USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Hampstead > A memorial history of Hampstead, New Hampshire, Congregational Church 1752-1902, Volume II > Part 20
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In my remarks I shall try not to speak untruth, but tell a few of the things which came under my observation in the years of my residence here, 1876 to 1879, and in especial reference to the church in its connection with the High school and its pupils.
I always feels somewhat aged when I come to Hampstead, and to-day I feel that I must be very old, for of the eight pastors this church has had in the one hundred and fifty years of its history, I have had some personal acquaintance with all but the first three, and I almost feel that I have a little acquaintance with the very first pastor, Parson True, since today I sat at the table with his great grandson Henry True, the direct lineal descendant of the Rev. Henry True.
When I was a boy, Pastor Pratt would occasionally ex- change with the pastor of my home church in Derry, and I always was pleased to see a new face in the pulpit and won- der if the boys now feel as I did.
The pastor of this church when I came to Hampstead, in 1875, was Rev. E. W. Bullard and as there seems to be no one here to speak for him today, I wish to render to his memory my hearty tribute.
Mr. Bullard was somewhat advanced in years and not in the best of health during his pastorate here. His pastorate was the shortest in the history of the church, and the addi- tions to the membership were not many. But my estimate of Mr. Bullard is that he was a fine Christian gentleman, an able preacher, and faithful pastor. He was one of the finest looking men I ever knew. I remember hearing him tell of a lady who sat in the choir behind him where he once preached (it was not so common then for the choir to be be- hind the pulpit as now), and this lady remarked after the service, " How delighted I've been with it all." Mr. Bul- lard was curious to know what it was that had made so favorable an impression, and asked what part of the sermon she liked so well. "Oh," she replied, "I didn't hear any part of the sermon, couldn't even tell the text, I was so taken with admiring your beautiful white locks." (Mr. Bullard did not like choirs back of his pulpit.)
Mrs. Bullard was equally delighful with Mr. Bullard, and I think one daughter resided at home. Perhaps they all were at their best in the home circle, and any who enjoyed their hospitality will always cherish it.
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Mr. Bullard took great interest in the High school in its first beginnings, and I greatly appreciated his personal kind- ness and council. Such ministers as Mr. Bullard may not bring out as many new converts as some, but one wonders if any one could make converts, if there were not such fine examples of Christian manhood.
It used to be a common remark that Mr. Bullard sowed seed, the reaping of which was gathered by those who suc- ceeded him.
The coming of Rev. Albert Watson marked a new era in the history of the church. At his coming the membership had not materially increased. Mr. Watson has himself given the account of the revival spirit which manifested it- self so markedly in the spring of his first year's pastorate.
That Sunday night manifestation of which he has spoken was a complete surprise to me. The interest from the first was very deep among the pupils of the High school. Mattie Irving was the first to be called to heaven. Hattie Hoyt, Orrie Belle Little, Charles Garland, Sarah Sagar, and many others made their Christian committal, and a different atmosphere, serious, but wholesome and joyous, pervaded the school room, and all about the school premises. For a time a weekly prayer meeting was held at the school.
From that time on through my principalship, the school was decidedly Christian. This revival spirit continued in church and school and doubled the church membership. The prayer meetings especially were of great power.
I recall the night when Joseph Brown made his first at- tempt to speak in meeting. The tense muscle as he drew himself to his feet, his broken utterance, the deep earnest- ness which showed on every feature. Some of the Christian people of that time, now gone to their reward, who im- pressed their ideas on me, are Dea. Sanborn, Jacob Irving, Mr. and Mrs. R. K. Brickett, Mrs. Nelson Ordway, Mrs. Pike, Henry Clarke and many others. These people all had their faults and imperfections, as do all, but in the memory of them, it is their Christian spirit, their sincerity, and devo- tion to Christ and the church, that have made their names to abide.
In closing I must not fail to express my personal interest in this church. For several years my name was enrolled on its roll of membership. Here my wife made public confes-
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sion of her Christian faith, and here our first born was bap- tized into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
I have rejoiced in all your prosperity in these recent years. I am glad to join with you today in this celebration, and I pray the future may be even richer than the past in the nur- ture and perfecting of Christian souls for the eternal habita- tions."
