USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Plymouth > History of Plymouth, New Hampshire; vol. I. Narrative--vol. II. Genealogies, Volume I > Part 23
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Chase W. Calley, with the wisdom of fourscore years and the vigor and fervency of youth, is highly esteemed by his brethren and is a pleasing type of Methodism both old and new.
To the year 1904 the number of ministers appointed to the Bridgewater circuit, to which this town belonged, to West Ply- mouth, and to Plymouth is ninety-three.
E
-
THE METHODIST CHURCH, 1905
0
263
THE METHODIST CHURCH.
The first thirty-five appointments to the circuit were: -
1801 Asher Smith
1802 Reuben Jones
1813 John Payne John Lewis
1803 Elijah Hedding
1814 John Wilkinson
1804 Lewis Bates
1815 Jonathan Worthen Hezekiah Davis
Caleb Dustin
1805 Martin Ruter !
1816 Leonard Frost
Benjamin Bishop
1817 Job Pratt
1806 Joel Winch
1818 Orin Roberts Damon Young
1807 Joseph Farrar
1808 William Hunt
1819 Amasa Cowles
1809 Leonard Frost
1820 Charles Baker
1810 Warren Bannister
1821 Wilder B. Mack
Joseph Lull
1822, '23 Caleb Dustin
1811 Abner Clark
1824 James Templeton
Leonard Bennett
1825 Joseph Kellom
1812 John W. Hardy
David Stickney
Richard Emery
1826 Amasa Buck Moses Saunderson
The following have been appointed to West Plymouth and Plymouth from 1827 to 1837 inclusive, and the pastors were ex- pected to supply one or more preaching stations in neighboring towns and in Plymouth village after 1831: -
1827 Joseph Kellom Sereno Fisk
1832 Matthew Newhall Otis Dunbar
1828 Joseph Kellom 1833, '34 Schuyler Chamberlain Jonas Scott Israel E. Jones
1829 William D. Cass 1835 Jonathan Hazelton
James Huckins Daniel I. Robinson
1830 William D. Cass 1836 Daniel I. Robinson Salmon Gleason
Charles G. Chase
1831 William Nelson 1837 William Nelson
Matthew Newhall
Holman Drew Lorenzo D. Blodgett
Appointments to West Plymouth, 1838-50 :-
1838 William Nelson 1840 William Nelson
1839 Henry J. Woolley William Nelson
1841 Moody P. Marshall 1842 George F. Wells
264
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTHI.
1843 John Gould
1847 Josiah A. Scarritt
James M. Hartwell
1848 James G. Smith
1844 John Gould
1849 No appointment
1850 James G. Smith
In 1859 Truman Carter was appointed to West Plymouth and Rumney.
Appointments to Plymouth, 1838 to 1904: -
1838 Elliot B. Fletcher
1865, '66 Hiram L. Kelsey
Samuel G. Scott
1867, '68 Lewis Howard
1839, '40 Lorenzo D. Barrows
1869, '70 Silas E. Quimby
1841 Joseph C. Cromach
1871, '72, '73 Morris W. Prince
1842, '43 Moses Chase
1874 Otis Cale
1844, '45 Ebenezer Peaslee
1875 Edward C. Bass
1846, '47 James G. Smith
1876, '77, '78 Joseph E. Robins
1848 Benjamin D. Brewster
1879, '80, '81 James H. H. Haines
1848, '49 Sullivan Holman
1882, '83 Daniel C. Knowles
1850, '51 George W. H. Clark
1884, '85 William E. Bennett
1852 Elihu Scott
1886, '87, '88 Thomas Tyrie
1853 Amos S. Tenney
1889, '90 Roscoe Sanderson
1854 Horatio N. Taplin
1891, '92 David E. Miller
1855, '56 Robert S. Stubbs
1893, '94, '95 George N. Dorr
1857, '58 Elijah R. Wilkins
1896, '97 John A. Bowler
1859, '60 Charles H. Chase
1898 John H. Emerson
1861, '62 Orlando H. Jasper
1899, 1900,'01 Willis M. Cleveland
1863, '64 Nelson Green
1902, '03, '04 Robert T. Wolcott
CLOSE OF YEAR.
MEMBERS.
PROBATIONERS.
DEATHS.
Adults.
Infants.
