History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 67

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis
Number of Pages: 1168

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At the same meeting of Presbytery at which Mr. Mitchell reported, Pelham, June 14, 1748, another petition for supply was made from "Swaheggen." At the same meeting Rev. David McGregore presented the name of Mr. Alexander Boyd, a young man of a liberal education. He produced certificate of his attending the study of divinity at the University of Glasgow, and having submitted to a thorough exam-

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ination and subscribed to the Confession of Faith, he was licensed to preach the gospel.

At the next meeting of Presbytery, Londonderry, October 4, 1748, "Presbytery thought proper that Mr. Boyd should supply Kingstown the next three Sabbaths and then immediately after four Sabbaths to Litchfield and Swaheggen." It would appear from a subsequent minute that Mr. Boyd, having received a call to Kingstown, did not fulfil his other appoint- ments.

The date of the ecclesiastical organization of the church in Bedford has long been a matter of doubt. It is not given in any of the town records, nor does it appear in our published town history, except the general statement, (p. 140,) that it was organized by the Boston Presbytery. The recent recovery of a portion of the old records of this Presbytery enables us to fix the exact date of organization, and I here insert the minute in full, as a most important fact for future preservation.

The Presbytery of Boston met in Boston August 15, 1749. The members present were Rev. John Moorhead, Boston ; Rev. Jonathan Parsons, New- bury ; Rev. David McGregore, Londonderry ; Rev. Robert Abercrombie, Pelham. Elders, Richard Mac- Cleur, Ralph Cross, John Craig. Mr. Abercrombie presided as moderator. In the proceedings of this meeting appears the following minute :

" Mr. Patten appeared as Commissioner from Souheggan, presenting a memorial, wherein that people acknowledge their subjection to the Pres- bytery, and petition for supplys."

Thus we learn that nine months before the incor- poration of the town, and while the settlers were yet destitute of a place of worship, they made applica- tion and were received under the care of Presbytery, and became a regular Presbyterian Church. Their meetings for worship were held in different parts of the town and in private houses. The Mr. Patten referred to was probably Samuel Patten, as he, with Moses Barren and Thomas Vicary, were appointed a committee at the proprietors' meeting to provide preaching that year. The Presbytery held another meeting at Londonderry in October of the same year. Souhegan again petitioned for supplies, and "Mr. Boyd was appointed to supply Litchfield two Sabbaths, Souhegan two and Suncook one."

The settlers, being desirous of securing more effec- tive measures for supporting the gospel, and for their better government as a people, now petitioned the Governor of the province, Benning Wentworth, Esq., for an act of incorporation, giving as a particular rea- son for the petition that, "having been long destitute of the gospel, we are now desirous of taking the proper steps in order to have it settled among us." They also stated that "your petitioners, as to our particular per- suasion in Christianity, are generally of the Presbyte- rian denomination," and they wished the gospel set- tled among them "in that way of discipline which they judged to tend most to their edification."

Governor Wentworth laid the petition before the Council, and, on the 19th of May, 1750, the act of in- corporation was passed, the district vested with town privileges and the place named Bedford.

Mr. Boyd, having fulfilled his appointment of the preceding October, Presbytery again appointed him, on the 5th of June 1750, in accordance with petitions offered for supplies, " to preach ten Sabbaths at Sou- hegan, Suncook and Litchfield."

In the mean time the inhabitants of the town of Bedford, acting in the spirit and intent of their peti- tion for incorporation, at once called a legal meet- ing and took measures to secure a settled ministry. The first meeting after incorporation assembled, June 6, 1750, in Matthew Patten's house, and thence ad- journed to his barn. Here it was voted that the min- ister be entertained at Samuel Patten's, at the charge of the town. On July 3d they voted one hundred and fifty pounds, old tenor, for preaching during the year, and, on the 7th of August, 1850, "Voted there be a call given to Rev. Mr. Alexander Boyd to the work of the ministry of this town," with a salary of three hundred pounds, old tenor, if he would accept.

Captain John Goffe, Deacon John Orr and Mr. Hugh Riddle were appointed a committee to prosecute the call to the Presbytery.

It is doubtful whether this call was ever formally presented to Mr. Boyd. I find no record of it in the proceedings of Presbytery, and an article in the town warrant, called for January 21st of the following year, was, "To inquire what is the reason why the committee for providing preaching to the town are so negligent in that business."

