury Cove, the second religious organization to be formed on Mount Desert Island. It had members from all parts of the Island; several from Southwest Harbor who had been members of the Congregational church, felt that the manner of baptism approved by the Baptists appealed to them and so were transferred to the new church at Salisbury Cove.
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