OFFICERS OF SUNDAY
ATTENDANCE AT
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO BENEVOLENCE,
INCLUDING SUPPORT OF MINISTERS.
1839
233
19
100
$188
1840
154
13
72
290
1841
156
15
105
290
1842
296
20
130
263
1843
389
120
261
1844
229
15
90
315
1845
216
15
65
291
1816
205
=
16
13
50
279
1848
203
13
50
1849
91
10
22
175
13
70
357
1847
138
including West Plymouth
"
BAPTISMS.
DATE AT
TEACHERS AND
SCHOOL.
1845 Daniel Lee
1846 Josiah A. Scarritt
265
THE METHODIST CHURCH.
CLOSE. OF YEAR.
MEMBERS.
PROBATIONERS.
DEATHS.
Adults.
Infants.
OFFICERS OF SUNDAY
ATTENDANCE AT
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS
TO BENEVOLENCE,
INCLUDING SUPPORT OF MINISTERS.
1850
114
26
23
175
1851
167
36
23
180
1852
243
40
including West Plymouth "
50
220
1854
149
34
12
120
348
1855
144
34
12
120
466
1857
119
25
15
85
466
1858
289
34
4
12
100
465
1859
295
34
18
4
13
150
468
1860
140
32
6
20
200
540
1861
161
25
20
20
200
575
1862
166
19
21
220
560
1863
164
12
21
220
570
1864
165
60
8
24.
220
590
1865
190
23
21
24
200
666
1866
188
25
1
1
20
215
1000
1867
191
24
1
2
20
215
1115
1868
190
10
3
20
150
813
1869
180
9
2
20
150
805
1870
203
17
2
2223
3
29
266
1042
1872
206
8
5
26
245
1200
1873
203
13
5
22
286
1145
1874
220
11
6
22
1
27
285
1150
1875
220
20
3
2
27
288
1196
1876
196
25
3
20
1
21
250
1148
1877
218
125
5
68
22
275
1130
1878
267
50
6
44
1
25
365
1189
1879
286
30
5
2
1
25
300
1188
1880
289
35
4
1
1
25
299
1256
1881
250
21
7
10
26
280
1297
1882
303
20
3
10
26
239
1440
1883
232
11
10
7
20
207
1362
1884
238
6
CO
6
2
20
250
1384
1885
230
2
1
3
28
161
1373
1886
230
4
26
200
1338
1887
240
3
4
1
25
200
1395
1889
240
4
1
4
25
200
1342
1890
235
11
4
9
21
180
1288
1891
222
2
5
7
21
180
1283
1892
230
13
8
18
2
22
260
1346
18.93
236
7
5
00
25
205
1385
1894
238
17
5
13
25
205
1410
1895
257
4
4
4
26
228
1381
1896
258
4
5
1
27
234
1385
1897
257
3
6
3
20
252
1275
1898
249
34
4
19
24
252
1138
1899
265
10
3
28
121
23
300
1160
1900
260
14
3
1901
260
8
2
3
19
100
1221
1902
249
6
3
4
7
14
130
1205
1903
220
5
12
22
162
1227
1904
212
4
A
1
15
162
1280
1871
203
14
4
25
253
1037
1856
112
30
13
80
24
185
1853
210
45
BAPTISMS.
DATE AT
TEACHERS AND
SCHOOL.
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
20
125
117
1888
250
26
250
1377
·
266
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
PRESIDING ELDERS.