Prof. Edward E. Bradley of Lincoln, Mass., late teacher of the High school was unable to be present to respond to the part assigned to him.
Prof. Forrest E. Merrill occupied a few minutes in review- ing the school work as connected with the church during the fifteen years in which he had been teacher.
Miss Abbie F. Chandler, a daughter of Hampstead, sang in a pleasing way the solo, " The Gates of the West." In response to the number, " Reminiscences by past members," Miss Fannie B. Williams sent a cordial letter of greeting to the church from the field of her missionory labors in Okla- homa.
Rev. Albert P. Watson, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Bedford, N. H., was present, and spoke as follows :--
"To speak successfully on reminiscences the one thing absolutely essential is a long and varied experience from which, as a storehouse, memory can draw at will. This I do not possess. The usual introductory remark, " when I was a boy," carries very little weight in this instance, for I seem hardly out of boyhood yet. Any of the circumstances and conditions of former years that I might recall are more familiar to you, than to myself, accordingly I shall not at- tempt to enlighten you: but shall simply endeavor to pay a very willing tribute to this, the church home of my child- hood.
I united with this church at the age of twelve. Three years later I left home to attend school and have not been here since except on brief occasional visits. Although my actual personal fellowship here was so brief, yet I feel that to this church I owe a debt greater than words can tell. It
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was here that I first felt the power of a Christian faith, and made public confession of the same. Here, by the grace of God, was laid the foundation of a Christian charac- ter. It was from the Christian people of this place that I received the kindly sympathy, the words of encouragement, the patience, forbearance and charitable consideration which are of such measureless worth to the young Christian. How mueh all this has been to me through the intervening years I cannot tell.
The worth of this church, like the worth of any other, has not been wholly due to the clergy. A good deal has been said this afternoon in praise of the noble men of God who have labored here as Christian ministers. I am in hearty sympathy with every word that has been said. But they are not the only ones deserving of our grateful appreciation. I am glad of this opportunity of paying tribute to one whose permanent influence over my life has been greater than she knew. I refer to my first Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Pike. She was my teacher nearly all the time I was in this school. I know we caused her a great deal of trouble and anxiety, but she was always patient and kind. I cannot remember much that she ever said, but I do remember that somehow, through her consecrated service, I learned that God is Love, and that He loves to pity and to save His sinful, erring child. She has now gone home to her reward, but I'm sure she has left with every one of her boys, as she used to call us, a sweet, beautiful, inspiring, and immortal memory, that we shall ever cherish.
The Christian church has not yet done its work. The brightest days for this and every household of faith are yet to come. The eternal living truth of God does not yet per- meate humanity. The abundant life is not yet every man's possession. And it is the highest glory of the Christian church to bring close to the human heart the truth of God, that all, old and young, rich and poor, from the least men to the greatest, may know Him, and in that knowledge live.
Henry C. Ordway, of Winchester, Mass., was listened to with elose attention. His remarks were :-
" The kind invitation to join with you in this celebration
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is appreciated. I am glad to be here and take part in the birthday festivities of the old church.
Hampstead was my birthplace and for many years my home. For nearly a generation, I have been much away. As my visits to Hampstead became infrequent, I was enabled to keep in touch with old friends as we came together here on Sunday. Their cordial welcome and kindly greeting always given to me are pleasant memories of those years.
Your pastor has asked me to say something on this sub- ject-' Personal reminiscences, and anything else you like.' I hope I may be able to stick to the text.
I have always felt when one indulged in reminiscences on such an occasion as this that it implied great age. It is, there- fore, a genuine satisfaction for me to state that I can give no account of what happened under Parsons True and Kelly.
Still, candor compels me to admit that I was a contempo- rary of Rev. Mr. Bartley, though at the time of his dismissal I was only one year old. This will account for my passing lightly over his administration.
I well remember the long ride to church. From the old Watts' and Select Hymns the minister would read :
" Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear My voice ascending high, To Thee will I direct my prayer, To Thee lift up mine eye."