It is probable these brethren had good reason for their " neglect," as Mr. Boyd had been " sharply re- buked " by his Presbytery for effecting a clandestine marriage before leaving Glasgow, and passing himself in this country for an unmarried man. The Presby- tery, however, continued his appointments, on his making a full acknowledgment, expressing his sorrow and promising to adhere to her as his wife. This ac- knowledgment was unsatisfactory, and Mr. Boyd was afterward summoned before a committee of Presbytery to account for his conduct. .It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that negotiations for his settlement in Bedford were at once terminated.

The question of building a meeting-house now be- gan to be agitated anew, and, at a town-meeting, Jan- uary 24, 1750, a committee was chosen for the pur- pose.

Considerable difficulty arose as to the location of the meeting-house, the choice lying between the east or west end of what was known as the Bell Hill, in- mediately south of what is now the centre of the town.

Not being able to agree, they summoned three friends from Londonderry to decide the question for them. This committee chose the east of the hill, but their decision was equally unsatisfactory.

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The building committee proceeded to prepare the it to his house, if he would accept. They also ap- timber for the meeting-house, and, finally, having pointed Samuel Patten a commissioner to prosecute the call to the Presbytery. At a meeting of Presby- tery, August 22, 1754, held at Newbury, appears this minute,- abandoned both ends of Bell Hill, at a town-meeting, held September 26, 1755, it was voted unanimously to locate the meeting-house on land bought for the pur- pose, being part of No. 13 and 14 in the Tenth Range. Here the meeting-house was afterwards built.

In the mean time the people continued their efforts to secure a settled ministry.

At a meeting of Presbytery, in Boston, 1751, ap- plication was received from " Bedford, alias Souhegan," for a supply at discretion. At another meeting, in Boston, Angust 13, 1751, " Received a supplication from Bedford. pleading for a supply."

At a meeting of Presbytery, at Londonderry, Oc- tober 29, 1752, supplications were received from Palmer District, Canterbury, Colrain, North Rutland, Litchfield, Derryfield, Bedford and Suncook. At this meeting Mr. Alexander Mac Dowell, a licentiate of Presbytery, was appointed to supply a part of the time at "Bedford, Litchfield, Derryfield and Sun- cook."

Mr. MacDowell fulfilled his appointments with ref- erence to Derryfield and Bedford, both places giving him a call, the people of Derryfield proposing to unite with Bedford in having him settled over the two places.

An article was put in the town warrant to see if they would unite with Derryfield in this call.

On the 28th of March, 1753, the town voted not to join with Derryfield, and, at the same meeting, voted a unanimous call to Mr. MaeDowell, with one hundred pounds, old tenor, if he accept, and a committee appointed to prosecute the call to Presby- tery. In July of the same year another committee was chosen "to prosecute the call for Mr. MacDowell to the 'Rev'd Presbytery,' and to procure preaching till the next annual meeting." Mr. Mae Dowell, how- ever, did not accept the call.

Mr. Samuel MacClintock was licensed to preach the gospel by the Presbytery of Boston, October 29, 1752. On the 14th of August, 1753, Mr. MacClintock was directed by Presbytery to supply half the time at Bed- ford, the other half at Litchfieldl, Derryfield and Sun- cook, till next meeting. This appointment was re- newed on the following November, and his labors in Bedford gave evident satisfaction. At a town-meet- ing, October 1, 1754, it was voted, unanimously, "to give Mr. Samuel MacClintock a call to the work of the ministry in the town of Bedford." In the follow- ing January Presbytery renewed its appointment of Mr. MacClintock to supply Bedford, in connection with Windham, Litchfield, Derryfield and Suncook. The people seem to have been very anxious to secure the services of Mr. MacClintock. They voted him £107 108., new tenor, for his yearly stipend, took measures to lay a tax upon the unimproved land in the town to build him a house, and agreed to cut twenty cords of wood annually for five years, and draw

" The people of Bedford having sent a Petition to ye 'Presbytery re- questing them to send one or more of their number some convenient time between this and next meeting to moderate in a call to Mr. Samuel MacClintock, the Presbytery thereupon appointed Mr. MacGregore to perform that piece of service."

At the same meeting they voted that " Bedford shall have their proportion of time wholly in Mr. MacClintock." The following November this ap- pointment was renewed.