1801-02 John Brodhead
1852-55 William D. Cass
1803 Joseph Crawford
1856-59 Lewis Howard
1804-06 John Brodhead
1860-62 James Pike
1807-08 Elijiah Hedding
1809-10 Martin Ruter
William D. Cass, last half of last year
1811-14 Solomon Sias
1863-66 Elisha Adams
1815-18 David Kilburn
1867-69 Lorenzo D. Barrows
1819-22 Jacob Sanborn
1870-73 Silas G. Kellogg
1823-26 Benjamin R. Hoyt
1874 Theodore L. Flood
1827-29 John F. Adams
1875-76 James Pike
1830-31 John W. Hardy
1877-80 John W. Adams
1832-35 Eliazer Wells
1881-84 Moses T. Cilley
1840-43 Charles D. Calioon
1890-95 Samuel C. Keeler
1844 Justin Spalding
1896 George M. Curl
1845-46 Russell H. Spalding
1897-1902 Oliver S. Baketel
1847-49 Justin Spalding
1903- George M. Curl
1850-51 Reuben Dearborn
1885-89 George W. Norris
1836-39 Benjamin R. Hoyt
NOTE. - In the Minutes of the Conference, the name of the minister ap- pointed to the Bridgewater circuit in 1821 is recorded as Wallace Lark and as Wallace Locke and Wilder Mark. There are substantial reasons for the conclusion that his name was Wilder B. Mack. He was admitted to the con- ference on trial in 1821, and the following year he was appointed to the Mad River circuit in Vermont. In 1823 he was ordained a deacon and appointed to Montpelier, Vt. In 1824, 1825, and 1826 he received appointments in Bath and Hallowell, Me. In 1827 he was transferred to the Pittsburg, Pa., con- ference, and was presiding elder of the Erie district from 1829 to 1832, and of the Warren district from 1833 to 1835. He was transferred to the Illinois conference, and was presiding elder of the Chicago district in 1836, and the following year he was expelled.
267
THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
XVIII. THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
R EV. JAMES H. SHEPARD was the pioneer preacher of Universalism in Plymouth. He came to this town in the summer of 1850 and established a seminary in the Holmes Academy building. The following year he purchased the academy building and the boarding-house and made a gallant effort to found a perma- nent institution of learning in this town. The school under his supervision was suspended in 1853, but he continued a residence here until the autumn of 1856. When and where he studied the- ology has not been learned, but he was ordained a minister of the Universalist church at Plymouth in the summer of 1856. Before and after his ordination he preached many Sabbaths in the academy building to interested audiences. An attempt at this time to organize a church was abandoned, and Mr. Shepard removed to Centre Harbor, where he preached two years. From 1859 to 1861 he preached in New York City, and the two following years at Mount Vernon, N. Y. He preached at Danbury, Conn., from 1863 to 1867 and continued in the ministry, preaching in Connecticut and New York, until 1878, when he retired from the ministry at Mount Vernon. During the decade succeeding the labors of Mr. Shepard occasional services were enjoyed by the Universalists of Plymouth. The records are fragmentary and very little is known concerning the results or the measure of the interest manifested. Two of the ministers who preached here at this time are well remembered. Rev. Benjamin Marshall Tillot- son, many years the able pastor of the First Unitarian Church of Manchester, was here several Sabbaths. He died at White River Junction, Vt., Jan. 17, 1890. Rev. William S. Balch, D.D., a well-known writer and a distinguished preacher, who died at
268
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
Elgin, Ill., Dec. 25, 1887, preached here on several occasions. These occasional services were not fruitless, but they were not supported by the power of organization and progression.
In the autumn of 1875 Rev. Everett L. Conger, D.D., now of Pasadena, Cal., and then pastor of the White Memorial Church of Concord, attended the funeral of Arthur Morse. His messages of love and condolence and his conference with the Universalists on that occasion were eventful, and he was invited to preach to them, to which he assented. The date subsequently arranged was Sunday, May 4, 1876. The services on that occasion planted a mile- stone in the history of Universalism in Plymouth. He preached afternoon and evening in the old courthouse. He awakened a new interest and a subscription was circulated to provide for continued services. Several connected with the other churches in this town subscribed to the fund with the remark that there were good men in Plymouth not connected with any existing church, and that it would be a commendable work to enlist them in the cause of reli- gion and in the support of preaching.