Then, as the singing began, right about face turned the con- gregation. For in those days, the organ and the singers were in the gallery, and the reward of the choir was to behold the faces of the people.
'Twas a good old custom and had much of merit. The minister, freed from the gaze of every eye, relaxed ; the peo- ple changed their positions, saw who were behind them, and got thoroughly waked up. Pastor and people were refreshed and prepared for the sermon.
Then, as now, the morning service was followed by the Sunday School. William Davis, now Deacon Davis, was one of my teachers. With another boy, I frequently gathered in the pennies, passing my cap from pew to pew. In addition to the Sunday School lesson, we learned Bible verses. Whether you follow our example in this respect I do not know, but I
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am credibly informed that the ancient custom of taking up a collection is still observed.
After Sunday School we youngsters ate our lunch, which was a great feature of the child's Sunday forty years ago, for the afternoon services soon began, and dinner was still far away.
Mr. Pratt was the minister of my childhood days. It was the custom then to hold prayer meetings occasionally in dif- ferent parts of the town. On Sunday, the notice might be given that next Tuesday evening there would be a prayer meeting at the school house in District No. 4, at half-past seven, and there the neighbors would gather, taking their lamps with them.
Of the many excellent things said by Mr. Pratt in this church, what I am about to relate made the greatest impres- sion on my young mind. He then lived at the village in the brick house now owned by Deacon Pressey. It some- times happened that his good helpmeet, burdened with the cares of the household and the preparation of the children, was not always in readiness Sunday mornings when the minister brought the horse to the door. The resulting rush and hurry were disquieting to one who wished to be " In the spirit on the Lord's day."
One morning he entered the pulpit promptly, and, flushed with victory won, told us what he had done, and what other men might do. It was this: "Instead of waiting about, finding fault and doing nothing, Sunday mornings, take hold and help !" Very simple, wasn't it ? But to me it was worth more than a bushel of sermons.
Those were the days of Deacon Chase and Deacon Sanborn. A tall, spare man was the senior deacon, of tireless energy, faithful in the discharge of his duties, working always to the limit of his strength and of the daylight hours. After the labors of the week, he came to the house of God, and found the rest which his soul and body alike craved. I count it no sin for a man to sleep in meeting, if only he is graceful about it, nodding in the right direction and at the right time. But I shall never forget the sharp profile of my great uncle's face as I gazed across to his pew the hot summer afternoons. He looked neither forward nor backward, but reverently upward, and his head, bobbing back and forth, was so delicately
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poised, I felt that Providence alone prevented the catastrophe that seemed imminent.
Many of you will remember Deacon Sanborn and recall his genial smile and warm hand-grasp. He, too, has done his work and gone to his reward. Associated together for many years, these two men, independent and straightforward, made their impress on the life of the church and the community, doing their duty as they saw it. To-day we honor their memory.
You who are older miss many whose presence on Sunday at that time identified them with this place. The once familiar faces of Deacon Kent, Isaac Smith, John Ordway, Amos Buck, Kimball Brickett, John Drew- and Nathan Johnson have long since passed from view.
Then one after another, Frederick Pike, Mrs. Nabby K. Brickett, Oliver Putnam, and many more joined the silent majority. Of those who have more recently entered into the eternal home, I will not speak. The memory of their lives is with us. Their kindly deeds and helpful influence still remain.
Mr. Pratt was followed by Mr. Bullard, a mature and scholarly man, fond of books and fond of nature. He worked not alone in the study, but in the garden and field. Deacon Sanborn said with satisfaction, "Mr. Bullard is a good farmer, he is improving the parsonage property."
The home life of the Bullard family was delightful, and its uplifting, refining influence was a benediction to all whom it reached.
