USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Littleton > A history of All Saints Church, Littleton, New Hampshire : 1875-1950 > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
In the entries for February, 1899, one reads, "Voted to hold a food sale, the food to be furnished by the members." This was the innova- tion of a custom now grown common and which led eventually to the idea of the "Travelling Food Basket" which was started in 1924, and continues today with the identical first basket still making its yearly circuit among the ladies. One can wonder what the total of its earnings have been in its nearly thirty years of service.
Gradually the names of the charter members of the Guild began to disappear, but only because death is inevitable. An entry on February 5, 1919 is eloquent in its brevity. "Voted," it reads, "To send flowers to Mrs. Bowman at the hospital." Mrs. Bowman, who was a member of the first confirmation class-that of 1873-an unfailing attendant at every service and guild meeting, health allowing, between the first day the church doors were opened and that day in 1919 when the flowers became a symbol of her retirement! Today the only surviving member of the first group of parishioners is Mrs. Annette Buckley Cummings, who, as a little girl, was a member of the first Sunday school when it opened. Her interest, generosity and devotion, like Mrs. Bowman's have never failed.
Nor, on their side, have the men of the church been less loyal than the ladies. Among them too, the names that had appeared constantly for long years in lists of officers, began to disappear and others came along to take their places. About 1910 there started the work of a group which for the next three decades bore the responsibilities of the executive
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committee and were ready for every emergency. They were George VanNess, Floyd Fargo, Harry Bingham and Harold Young. Not only did they attend faithfully to their official duties, but it was a rare occa- sion when there was a church service at which they were not all four present. But for the repeated supplying of Mr. VanNess in the position of lay reader, there were times when it would have been impossible to hold services at all.
Music at the services had its place from the very beginning. It has been stated that a quartet sang at the first service of all, and other quartets continued to furnish musical programs. There is no mention of a musical instrument to accompany them until The Reverend Sydney Kent recorded on May 18, 1884, "Began an organ fund by means of a box at the back door" and later added parenthetically, "It flatted out!". At sometime a cabinet organ was procured to accompany the women and girls who made up the "chorus." Eventually Mrs. William Silsby was engaged to lead and train them at both morning and evening ser- vices. At the morning service, she placed her small children nearby in the front pew under her eye and at the conclusion of the service took them to their own Sunday school at the Methodist church.
The unbounded energy and enthusiasm of Mr. Davis would not leave him contented with his choir of men and boys. In 1897 choir stalls were added to the south transept for the seating of fourteen women and girls in the choir. There was lengthy discussion as to the propriety of robing them in the same garments that the men were accustomed to use as choristers. A compromise was finally reached by adopting gathered cottas and mortar-board caps. This was the beginning of a well trained choir that lasted, with some changing of members, for thirty years. Mr. Will Nute trained it at one time, and later Mrs. Maud Young Parker assumed that responsibility.
The Reverend Thaddeus W. Harris came as a deacon in 1908 and his ordination to the priesthood was held later in All Saints Church. He was especially interested in music. Everything he attempted, he accom- plished with great order and precision. A copy of a notice of an annual meeting held during his time here, is to be found among the records. It was duly signed and sealed with red wax and on the back is a certifica- tion in Dr. Harris's fine handwriting that it had been posted a certain length of time on the church doors and had been read from the pulpit. This sort of attention to detail, together with his love of music, brought success to the choir festivals he organized for the Episcopal choirs of the North Country. Bishop Parker also took a lively interest in these festivals and would travel miles from another engagement to be present at them. Dr. Harris composed some of the music himself, and with his artist's hand, made copies of his compositions for the use of the partici- pating choirs. These festivals increased the interest of the members in their choirs and gave opportunity for the young people of the churches of the area to become acquainted with each other. They continued to be
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popular under the rectorship of the Reverend Austin M. Reed and that of the Reverend George Seavey, both of whom showed the same enthu- siasm that Dr. Harris had taken in furthering them. In 1913 and again in 1917, the festivals were held in Littleton. The Masonic Temple was crowded to the doors with choristers at the suppers prepared by All Saints Guild on these occasions, and though extra benches were placed in the transepts for the choristers, there still was not room in the church for all who desired to be in the congregation.
Today the services during the school year are enriched by the voices of the girls of the choir of St. Mary's-in-the-Mountains. At other services the Junior Choir, continually growing in years and numbers, and organ- ized, trained, vested in a soft shade of blue by Mrs. Weber and Mrs. Mooney, delights the congregation with its youthful voices and enlivens the interest of the children in the services of their church.