In the summer of 1879 Rev. Dr. Conger persuaded Rev. Thomas Elliot St. John, pastor of the First Universalist Church of Worces- ter, Mass., to spend his summer vacation in Plymouth and to preach several Sabbaths. Under the same conditions the following year Rev. W. S. Rolph preached in the old courthouse to the Uni- versalists of Plymouth. By a slow process and an invisible connec- tion of these separated efforts the foundation of a permanent structure was laid. The continued record is more connected and substantial. In July, 1881, Rev. Quillen H. Shinn, formerly pas- tor at Lynn, and then a resident of Foxboro, Mass., removed to Plymouth. He became the first settled pastor of the Universalist church. For three years under the ministration of Mr. Shinn the society worshipped in the old courthouse. An organization was perfected and Mr. Shinn, with unusual tact and efficiency, under- took the building of a church home. Under his direction and encouraged by his enthusiasm the little parish erected the present commodious brick church. The new church edifice was dedicated
1
THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, 1905
269
THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
Oct. 28, 1884. Many well-known Universalists were present on the occasion, and prominent among these was Mrs. Mary Thompson (Frothingham) Goddard, widow of the late Thomas Austin God- dard of Boston. Both Mr. and Mrs. Goddard were liberal patrons of Tufts College, the Goddard Seminary of Barre, Vt., and other Universalist institutions. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. Adoniram J. Patterson, formerly of Portsmouth, and later of Roxbury, Mass. Having succeeded in founding a church and in building a church edifice, Mr. Shinn severed his connection Jan. 1, 1885, to enter upon constructive work in Deering, Me. He is now Southern Missionary of the General Convention, respected and loved throughout the land.
Quillen Hamilton Shinn, son of Elisha Shinn, was born at Bega- man, W. Va., Jan. 1, 1845. At sixteen years of age, in 1861, he enlisted in the Union army, serving in the Third and the Twelfth Virginia regiments. He was wounded in 1862, and remaining in the service participating in many engagements, he was a prisoner at Belle Isle and among the victors at Appomattox. He was dis- charged with his regiment at Richmond in June, 1865. Directing his attention to the ministry of the Universalist church, he gradu- ated at the Canton Theological School, St. Lawrence Seminary, 1870. He had pastorates at Gaysville, Vt., and at Tyngsboro, Lynn, Foxboro, and Mansfield in Massachusetts. During his event- ful ministry in Plymouth, which succeeded the pastorates named, he instituted the National Summer Meeting at the Wiers, which has been a potent factor in originating new methods and an enlarge- ment of the administration of church affairs. Since his removal from this town he has been a travelling missionary and an elo- quent and persuasive minister of his church. In this field of labor he has revived many sleeping and has organized many new churches, earning the significant title of " the John Wesley of the Universalist church." While preaching in California in 1894, Dr. Shinn admitted a youth to the Universalist church and directed his thought to the ministry. The youth after years of study and preparation is now the pastor of the church in Plymouth which
270
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
prospered under the ministry of Dr. Shinn, and is preaching each Sabbath in a church edifice erected through his agency and per- suasive efforts. In the ministry of Rev. Mr. Ruggles, Dr. Shinn is still preaching to the many whom he loved in Plymouth and to those whom he led into the fold of the church.
Prominent among the people interested and helpful in the con- structive work of Mr. Shinn were Mr. and Mrs. Hanson S. Chase, Harrison B. Marden, Andrew J. MeClure, G. Smith, Gilmore Houston, Albert Lyford, Mrs. Lydia (Walker) Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Walker, and Mrs. Quincy of Rumney.
The second pastor was Rev. F. W. Betts, a graduate of the Can- ton Theological School, 1885. He began his labors July 1, 1885. He was ordained at the Weirs in August, 1886, and in September of that year he accepted a call to Palmer, Mass. He is a popular preacher and a successful pastor. He received the degree of D.D. from St. Lawrence University, 1903. After a season of temporary supply, Rev. Thomas Stratton, a graduate of the Canton Theo- logical School, 1888, began a successful ministry in July, 1888, and resigned in March, 1893. He reorganized the church and labored incessantly for the prosperity of his charge. During his ministry a pipe organ was presented by Mr. and Mrs. Merrill Greeley and a communion service by Mrs. Hazen D. Smith. Rev. Thomas Stratton is now pastor of the Universalist Church in Rutland, Vt. He was immediately succeeded in Plymouth by Rev. Noel E. Spicer, who labored with the society from April, 1893, to September, 1895. He is now pastor of the Universalist Church in Attica, Ohio. Rev. W. A. Williams preached from April, 1897, to January, 1898. From the latter date until the summer of 1902 the parish was dormant.
