USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Amherst > History of the town of Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire (first known as Narraganset township number three, and subsequently as Souhegan West) > Part 19
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20 May, 1740,
" Voted, that the setlers of Souhegan shall have and draw out of our Tressury 50 s. each Sabbath day that they have Preching amonths them till it is altered by a voat of the proprietors."
30 April, 1741,
" Voted, that they Concur with the choice of a number of the Pro- prietors who are setled at Souhegan in the choice of Mr. Daniel Wilkins, being there minister, provided wee can agree with him for Sallary & Settlement."
" Voted, that they will choose a committee to Treet with Mr. Dan- iel Wilkins about his being theire minister and Sallary and Settle- ment, and make report at the next meeting."
"Voted for the Comitee, Mr. Timothy fuller, Cap'n Benjamin Potter, Mr. Cornelius Tarble, mr. Joseph Richardson, & Joshua Hicks."
11 August, 1741,
" Voted, that they doe accept the report of the Comittee that was chose to treet with Mr. Daniel Wilkins about Sallary & Settlement, and Mr. Wilkins' answar to them which is on file."
" Voted, that they will chuse a Comittee to take care of the ordina- tion."
" Voted for the comittee Samuel Walton, Samuel Lamson, William Lancy, and that it be left to them to appoint the time and advise
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the Clark that he may put it in the newspaper, and it was on the 23d of September, 1741."
" Voted, that the comittee that is chose to take care of the Ordina- tion shall not exceed forty Pounds, but as much less as they can."
Mr. Wilkins was accordingly ordained on the twenty- third day of September, 1741, a church having been formed on the day preceding. The ecclesiastical council that officiated on the occasion consisted of nineteen ministers and delegates. Rev. Nathaniel Henchman, of Lynn, was moderator, and Rev. Stephen Chase, of Lynn, preached the sermon. The other ministers present were Reverends Andrew Peters, of Middleton, James Osgood, of Wenham, and James Swan, of Dunstable.
15 December, 1741,
" Voted two hundred and forty pounds be raised for to pay Rev. Mr. Daniel Wilkins'es Settlement, Salery, Ordaination, and other charges."
14 December, 1742,
" Voted, that Com'te's ace't about the ordination be allowed & p'd." 18 October, 1743,
" Voted fifty Pounds old Tenor as a free gift to the Reverend Mr. Daniel Wilkins, to be paid him out of the Tressory."
30 January, 1744-45,
" Voted, that they will give Mr. Wilkins sixty Pounds old tenor as a gift."
16 July, 1746,
" Voted, that they will give the Rev'd Mr. Wilkins Seventy Pounds old tenor for the Depreciating the money and as a free gift for this Present year."
3 November, 1747,
"Voted, that there be ninety pounds old tenor adission to the Reverend Mr. Wilkins, & is in full satisfaction to him till the 11th of June past, 1747.
26 October, 1748. Eighty shillings old tenor was assessed on each right and ordered to be paid to the treas-
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urer to pay Mr. Wilkins's salary, and other charges, that might arise in that year.
24 May, 1749,
" Voted, that the Reverend Mr. Wilkins shall have added to his salery five hundred and forty pounds old tenor Bils to make his sallery four hundred pounds a year for the two last years, ending the 11th of June next."
4 July, 1750,
" Voted, that there be four hundred pounds old tenor Raised to pay the Reverend Mr. Wilkins his Sallery, which he accepts in full for all Depretiations of the money, ending the 11th of June last."
26 June, 1751. Two hundred and seventy pounds was added to Mr. Wilkins's salary to make it four hundred pounds from 11 June, 1750, to 11 June, 1751.
24 June, 1752. Voted four hundred pounds old tenor for Mr. Wilkins's salary for the year ending 11 June, 1752.
26 September, 1753. Voted to allow Mr. Wilkins five hundred pounds old tenor for his salary for the last and the present year.
16 April, 1755. Five hundred pounds was voted as salary to Mr. Wilkins for the year 1755.
18 May, 1757. Sixty-six pounds, thirteen shillings, four pence, lawful silver money, of the Province of Massachu- setts Bay, was granted Mr. Wilkins for his salary for the year 1756, and fifty-three pounds, six shillings, eight pence, like money, for his salary for the year 1757.
This is the last record found on the the proprietors' book of money raised by them for the support of Mr. Wilkins.
Probably grants for that purpose continued to be made by them from year to year, until 2 April, 1760, when the charge of his support was assumed by the town.