In 1876, after one hundred years of independence, we voluntarily came again under the British yoke, and called Rev. Mr. Watson to come and rule over us. Had England cared for her colonies as well as Mr. Watson cared for the people under his charge, there would have been no wrongs to right, no Declaration of Independence. Not only was Mr. Watson a worker along distinctly religious lines, but he took a 'deep interest in everything that might stimulate and instruet the people of the town. The Y. M. C. A., with its associate membership open to all, was helpful. The lectures and concerts, the Jubilee singers, were due to his faith and push. It was in Mr. Watson's pastorate that I became a member of this church. The late Mrs. William Fellows joined at the same time.
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Of Mr. Gardner I ought not to speak. It would be carry- ing coals to Newcastle, for you all know better than I what he has accomplished here. However, it may not be amiss for me to say that his success in making all hands march the quickstep the past few years seems rather remarkable.
The outside world has begun to wonder what Hampstead will do next. Only five years ago yonder library building was dedicated. We gathered in this house, proud to welcome to his native town the most distinguished of Hampstead's sons, the eminent jurist, the Christian gentleman, Isaac W. Smith. Three years ago, hundreds of her sons and daughters came back to Hampstead. The civic pride of her citizens had arrayed the mother town in best attire. On the spot where, fifty years before, the one hundredth anniversary had been observed, in the grove by the pond, fitting exercises crowned the third half century of the town's corporate existence. The story of the long life was ably told by Miss Noyes, and has been preserved for us in her " Memorial His- tory of Hampstead."
And this same daughter of Hampstead, loyal, not alone to the interests of the town, but thoughtful of the church as well, has carefully studied its past, and put in permanent form the results of her painstaking research. It is most fortunate for the church that the data relating to its history have been so gathered and preserved. Our gratitude and ap- preciation go out to Miss Noyes for her labor of love.
Two years pass. The tireless energy of Mr. Gardner, seconded by the lightning and the ladies, works a transfor- mation scene. Within a twelvemonth, the church interior assumes its present attractive and finished appearance. The new organ is welcomed to the front of the church, and is dedicated with appropriate ceremony. In early fall of last year, reluctant farewells are said to Mr. Gardner, and as the blossoms of spring time show once more, Mr. Woodsum is installed.
To-day, at the bidding of the old church, we come again to Hampstead. For one hundred and fifty years, she has stood for those things which are honest and of good report. Three years younger than the town, she has grown with and labored for its welfare. Enriched by the experiences of the past, conserving that which is good, let her be receptive of all that is inspiring and helpful in the life of to-day. Old in
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years, she is young in all that tends for effective effort. She rejoices in what has been accomplished, but her work lies ever before her. The conflict between right and wrong is always going on. Let her train the boys and girls to battle for the right, to have high ideals, to become good citizens.
This church is beautiful for situation ; it is unrivalled in equipment ; it is out of debt. It is strong in the affections of its members. Its pastor comes to his duties full of cour- age and eager to serve. Cheered by the inspiration of the past, rejoicing in the abounding life of the present, the old church looks forward to a future great with promise.
Rev. Kimball Kent Clark, pastor of the M. E. Church at Fitzwilliam, N. H., recalled his boyhood days in Hampstead, as follows :-
" It is a great pleasure for me to stand here to-day and speak a few words. The other day, when I was in Keene, I had the good fortune to meet Judge Holmes of that city. He said to me, "Young man, how do you like the minis- try ? " I said, " Very much." " Well," said he, " Minis- ters' sermons and lawyers' pleas ought never to be more than one-half hour long and leaning towards mercy at that."
It would seem to me, my friends, that there could be no place as dear to us as the town in which we spend our child- hood years. Around this town, therefore, cluster for me sacred memories and tender associations. It was in the pub- lic schools of this town that I received my carly education. How well do I remember the years spent in the High school under Prof. F. E. Merrill. The Saturday morning remarks, what a source of blessing in after life ! My life may be spared many years, but I shall not forget his kindness and timely words of advice. Hampstead never had a better man than Prof. Merrill. It has not been my pleasure to know but two of the pastors of the church, Rev. Albert Watson and Rev. Rufus P. Gardner. I have the pleasure of an acquaintance with Rev. Mr. Pratt, but did not live under his ministration.