Mr. MaeClintock did not accept this call, but nego- tiations with him continued. At atown-meeting May 6, 1756, it was voted to renew the call made to him previously, at the same annual stipend, with this ad- ditional inducement, that he should have nine Sab- baths to his own use during each year, till the town should feel able to pay him for all or a part of those nine Sabbaths, for which they would allow him ten pounds, old tenor, per Sabbath.

The people of Bedford were not mistaken as to the character of the man whom they thus desired to settle over them. Mr. MacClintock afterwards became one of the honored members of the New Hampshire min- istry. He was graduated at Princeton, 1751, settled at Greenland, N. H., 1756, served as chaplain in the army during the Revolutionary War, admitted to an ud eundum Master's degree at Harvard, 1761, received the title of D.D. at Yale, 1791, and after a ministry of forty-eight years at Greenland, died there in 1804.

During the time of these unsuccessful efforts to se- cure a settled ministry the work on the meeting-house continued slowly. The carpenters who did the work complained that they were losing money on it, and the town voted them thirty pounds, old tenor, addi- tional. At length the work had so far progressed that the town-meeting, which had been previously held in barns, was called to assemble " at the meeting- house frame," April 21, 1756. The accommodations, however, seem to have been unsatisfactory, as they continued to assemble in barns for some time after- ward.

Rev. John Houston, the first settled pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Bedford, was born in Lon- donderry, N. H., in -, 1723. The family belonged to the old Scotch-Irish stock, the name of Robert Houston appearing in the memorial addressed to Governor Shute in 1718. Mr. Houston was educated in the College of New Jersey, which was then located at Newark,1 and graduated in 1753. Rev. Aaron Burr (father of the Vice-President of the United States) was then president of the college, and gave to Mr. Houston, on his leaving college, the following letter, which is still extant, and written in a clear, bold hand :

1 Removed to Princeton in 1756.

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" This may certify all concerned, that Mr. John Houston has for some time been a member of New Jersey College, and sound in communion with ye church of Christ in this place, and behaved himself according to the Rules of the Gospel. " A. BURR, Ps'd. " Sept. 28, 1753."

On his return to Londonderry, Mr. Houston studied divinity under Rev. David McGregore; and having placed himself under the care of Presbytery, parts of trial were assigned him, with a view to licensure. The subject of his Latin exegesis was "_In Dei Beneplacitum sit solum electionis fundamen,"-a hom- ily on 1 John iv. 18. After having been examined in systematic and experimental divinity, and branches of humane literature, and subscribed to the formula, he was, May 14, 1754, licensed to preach the gospel, being then about thirty-one years of age. The ex- amination was creditable to Mr. Houston, his classi- cal and theological learning being above the average. Presbytery made a minute of the fact that he had received the honors of the college at Newark. Mr. Houston was immediately appointed to supply one Sabbath each at Windham, Bedford, Suncook and Nottingham, and afterwards two days at a time at Windham and Bedford.

The negotiations with Mr. MacClintock having failed, the people now turned their attention to Mr. Houston, and at a town-meeting, August 5, 1756, it was "voted unanimously to give Mr. John Houston a call to the work of the ministry in this town." A committee was appointed to treat with him. At an adjourned meeting, August 7th, it was voted to give him "six hundred pounds, old tenor, or new tenor equal thereto;" but this vote was, on the 30th of the month, reconsidered, and it was finally agreed to give him "equal to forty pounds sterling in old tenor, as the law shall fix the rate of dollars or sterling money, and that what number of Sabbath-days they should think themselves unable to pay he should have, to his own nse, deducted out of the aforesaid sum." It was also ordered that the committee should agree with Mr. McGregore to moderate in a call, should Mr. Houston accept.

The work on the meeting-house still went on slowly. Special committees were appointed, one to "shingle and board it," another to procure sashes and put them in, another to underpin and another still to lay the floors and make the doors and win- dow-frames. There was no contract-work; all had to be done by committee, and sometimes, the commit- tees refusing to serve, others had to be appointed, which caused much delay, and must have been vex- atious. But, however slow the progress, they paid as they went, and thus avoided the burden of a debt.

The winter of 1756 wore along, and it was still un- certain whether Mr. Houston would accept his call ; the town appointed other committees to procure preaching. At length, however, Mr. Houston signi- fied his acceptance of the call, and in July of 1757 "forty pounds" were voted to defray the charges of the ordination.