The town, having organized under the charter, met 2 April, 1760, for the purpose of choosing a minister and providing for his support. Joseph Gould was chosen mod- erator, and, on motion, Rev. Daniel Wilkins was chosen minister of the town, and it was
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" Voted to offer him forty-seven pounds and ten shillings sterling money of Great Britain, annually, or its equivalent in the currency of the Province, to be stated, upon Indian corn at two shillings per bushel, and pork at two pence p'r pound, sterling money, during the time he should continue to discharge the duties of the ministry in this place, and one half that amount during his natural life after age or infirmities had unfitted him for labor in his calling, the same to rise or fall as the prices of the commodities named rose or fell from year to year."
They also voted five hundred pounds old tenor as salary for the present year, and chose a committee to prefer the votes of the town to Mr. Wilkins and return his answer.
The committee waited upon Mr. Wilkins and subse- quently laid before the meeting his answer to their commu- nication; as follows :
" Beloved Brethren in our Lord Jesus Christ :
I think that I can truly say that I have labored amongst you in the work of the Gospel ministry near nineteen years, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, and, as I have spent the prime and flower of my days in the honorable and laborious work of the Gospel ministry among you, so I am willing to be spent and worn out in the same service. (O, that God would make us mutual blessings to each other with respect to this life and especially that which is to come.) In testimony whereof, I now declare that I accept your vote preferred to me by your Committee for my support in the work of the ministry among yon, viz., forty-seven pounds, ten shillings, sterling money of Great Britain, or Province currency equivalent, upon the standard of corn and pork as it is inserted in your warrant, that is to rise and fall, the sum above mentioned, as those commodities rise and fall, not in the least doubting but that, as I communicate to you spiritual things, so you will communicate to me of your temporals as y'r abilities advance and my necessity calls, and furthermore, I accept of the one half of said sum if my life should continue beyond my strength and ability to carry on the work of the ministry among you. And now the salutation of your very humble servant in our Lord Jesus Christ. I wish Grace, Mercy, and peace, may be multiplied to you all in life, and a crown of unperishing glory at death.
Dan . Willeine
AMHERST, April ye 2d, 1760."
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At a meeting held 11 October, 1762, a committee was chosen " to treat with Rev. Mr. Wilkins about his salary the present and preceding years," who subsequently reported the result of their labors, whereupon the town voted to advance his salary this year five pounds sterling money of Great Britain, above the fifty pounds assessed last year.
For some canse not now apparent this vote seems not to have been entirely satisfactory to the minister, as we find the following article in the warrant for the meeting in March, 1763 :
" To see if the town will try once more, by themselves, or by their agents (if they see fit to constitute any), to compound and agree with their minister about his salary from the time they made their contract with him in the capacity of a town, until the eleventh day of June next, in order to obtain his receipt or receipts in full for said tern."
Upon consideration of this article the town appointed William Jones, John Smith, Reuben Mussey, William Peabody, and Joseph Steel, a committee to compromise matters with Mr. Wilkins.
The committee presented their report, and a plan for settlement satisfactory to Mr. Wilkins, at a meeting held 24 March, 1763, when it was read, accepted, and adopted.
An article was inserted in the warrant calling a meeting held 8 March, 1773,
" To see if the town would hire a candidate for the gospel ministry to preach with them a few Sabbaths the ensuing spring, and if so, to choose a committee to invite and engage a gentleman, and give them such directions concerning the matter as they should think fit."
But the town
" Voted, that they would not act on the article."
At a meeting held 22 May, 1775, the town voted to hire preaching for the term of three months, if need be, and appointed Samuel Wilkins, Daniel Campbell, Ebenezer Weston, and Peter Woodbury, a committee to procure preachers.
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14 August, 1775, the town voted to hire preaching until their annual meeting in March, 1776, and directed the committee appointed at the meeting in May to procure preachers until that time, securing the services of Rev. Mr. Goodhue, if possible. They also voted that Mr. Wilkins's salary, from 11 June, 1775, to 11 June, 1776, should be thirty-three pounds, six shillings, and eight pence, lawful money.
24 October, 1775. John Shepard, jr., Joseph Gould, Richard Gould, Amos Flint, and Thomas Burns, were appointed a committee to treat with Rev. Mr. Wilkins relative to his future salary and ministerial functions, and make report to the town.
28 November, 1775, the town
" Voted that, in their opinion, Rev. Mr. Wilkins was not capable of performing his ministerial functions."
At the same time they amended the vote passed 14 August, 1775, by voting that his salary, from 11 June, 1775, to 11 June, 1776, should be forty pounds lawful money, instead of the sum at first voted.