In July, 1902, largely through the effort of Mary Elizabeth (Merrill) Greeley, Bernard C. Ruggles, then a student at Canton Theological Seminary, was invited to preach during a summer vacation. The services of these few Sabbaths established the second mile-stone in the growth of the Universalist Church of Plymouth. The State Convention of the Universalist Church endorsed the
271
THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
desire of the parish to secure a permanent pastor. The convention and the parish were united in an invitation to Rev. Bernard C. Ruggles, who assumed the duties and obligations of a settled pastor upon his graduation from the seminary in June, 1903. He has entered upon the third year of his ministry with substantial assur- ance of continued success. He has reorganized the church and is laying the foundations of a permanent and stable organization. The church building has been renovated and repaired, and stimu- lated by the untiring labor of a zealous and devoted pastor, the church in material and spiritual attributes has grown and pros- pered. Rev. Bernard C. Ruggles, son of George Newton and Edna (Carver) Ruggles, was born at Fremont, Neb., May 24, 1879. He was educated in the grammar and high schools of Santa Paula, Cal., and graduated from the Theological School, St. Lawrence University, 1903. He was a student two years in the university, but relinquished the academical course. He is a mem- ber of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity and is chaplain of the Olive Branch Lodge, A. F. and A. M.
272
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
XIX. SCHOOLS.
A CCORDING to the standard of the time, the early settlers of Plymouth were educated men and women. They came from organized towns where they had enjoyed the privileges of estab- lished schools. To them the education of their children was a fun- damental concern. The first schools of Plymouth were assembled around the firesides under the supervision of intelligent parents. Of the first generation reared in this town, the number who could not read and write is so small that an instance has not been dis- covered. Scarcely had the pioneers organized a town, and while yet engaged in felling forests and bringing fields into tillage, they assembled in town meeting and voted to raise money for the support of schools.
In addition to the reservation of school lands according to the conditions of the charter of the town, the proprietors made no provision for the support of schools, and only one vote upon the subject is found in their records. At a meeting of the grantees assembled at the meeting-house in Plymouth, Sept. 12, 1768, upon an article in the warrant, " to see what incouragement the propri- etors will give towards the school that Mr. Cleaveland has lately been here in quest of," the proprietors voted to dismiss the article. It is probable that Mr. Cleaveland was a son of Rev. John Cleave- land of Chebacco Parish, Ipswich, Mass., or of his brother Rev. Ebenezer Cleaveland of Gloucester, Mass. The two ministers were clerical associates and personal friends of Rev. Nathan Ward.
In a clear understanding of the early measures adopted in this town for the establishment and maintenance of schools, it should be borne in mind that in the absence of law the town was the supreme authority for many years. The early schools of Plymouth were
273
SCHOOLS.
not the product of State support nor the creation of legislation. They were spontaneous among the people. The school system, approved many years subsequently by the legislature and made permanent by statute, was first formulated in the town meetings of New Hampshire and its merits demonstrated by public approval. Plymouth had maintained school districts over fifty years and had adopted measures of town supervision several years before the State legislature ereated school districts and established a system of supervision.
There are conflicting traditions concerning the names and date of service of the earlier teachers in this town. It is reasonable to accept the tradition that Stephen Webster, Sr., instructed the children of the neighborhood at his home, and it is certain that Jeremiah Blodgett, who died in the army in 1776, James Harvell, a substantial citizen, Nathan Ward, Jr., Mrs. Miriam Snow, Nahum Powers, and Noah Worcester were teachers in the schools of Plymouth before the close of the Revolution.
In the Memoirs of Rev. Noah Worcester, D.D., by Henry Ware, it is stated that Mr. Worcester resided for a time in the family of his uncle, Francis Worcester, at Plymouth, and that he taught the village school nine consecutive winters. The first term began in the late autumn of 1776, and during the last two terms he was a resident of Thornton.
Compared with 'the record of other towns under similar condi- tions, the town of Plymouth at a very early date became dissatisfied with a small annual appropriation and established a school on a more permanent foundation. At a meeting assembled Sept. 26, 1774, the town " voted to keep a constant writing school in this town for the future." Only a few days later, Oct. 8, 1774, another meeting was assembled and " voted the town be divided in four societies, viz: one on the north side of Baker's river, one at each end of the town and one in the middle on the south side of Baker's river. And that each society shall draw their proportion of the money which shall be laid out for schooling."
At the time these votes were adopted a writing school was inferior VOL. I .- 18
274
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTHI.
to a grammar school, and the word " societies " was the designa- tion of a school district.