How well do I remember Mr. Watson. One day in par- ticular, as I was trudging along the street, he came along in his sleigh and said, " Lad, won't you have a ride ?" I was pleased to ride, and what a ride we did have ! If you remem-
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ber about Mr. Watson's horse, you know how swift he could travel. I suppose he has forgotten the incident, and may be wondering even this moment when he took me to ride. How- ever, he took me to my home, and made a kindly call, and from that day I knew he was my friend, and I certainly was his. Well do I remember when he was about to leave Hampstead that I said to him, " I shall never think as much of another minister as I have of you." " Oh, yes you will," said he. Mr. Watson understood human nature better than I did.
At my charge in East Deering, one of the members of my church, and my next door neighbor, said to me when I left there, " We shall never like another minister as we have liked you." I said, " Yes, you will, I'm sure," and recently I hear that my neighbor has just the same feeling towards the new minister. I am glad it is so, glad for my friend, glad for the new minister, and glad for the church.
Mr. Watson went away and Mr. Gardner came, and to know him was to love him. I did not forget the old pastor, but I learned to honor and respect the new one. There sprang up a peculiar relation between us, that of the pastor with the young man whom he had received into the church. I am sure no man ever endeavored to benefit the young peo- ple more than Mr. Gardner.
The Hampstead Congregational Church has had a grand history in the past. The pastors have been men of God. Their lives have been more than their sermons. You have had noble men and women, also, in your midst. Many that were here a short time since are gone. They have heard the words, " Come up higher." Their work on earth is done. They have entered into rest, but their lives are a power still for good. You have to-day men and women who are carry- ing on the work loyally for Christ and His church. I believe that the best work of the Hampstead church has not been done. Fair and as grand as her histery has been in the past, there is a brighter history in the future.
My parting thought is this: Work for the church, not because it is your church, not so much that as because it rep- resents the work of Jesus Christ in this world, and you de- sire a part in that work, remembering that success depends on God alone. " Man may come and man may go, but I go on forever." Thus sings the mountain brook as it journeys A
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down the side of the mountain. So may we learn the great lesson that we are but instruments in the hands of God. May we, knowing this, work earnestly for the upbuilding of His kingdom, which shall one day come to its full fruition, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and the Christ."
The singing of " Jerusalem, the Golden," by the quartette -Mrs. Forrest E. Merrill, soprano ; Miss Mary G. Davis, alto; Prof. Forrest E. Merrill, tenor ; Mr. H. Clinton Davis, bass-was much enjoyed by the audience.
" Greetings from the Mother Church, Plaistow and North Haverhill," was responded to by Rev. Joseph Kimball, pas- tor, and was as follows :-
When the settlers of Haverhill had extended a considera- ble distance to the north, there was reasonably a desire for a new parish, and in the autumn of 1730 the North Parish Church was organized.
Most of its members were from the town church of Haver- hill. At length the settlers had extended farther northward, so that another church was desired, and after some twenty- two years the church of Hampstead was formed.
The membership was largely from the North Parish of Haverhill church, which, after the state line of New Hamp- shire and Massachusetts was established, had become the Congregational Church of Plaistow and the North Parish of Haverhill, Mass.
There appears to have been a number of quite intimate features of relationship between the parent and daughter churches. The first minister of the parent church, Rev. James Cushing, was from Salisbury, Mass., and he may have had some influence in causing that the first minister of the daughter church should be from that town.
The second minister at the parent church, Rev. Giles Mer- rill, also from Salisbury, is said to have studied for a time with Rev. Henry True, your first minister.
The next minister of your church was a near family rela- tive of a prominently theological family of the parent church.
There continued to be an intimate relationship between
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the two churches, aided by the fact that some residents of the Hampstead parish were from the parent parish, as well as by the frequent exchange of pulpits that were enjoyed. Both communities also had various intimate relationships to Salisbury, Mass.
We are wont to look upon you as fortunate in situation, upon the sides of the north, free from mar by distractions of city pastimes, fortunate in your long pastorates, fortunate in your present beautifully appointed church, fortunate in your new organ, and fortunate in the presence of a successful endowed school.
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