11 March, 1776. Capt. Josiah Crosby, Richard Gould, Benjamin Kenrick, Reuben Mussey, and Joseph Gould, were appointed a committee to treat with Mr. Wilkins for the purpose of adjusting and compounding matters with him relative to his salary for past and future time. Also, voted to hire preaching for the term of three months from this time, and Samuel Wilkins, Daniel Campbell, and Robert Means, were appointed a committee to employ such young preachers as they might think proper during said time.
30 April, 1776, voted "to hire preaching six months, commencing 11 June, 1776," and directed the committee to procure the services of Mr. Swetland, if he could be hired.
The committee appointed to settle with Mr. Wilkins reported at a meeting held 18 November, 1776, that they
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had been able to settle with him only for the years 1774 and 1775. Their report, which recommended the payment of one hundred pounds Massachusetts tenor to him, for those years, was adopted, and it was voted to pay him forty-five pounds lawful money, as a salary from 11 June, 1776, to 11 June, 1777.
Voted to hire preaching until March, 1777, and appointed Daniel Campbell, Robert Means, and Samuel Wilkins, a committee to procure peachers.
Voted sixty pounds lawful money to be laid out in preaching.
At the meeting held 10 March, 1777, voted to hire preaching for the term of six months next coming. James Seaton, Nahum Baldwin, and William Odall, were appointed a committee to procure preachers, and directed to apply to Mr. Swetland to preach three months on probation.
2 September, 1777, the same committee was authorized to hire preachers for six months from the 11th day of this month, and it was left discretionary with them what gentle- man or gentlemen to employ.
24 November, 1777. Voted that the committee be instructed to invite Mr. John Blydenburg to preach until the next annual meeting, upon probation.
Mr. Reuben Mussey, Capt. Josiah Crosby, Mr. Timothy Smith, and Mr. James Seaton, were appointed a committee to adjust accounts with Rev. Mr. Wilkins, who reported at a meeting held 9 December, 1777, that they found a balance due him of four pounds, six shillings, and seven pence, which report was accepted, and the sum named was voted to be paid.
24 February, 1778. Voted to join with the church in giving Mr. John Blydenburg a call to settle in the gospel ministry, upon the Cambridge platform of church govern- ment, and Peter Woodbury, Amos Flint, Reuben Mussey, Nahum Baldwin, and Thomas Wakefield, were appointed a committee to make a draft or plan of what encouragement
17
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and salary it would be proper to offer him as a settlement and yearly salary, and in what it would be proper to state and pay said encouragement and salary.
9 March, 1778. This committee made a report, which was accepted, and an invitation was extended by the church and town to Mr. Blydenburg to become the colleague pastor of Mr. Wilkins in the ministry in this place.
The following protest against his settlement was handed in after the meeting had adjourned, and a demand made that it should be placed upon the town records :
" March 9, 1778.
" To the frecholders and legal roters of the town of Amherst assembled by adjournment :
GENTLEMEN : You will please to observe and allow this a place on the records of this day.
That we, the subscribers, having a legal right to vote and act in this meeting, take this method to acquaint you that we protest and dissent to the settlement of Mr. John Blydenburg as a minister in this town. That is to say, we are entirely against it.
John Averil, John Mills,
William Bradford, jr.,
Stephen Peabody,
John Cole,
Joseph Perkins,
Joseph Farmuum,
Ezekiel Upton, jr ..
Stephen Farnum,
Thomas Weston,
John Harwood,
Eli Wilkins,
Nathan Jones,
Jonathan Wilkins,
William Lamson,
James Woodbury."
Joseph Langdell,
It will be noticed that the signers to this paper were residents of that part of the town which was afterward known as the North-west or Second parish of Amherst, and later as the town of Mont Vernon.
The invitation given Mr. Blydenburg was, fortunately perhaps for the town, declined. He shortly afterward relinquished preaching, and engaged in trade in Durham, N. H., where he died in October, 1836, aged eighty-ninc. He graduated at New Jersey College in 1777.
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6 July, 1778. Lient. Reuben Mussey, Capt. Josiah Crosby, and Solomon Kittredge, were appointed a com- mittee to adjust accounts with Rev. Mr. Wilkins from 11 June, 1777, to 11 June, 1778.
The committee reported, 13 July, 1778, that Mr. Wilkins's salary amounted to £178, 2s., 6d., reckoning Indian corn at fifteen shillings per bushel, and pork at one shilling sixpence per pound, lawful money, and their report was accepted.