Again in 1896 an organ fund was considered and at this time it did not "flat out". The guild records show that in that year the ladies took on the duty of raising funds for an organ, and Mrs. Andrew Bingham and Mrs. James R. Jackson were appointed to be a committee to circu- late a paper to collect money for one.
Their appeal met with success, for on November 29 of that year, a pipe organ purchased from Trinity Church, Bristol, Rhode Island, was used for the first time. This organ was made by Hook and Horner in 1876. It served All Saints until 1948, when its mellowed old pipes were still sounding forth in sweet tones after sixty nine years of use, but its mechanical parts had given out. A movement for a new electric organ was commenced. Mrs. Mooney, Miss Mary Harley Jenks, the principal of St. Mary's School and Mr. Robert Edge were elected at the annual meeting to be a committee to raise funds to purchase a new organ. It was used for the first time at the morning service on Sunday, March 7th, 1948. Mr. Zuckerman had repeated, but with more success than in the church's early days, the collection box at the back door of the church. This was in the form of a miniature church and was made by the Rector. From it came many dollars for the desired objective.
A special service was held on Sunday afternoon, July 18th, 1948 to welcome Mr. Weber to the parish. The organist and boy choir of the Church of the Epiphany at Bretton Woods supplied the music for the occasion. This beautiful service will long be remembered by the large congregation that was present to share in it.
The first organist of the church was Mrs. Elizabeth Green. She taught her niece, Miss Lorena Sue Lovejoy to play. For a period of nearly forty years these two, the aunt followed by the niece, were at the organ for every service almost without exception. Miss Lovejoy gave lessons in playing to Miss Catherine Cummings, now Mrs. Mooney, who was requested by the Guild to become organist when Miss Lovejoy had to give it up because of illness. She followed the example that they set
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for performance and faithfulness. Mrs. George Walker and Mrs. Oliver Stillings have also had periods of service as organist and have contribu- ted to the services with their musical gifts.
Changes in the church other than the acquisition of a new organ were made, under the direction of Mr. Zuckerman. The bookshelves that lined the west wall of the sacristry were taken out and new drawers and cupboards installed. Indirect lighting was placed in the chancel. His artistic sense gave dignity and beauty to the improvements made at his suggestion. His tenure as rector lasted for ten years, the longest of any in the church's history. He liked the North Country and its people, who in turn were devoted to him and there was widespread dis- appointment when he resigned in 1948.
Other additions to the church building were the two memorial windows placed in the transepts. In the north transept is the window in memory of Mrs. Ida Powell Goodrich and of Amy Goodrich. It was the gift in 1909 of the husband and father, the Reverend James B. Goodrich. This family had a warm place in the hearts of the parishioners. Mr. Goodrich had twice been rector and the Rectory was the last earthly home of Mrs. Goodrich and Amy. Another daughter of Mr. Goodrich, Isabella, became the wife of Bishop Parker, and the close relationship between all the members of this family and All Saints Parish continued over a long period of years.
The gift of Mr. Goodrich was constructed by Horace T. Phipps and Company of Boston and is in English Gothic style, harmonizing with the architecture of the church. The Virgin with Child is the central figure in the three panels. She is clad in a blue robe with gold embroidery, the blue symbolizing heaven and the gold, the goodness of God. The figures of the Virgin and Child have a sense of repose. The Christ child, with his shining cruciform halo, and arms outspread in the form of the cross, is prophetic of the Great Road of Sacrifice.
The window is treated in pot metal and English antique glass. The colors are soft and subdued, but are brightened by deep blue of the Virgin's robe and the warm red of the shields in the side panels.
The window in the opposite transept was given in memory of Miss Helen Bingham by the Bingham family in the summer of 1943 shortly after her death. Mr. Charles J. Connick, in planning for the window, wrote:
I feel that I have struck upon a plan that will work out beautifully in the glass and, although different in detail, will relate itself effectively to the opposite window.
The simplicity of the background well accents the central allegorical figure of Faith.
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I have represented on the open book below, the significant text from, 1 John 5:4 "This is the Victory that overcometh the World, even our faith."
In the hand of the lancet is the Cross,-most profound symbol of Faith. In the side lancets are the Chalice, symbol of Holy Communion, and the Shell and Water of Baptism.
The growing rose vine forms a decorative border around the panels, flowering in red blossoms, symbol of Divine Love.
Across the base is the memorial inscription, "In loving memory of Helen Eliza Bingham, 1871-1942."
The appropriateness of this memorial is well expressed in the words of Miss Bingham's friend and co-worker, Mrs. Susan Nason Collins: "Among the fine, devoted women who have given themselves to the up-keeping and the up-building of All Saints Church, Helen Bingham is outstanding. Many of us remember her, and all who knew her, loved her. She was untiring in her service for the church, and the altar and the flowers were her regular and special devotion. She was generous with her time and her substance and her home, which she opened at all times for the use of the Guild. The window placed in her memory is symbolic of the serenity and sweetness of her character and her gracious service to her church and community."