Mr. Houston was ordained as pastor of the church of Bedford on the 28th of September, 1757. The ordination sermon was preached by Rev. Jonathan Parsons, of Newbury, from 1 Timothy i. 2. Rev. David McGregore gave the charge, and other minis- ters took part in the services. From Matthew Pat- ten's journal we learn that the text of Mr. Houston's first sermon after his ordination was " Fear not, lit- tle flock; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." "Very appropriate," says Mr. Savage, "as it must have been a small church in the midst of the wilderness."

On his settlement, Mr. Houston, as first pastor, ac- cording to the provision of the original proprietors, came into possession of certain lands in the town. The people of Merrimack having then no settled ministry, and being, many of them, of the Presbyte- rian persuasion, attended worship in Bedford. This was somewhat inconvenient, and in 1758 the town voted to allow the people of Merrimack who paid rates to support the gospel in Bedford "so many Sabbath-days of our Rev'd Pastor's time for public worship, to be held at John Burns', as they pay in proportion with us toward his annual salary for the present year, if our Rev'd pastor be willing."

The details of Mr. Houston's ministry are such as were common to the New England ministry of that time. There were many hardships, incident to the building up of a church in a new country, but he addressed himself to the work with zeal and energy, and during his pastorate the church gradually in- creased in strength and influence. He gave especial attention to catechetical instruction, and was much interested in the young people of his charge. He was conscientious and earnest in his piety, devoted to the cause of his Master, and labored earnestly for the spiritual welfare of the people under his charge. During the earlier years of his ministry he seems to have enjoyed the respect and confidence of his people, and was happy in his relations with them. But at the beginning of the Revolutionary War general dis- satisfaction arose against him, because of his ad- herence to the cause of the mother-country. In taking this position Mr. Houston was undoubtedly conscientious, and acted in accordance with what he believed to be the will of God in the matter. Time has sufficiently demonstrated that he erred in judg- ment. But we who are removed from those scenes of intense excitement can afford to impute to him only such motives as were dictated by what he under- stood as his duty in the matter. In giving a faithful record of the facts as they occurred, it is due to the memory of one who, in all other respects, bore an irreproachable character, to regard this great mistake of his life as resulting from an error of the head and not of the heart.

The first intimation we have of a feeling of disaf- fection of the people of Bedford against their pastor appears in a call for a town-meeting, dated May 2,

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1775. It was immediately after the news of the battle of Lexington, and the excitement of the people throughout New England was at the highest pitch. The article in the warrant was "To see what method the town will take relating to Rev. John Houston in these troublesome times, as we apprehend his praying and preaching to be calculated to intimidate the minds of his hearers and to weaken their hands in defense of their just rights and liberties, as there seems a plan to be laid by Parliament to destroy both." The meet- ing, which was called for the 16th of May, voted to shut the doors of the church against the pastor and to stop the payment of his salary till he should come to a sense of his duty. Mr. Houston made a state- ment of his position to the town, but it was declared to be unsatisfactory.

On the 15th of June, 1775, the town voted his dis- mission, and adopted a strong resolution condemning his course.

As Presbyterians, however, they recognized the fact that he was still pastor of the church. It had been the practice in former years to vote him a certain number of Sabbaths to himself, ranging from four to ten. At the meeting of March 27, 1776, they voted him the whole year to his own use. In the mean time they requested him to join with them in their appli- cation to Presbytery for a dissolution of the pastoral relation, and a committee was appointed for that purpose.

At the formation of the Synod of New England, at Seabrook, N. H., May 31, 1775, three Presbyteries were constituted out of the old Boston Presbytery, namely: the Eastern, or Presbytery of Salem; the Middle, or Presbytery of Londonderry; and Western, or Presbytery of Palmer. On the division of these Presbyteries, Mr. Houston and his congregation were united to the Presbytery of Palmer, and he was di- rected by Synod to convene the new Presbytery and moderate the first meeting. The position he had taken on the state of the country, however, had ren- dered him unpopular with his ministerial brethren, and the unfriendliness resulting therefrom led him to omit the duty assigned him by the Synod. There- upon the Synod directed the Rev. Moses Baldwin, of Kingston, to act in his stead, and Mr. Houston having promised that he would satisfy both the civil author- ity and the Synod for the course he had taken, was recommended to bring the evidence of such satisfac- tion to his Presbytery, and through them to the Synod. This action was taken in September, 1776, more than a year after his dismission by the act of the town, and while he was as yet ecclesiastically, although not practically, pastor of the church.