24 Angust, 1778. Dea. Boutell, Benjamin Davis, and Samuel Seaton, were appointed a committee to hire preach- ing until the next March meeting, and they were to use their own discretion in the selection of preachers.
At a meeting held 15 February, 1779, they were directed to invite Mr. Edmund Foster to preach upon probation until the next annual meeting, and 31 March, 1779, the town voted to concur with the church in giving him a call to settle in the gospel ministry in this place. Dea. Samuel Wilkins, Dea. John Seaton, and Thomas Wakefield, were appointed a committee to lay a plan and draft of what encouragement as a settlement and yearly salary it might be proper to offer him, in what it should be stated and paid, and lay the same before the town.
This committee reported at a meeting held 3 May, 1779, and their report was accepted. They then prepared and presented Mr. Foster a call to become their pastor, but the invitation was declined. He was settled at Littleton, Mass., 17 January, 1781, and died there.
7 June, 1779, it was voted to hire preaching six months longer, and Benjamin Davis, Samuel Seaton, and Benjamin Kenrick, were appointed a committee to procure preachers during that time. Thomas Wakefield, Benjamin Davis, and Moses Barron were constituted a committee to adjust accounts with Rev. Mr. Wilkins, and they presented a report of their doings, at a meeting held 29 June, 1779,
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which the town refused to accept, and referred the matter back to them for further consideration.
5 August, 1779. A committee consisting of Richard Gould, Samuel Scaton, and Benjamin Davis, was appointed to settle with Mr. Wilkins for the year ending 11 June, 1778, who reported, 6 September, that there was due him for that year's salary a balance of fifty-three pounds, reck- oning Indian corn at fifteen shillings per bushel, which would purchase seventy bushels of corn ; but Mr. Wilkins proposed to be satisfied with money enough to buy thirty- five bushels of corn, at fourteen dollars per bushel, which report was accepted.
The committee to whom the settlement with Mr. Wilkins, for the year ending June, 1779, was referred, again reported at this meeting. They found due him, for salary that year, the sum of £973, 13s., lawful money, reckoning Indian corn at fourteen dollars per bushel, and pork at eight shillings per pound. This report was accepted.
6 December, 1779, the town voted to concur with the church in giving Mr. Jeremiah Barnard a call to settle in the gospel ministry in this town, and appointed Joshua Atherton, Esq., John Shepard, jr., Esq., Capt. Josiah Crosby, and Dea. Samuel Wilkins, a committee to report a plan of settlement and salary to be offered him as an encouragement to settle as aforesaid, and how to state and pay such encouragement.
The committee reported, at a meeting held 23 December, 1779,
" That the town give Mr. Barnard one hundred and eighty pounds Lawful money as a settlement, the one half to be paid within six months and the other half within one year after his ordination to the work aforesaid.
Furthermore, that the sum of eighty pounds like money be given him, annually, as a salary, to commence at the time of his ordination and remain until two years after the end of the present war with Great Britain, and that the sum of ten pounds be annually added to the said salary after that time ; that the salary in manner aforesaid continue dur-
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ing his work of the ministry or pastoral relation in this town, except that if by sickness or other misfortune he be unable to discharge the func- tions of his office (or at least the principal part of them), he be paid in that case only forty pounds annually during life or till his pastoral relation be dissolved, according to the usage of the New England churches, and the foregoing sums to be stated upon the following articles, at the following rates or prices : viz., Indian Corn at 3s. p'r bushel, in February ; Beef at 20s. p'r Cwt., in the middle of Novem- ber ; Hay at thirty shillings per ton, in the Cock; wool at one and four pence per lb .; Flax at eight pence per lb."
The report was signed by all the members of the com- mittee except Capt. Josiah Crosby. William Peabody objected to the addition of ten pounds yearly to the salary after the close of the war.
The report was accepted by the town, and Dea. Sam- uel Wilkins, Dea. John Seaton, and Joshua Atherton, Esq., were appointed a committee to wait upon Mr. Barnard and inform him of its action in the premises.
At the same meeting the following protest from inhab- itants of the north-west part of the town was presented :
" Dec. 23, 1779. Relative to the settlement of Mr. Jeremiah Baru- ard in the gospel ministry in this town, We, the subscribers, resident in the North-westerly part of the town of Amherst, having repeatedly petitioned to be set off as a distinct Parish, and we think we have made very reasonable offers of doing our parts of defraying the charge of maintaining the gospel ministry and other necessary charges while we congregate with this town; but our petitions have hitherto been rejected ;- We, therefore, enter our protest against Mr. Jere- miah Barnard's being settled in this town, or any other minister while we remain in conjunction with this town, and our request not granted.