The story of the church would be incomplete without mention of the men and boys who went from it into the armed forces of both world wars. From Sunday to Sunday they were remembered at the altar in the prayers. There were two who made the supreme sacrifice in World War II-Jonas Nourse, Jr. and Arthur B. Knight, Jr. No words can add to their glory. The memory of their brave youth is one of our most sacred possessions.
There are other events that crowd our thoughts ---
.. . picnics with Mrs. Heald at Skyline; services in boats on Partridge Lake with Evening Prayer read by Bishop Parker, or Dr. Harris, or Mr. Read, or Mr. Seavey; the sermons of Bishop Dallas and the crowded church when he preached; that famous team of perennial salesladies, Mrs. Linden, Mrs. Fargo, Mrs. Macleod, Mrs. Heald and Mrs. Parker, who made an art of disposing of goods at the rummage sales; the treasury accounts of Mrs. Quimby and of Mrs. Nourse; the trips to Concord with the children of the Sunday School for every service of the Birthday Thank Offering since they were first held; the younger people who have joined our ranks in the later years, no less faithful than the most devoted of their predecessors; the communion breakfasts for the young people when Father Walker watched over them; the devoted interest of Bishop Hall . . .
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So the panorama of the past unfolds until it merges with the present and promises the future. Mr. and Mrs. Weber are here; the parish is growing in numbers and in spiritual width and breadth under his untiring labors. There is an unusual cooperation between the parish and St. Mary's-in-the-Mountains. We are blessed in many ways as we go forward with our labors, conscious that we are bound together in the common bond of service for the Master.
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5-
CLERGY
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The Rev. James H. Eames held the first Episcopal service in Littleton on 29 August 1859. The Rev. William A. W. Maybin, of Brooklyn, N. Y., held regular services through July and August of 1869.
(The Rt. Rev. William Woodruff Niles. The Third Bishop of New Hampshire. 1870-1914.)
Bishop Niles reported to the Diocesan Conventions, from 1872 until 1875, that during these years he had held services and confirmed in Littleton.
The Rev. A. B. Crawford held the first service in the newly consecrated Church on 21 November 1875.
Resident Clergy:
Began:
Terminated:
1. The Rev. James B. Goodrich
6 June 1875
6 June 1877
29 August 1880
2. The Rev. Anson Rogers Graves 14 June 1877 (later the first missionary Bishop both of The Platte and of Kearney, in Western Nebraska.)
3. The Rev. George C. Jones
4. The Rev. H. M. Andrews
1881
1 October 1882
5. The Rev. J. Sidney Kent
1 October 1882 30 November 1884
6. The Rev. Henry H. Haynes
17 May 1885 1 June 1886
17 October 1886 at least until 29 September 1888
8. The Rev. Lucius Waterman, D. D.
15 November 1888
31 October 1893
9. The Rev. Edgar F. Davis
4 March 1894 29 December 1898
10. The Rev. James B. Goodrich
1899 1 October 1905
(The Rt. Rev. Edward Melville Parker. The Fourth Bishop of New Hampshire. Coadjutor, 1906. Diocesan, 1914-1925.)
11. The Rev. George W. Phillips, D. D. January 1906
1 March 1908
12. The Rev. Thaddeus W. Harris, Ph.D.
1 July 1908
7 February 1915
13. The Rev. Austen H. Reed
21 February 1915
30 May 1918
14. The Rev. George H. Seavey
5 July 1918
21 May 1922
15. The Rev. John A. Chapin
16 July 1922
30 September 1923
31 August 1927
16. The Rev. Harry R. Pool 2 July 1924 (The Rt. Rev. John Thomson Dallas. The Fifth Bishop of New Hampshire. 1926-1948.)
17. The Rev. T. David Harari
31 March 1928
13 January 1929
18. The Rev. Harris B. Thomas
10 March 1930
31 October 1931
19. The Rev. Sheafe Walker
6 March 1932
5 March 1934
20. The Rev. Richard P. McClintock
11 March 1934
20 September 1936
21. The Rev. Allan J. Holley
27 September 1936
29 August 1937
22. The Rev. J. Harvie A. Zuckerman (The Rt. Rev. Charles Francis Hall. The Sixth Bishop of New Hampshire. Coadjutor, 15 January 1948. Diocesan, 15 April 1948.)
23. The Rev. William M. Weber 18 July 1948
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5 September 1937
28 March 1948
7. The Rev. Isaac Peck
several months in 1880
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