The Synod met at Londonderry, September 3, 1777, At this meeting a committee from Bedford appeared and asked the advice of Synod respecting their troubles with their pastor. Mr. Houston, being present, was interrogated as to his promise to give satisfaction to Synod respecting his conduct. It appearing that

he had not done so, he was deemed guilty of a breach of promise and contempt of Synod, and deprived of his seat in the body until he should give satisfaction to the Synod for his conduct, either directly or through his Presbytery. The committee from Bed- ford was also directed to bring the matter of their grievances before their Presbytery in the regular way.

The following year, September 3, 1778, at London- derry, the Synod reaffirmed its action respecting Mr. Houston, declaring his contempt of Synod to be highly blamable, but promised to recommend him to the churches as a member in good standing on his compliance with their requisition. At this meeting of Synod, Bedford congregation and Mr. Houston were annexed to the Presbytery of Londonderry, and that Presbytery was directed to take cognizance of their affairs. Before the adjournment of the meeting, however, the troubles in Bedford again came up for discussion, and, both parties agreeing, the Synod passed the following resolution :

" Whereas, There appears to be a dissatisfaction among the people of Bedford relative to the Rev. Mr. Houston, whereby he is not likely to be useful among them in the ministry, by consent of both parties, this Synod do dissolve his pastoral relation to said congregation."

Mr. Houston is described as having been of a stern and inflexible disposition, but the progress of the war, coupled with the almost universal condemnation of his countrymen, led him, subsequently, to modify his position. He had stood out in defense of his views to the point of surrendering his pastoral charge and losing his standing in the Synod. But now, being left free to act according to his own will, he appeared before the authories of the State and took the oath of allegiance, of which the following is a copy :

" State of New ) Hampshire : In Committee of Safety, October 28th, 1778. "This may certify all persons that the Rev. John Houston has taken the oath of allegiance and fidelity to this, and the United States of America.

" Attest :

MI. WEARE, Chairman."

At the meeting of Synod, at Windham, the follow- ing year, September 15, 1779, Mr. Houston's name appears on the roll of Synod, and also the following minute in the record of its proceedings :

" A report being given by Mr. Stickland and Mr. Williams that the Rev. Mr. Houston brought from the State of New Hampshire a testi- monial satisfactory to this Synod, do now restore him to full standing with this body."

Mr. Houston's name appeared on the roll of Synod up to the time of its dissolution, 1782. He remained in connection with the Presbytery of Salem, which succeeded the Synod, until 1785, when, in June of that year, at a meeting in Sylvester, the Presbytery gave him the following letter of dismission and rec- ommendation :

" Yoted, unanimously, that the Rev. John Houston (agreeable to his pe- tition to us) be dismissed from this body, and recommended to the churches wherever God in his Providence may call him."

He afterwards united with the Associate Presbytery. Mr. Houston continued his residence in Bedford,

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preaching as he had opportunity, and making, occa- sionally, what might be called missionary tours into Northern New Hampshire and Vermont. He died February 3, 1798, aged seventy-five years.

From the time of Mr. Houston's dismission, 1778, until 1804, a period of twenty-six years, the church was without a stated pastor. How it survived this long period without the stated preaching of the gos- pel it is difficult now to understand. The whole period is almost a total blank with respect to any matters of historical interest. The names of Benjamin Smith and James Little (elders) occasionally appear on the rolls of Presbytery and Synod as delegates from Bedford.

In the records of the town we find that a certain sum of money was voted annually to provide preach- ing. Rev. William Pickles, a native of Wales, and a man of considerable pulpit power, supplied them statedly about two years, from 1787 to 1789, but aside from this there was no regular preaching in the town. During this long period of destitution the church members became much scattered, and there was almost no spirituality in the church. No revivals of religion are recorded, and it would seem that there had as yet been no general religious interest in the church from the beginning of its history, although there were, undoubtedly, some conversions under the ministry of Mr. Houston. Towards the close of the century there were decided indications of a desire to secure again a settled ministry. It was voted in town-meeting that the money appropriated for preach- ing should be used only for those who would come as candidates, and the committees appointed to secure the same were desired to apply to Presbytery for supplies in a regular way. Early in the beginning of the century six new elders were appointed to serve with those already in office, and Rev. Mr. Morrison, of Londonderry, was invited to ordain them and ad- minister the Lord's Supper.

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History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Part 67

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis Number of Pages: 1168

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis
Number of Pages: 1168