Nathan Flint, John Cole, Peter Woodbury, John Mills, Joseph Perkins, Eli Wilkins,
Joseph Langdell, John Harwood,
William Bradford, jr.,
Joseph Lovejoy,
Oliver Carlton,
Abijah Wilkins,
William Lamson,
Sutherick Weston, Laraford Gilbert, John Averill,
Joshua Wilkins,
Jacob Smith,
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HISTORY OF AMHERST. [Chap.
Lemuel Winchester,
Joseph Tuck,
Joseph Farnum,
Thomas Weston,
Benjamin Stearns,
James Smith,
Enos Upton,
Samuel Stearns,
Allen Goodridge,
Knight Nichols,
Isaac Weston,
Josiah Dodge,
James Woodbury,
Nathan Cole.
Solomon Kittredge also protested against the action of the town, as follows :
" To the freeholders of Amherst, in town-meeting conrened, December 23, 1779; Townsmen and Brethren :
I am conscientiously of opinion that the purposes of religion may be better answered without, than by, settling Mr. JJeremiah Barnard as a minister in this town. Therefore, I hereby protest against his being ordained here; but, after all that has been said, if you procced to settle him, I shall examine and try the legality of your proceedings, and, if possible, exonerate myself from paying any of the settlement. and salary you have voted him. I request that this paper may be now tiled by the town-clerk, and, as soon as may be, recorded in the town book of records.
SOLOMON KITTREDGE.
25 January, 1780, the town voted to make the following explanations and alterations in the report of the committee relative to the salary proposed to be paid to Mr. Barnard :
" Instead of ten pounds to be added annually to the eighty pounds, that it stand and be recorded ninety pounds yearly, in two years after the end of the war with Great Britain. That the hay mentioned in the aforesaid report be understood to be English hay, and that all the articles mentioned in the call given by this town to Mr. Barnard and upon which the several sums offered him as a settlement and salary are stated, are understood to be good merchantable articles."
7 February, 1780. Samuel Seaton, Dea. Samuel Wil- kins, Amos Flint, Jonathan Smith, and Benjamin Davis, were appointed a committee to make the necessary provision for the ordination of Mr. Barnard, in case his answer should be in the affirmative. It was also voted to allow the account of the committee for supplying the pulpit.
The committee appointed by the town, having presented
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the invitation of the town to Mr. Barnard to become its pastor, and its votes relative to settlement and salary, received the following answer :
" To the Church and Congregation in Amherst :
RESPECTED FATHERS AND BELOVED FRIENDS : Some weeks have now past away since I received an invitation from you (by your honorable committee) to settle in this town in the important work of the evangelical ministry in conjunction with your present Rev'd Pastor, and be assured, my Christian friends, that, being deeply sen- sible of the difficulty and importance of a right discharge of the duties of the ministerial office to which you have invited me, I have taken the affair into the most serious consideration, together with the present circumstances of this town ; have frequently implored direc- tion from above; and asked advice from those who I trust are men of understanding and wish well to the Redeemer's kingdom and interest ; and, from the best light I have been able to obtain, it appears to be my duty to accept your invitation ; and I do accordingly give my answer in the affirmative, upon the encouragement you have already offered me, as explained in the last town meeting, and assure you that I shall, from this time forth, hold myself in readiness to be set apart to the work of the gospel ministry in this town, whenever a council, mutually and regularly chosen, shall have convened for that purpose. I am sensible, however, that the sum you have offered for my annual support is small, and I cannot but think you will generally esteem it to be so if you seriously consider the expensiveness of living in this place, by reason of company and the extraordinary labors of a minister among so large a people as this is at present, more than in the gener- ality of towns, and likewise the sums usually given at this day ; but 1 am fully persuaded that it is not your desire, and that you will not suffer me to submit to the miseries of a poor and straightened coudi- tion, while faithfully discharging the duties of a minister among you, from the character I have had of you as a generous and benevolent people in a ministerial way. I doubt not but that your freewill offerings and generous donations will so richly compensate for the deficiency in the present offer that I shall be able to apply myself wholly to the work of the gospel ministry among you, without anxiety about worldly affairs. Now may God so overrule your hearts, my dear friends, as to do that from time to time which shall be most for Ilis glory, the interest of the Redeemer's kingdom, and your own immortal souls. I now concluide, with asking your daily prayers at the throne of grace for me, that I may be enabled to be faithful and
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