The first division of the town in school districts was experi- mental, and the proposition for a revision is found in the warrant for a meeting convened March 14, 1775. " To see how the Town will Divide and in how many divisions for the advantage of keep- ing of schools in this town." At this time the town was divided into five districts, with names and constituents as follows: -
No. 1. The Lower End District : Elder Francis Worcester, Lieut. Josiah Brown, Col. David Hobart, Benjamin Dearborn, Jr., Daniel Wheeler, Jonas Keyes, Amos Phillips, William Tarlton, Amos Thompson, Gershom Fletcher, Joseph Reed, Phineas Lovejoy, Peter Stearns, Capt. Jotham Cummings, Gershom Hobart, John Fenton, Esq.
No. 2. The Middle District : Samuel Emerson, Elder Stephen Web- ster, Col. David Webster, William Simpson, Capt. James Hobart, Moses Dow, Deacon John Willonghby, Amos Fisk, Ebenezer Hartshorn, David Durkee, Abel Webster, Zachariah Parker, Silas Brown, Jonas Ward, John Cowan, Nathaniel Webster, Capt. Samuel Dearborn, Dr. Abijah Wright, Dr. Peter Emerson, Eleazer Parker.
No. 3. Upper End District : Samuel Ambrose, John Webber, Ephraim Lund, George Patterson, Stephen Webster, Jr., Lieut. Winthrop Wells, Benjamin Wells, Peter Dearborn, Benjamin Dearborn, Elisha Bean, Ebenezer Blodgett, Onesipherus Marsh, Samuel Marsh, James Barnes, Jonathan Wells, Jeremiah Blodgett.
No. 4. The South District: Paul Wells, Widow Miriam Snow, James Blodgett, Edward Taylor, Jacob Marsh, Edward Evans, Thomas Lueas, David Nevins, Zebadiah Richardson, Jacob Draper, Amos Webster, John Calef, Nahum Powers, Nehemiah Hardy, Ebenezer Blodgett, Jr.
No. 5. The District North of Baker's River : Lieut. Benjamin Goold, James Harvell, Thomas McCluer, Solomon Wheeler, Edmond Elliot of Campton, Joseph Wheeler, William Greenough, James Ryan, Jacob Merrill, George Hull, Ephraim Keyes.
For the school year beginning July 17, 1775, and ending July 16, 1776, the selectmen assessed £43 and engaged Nathan Ward, the oldest son of Rev. Nathan Ward, to teach a writing school 312 days. The length of the school term in each district was: No. 1,
275
SCHOOLS.
79 days; No. 2, 91 days; No. 3, 57 days; No. 4, 40 days; No. 5, 45 days.
Under the vote of the town to maintain a school the entire year, dividing the time among the five districts, the selectmen hired Nathan Ward to teach the second year, beginning in July, 1776. He taught four months, completing sixteen months of continuous service, when he requested a dismissal. According to the democratic usage of the time, a town meeting was called to act upon the subject. The town, Nov. 19, 1776, voted " to excuse Nathan Ward Jr. agreeable to his desire from service as school master the remainder of the year, after paying him for the service he has done." The Ward Genealogy asserts that Nathan Ward died at Chester, Nov. 3, 1776. Evidently this date of his death is incorrect. It is prob- able that he went to Chester as a school teacher, and it is certain that he soon died there.
During the Revolution the record of the schools is brief and dis- connected. In several instances the school money after it was raised was applied to the extraordinary expenses of the war. In 1786 the town appropriated £45 for the schools, and in the years immediately following, the sum was increased. A special town meeting, assembled Sept. 13, 1792, made a new record in school affairs. The following articles appear in the warrant for the meeting : -
For the town to take under consideration and determine on some proper method consistent with the laws of the State, and the duty of the selectinen required by such laws, how the money by law required for the supporting of a Grammar School in said Plymouth shall be laid out in keeping such school.
To see if the town will vote any money and what sum, in addition to the money already voted, for the support of schools the present year.
To see if the town will vote to build a convenient school house or school houses in said town and if necessary vote to raise money for that purpose.
The town meeting organized with John Porter, moderator, and near him was Samuel Emerson, for many years the efficient town clerk. The town passed eleven votes: -
276
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH.
1. Voted to keep a Grammar School the year round in this town.
2. Voted that said school be kept in four districts and on the main road leading from Francis Worcester's to Jacob Marsh's on Rumney line south side of Baker's river.
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