USA > New Hampshire > Strafford County > Rochester > History of the town of Rochester, New Hampshire, from 1722 to 1890, Vol. I > Part 10
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" The church unanimously voted to own and acknowledge the Rev. Mr. Avery Hall (their late pastor) as a brother of this church, and to recommend him to preach the gospel wherever requested." Shortly after it was voted " that persons, who are thought to be prepared, be admitted to own the covenant, and have the ordinance of baptism administered to their children, if they labor under such doubts and fears that they are afraid to come up to the table of the Lord."
The half-way covenanters had finally triumphed. If it be true that these troubles sprang from Mr. Hall's attempt to establish a more rigid discipline by overthrowing the half-way covenant, not only is the fact creditable to his theological attainments, but the subsequent history of the churches shows that he was in the advance of religious reform. There were, however, other causes of dissatis- faction. His unpopularity was increased by a feeling that he was somewhat avaricious. He was censured also, for having accepted the invitation to settle, while there was so great indifference to his preaching. Mr. Haven regarded this prevailing indifference on reli- gious subjects as the chief source of the whole controversy.
The Rev. Theophilus Hall was the first pastor of the church which
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he had gathered in Meriden, Conn., where he died in the thirty- eighth year of his ministry. He was said to be " a man of strong intellectual powers, a faithful advocate of civil and religious liberty, much respected and beloved by his people." Several of his sermons were published ; among them one preached at the ordination of Mr. Meriam at Berwick, Me. AVERY HALL, his son, was born in Meri- den, Conn., Dec. 2, 1737, and graduated at Yale College in 1759. During the year 1761 he taught the Hopkins Grammar School at New Haven, Conn., while pursuing his theological studies. He was ordained at Rochester, Oct. 15, 1766. As a preacher Mr. Hall was moderate and monotonous in his manner, and had not the faculty of communicating his ideas in a way to command the attention or excite the interest of his hearers. This no doubt contributed to his unpopularity in Rochester.
He is said to have been a man of considerable wit. Calling upon a friend one day, according to custom he was invited to drink. Offering him a diminutive glass, "this," said his friend, " is very old spirit, and very nice." Raising and scanning the glass thought- fully for a few seconds, Mr. Hall replied, " Well, it seems to me it is very small of its age."
During all the controversy with his parish, there seems to have been nothing brought to impugn his moral character. Several aged persons who have died within the last twenty years remembered Mr. Hall well, and testified that he was a man respected for his exem- plary habits, of good sense and judgment, and of very even temper, seldom known to be in a passion.
After his dismission he removed to Wakefield, being among the early settlers of that town. He preached for a short time at Effing- ham, going and returning upon the Sabbath, but soon left the min- istry and devoted himself to agriculture. He, however, was very useful in rendering kindly offices to the sick, visiting them often, and praying and conversing with them. After a church was formed in Wakefield, he officiated as deacon, as long as he was able to per- form the duties of that office. He was a successful farmer, manag- ing his large tract of land with profit. In those early days he was almost the only man in town to write legal instruments. Holding the office of justice of the peace for many years, he was known as " Squire Hall," and as a magistrate gave judgment upon many cases at law.
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His first wife, Mary Chesley of Dover, died in Rochester, and he married Abigail, daughter of Rev. James Pike of Somersworth.
Mr. Hall died Aug. 5, 1820, at the age of eighty-two years, having entirely lost his faculties.
During the time when the meeting-house was locked against Mr. Hall, Joseph Haven was employed to preach as a candidate. He was then twenty-eight years of age, and had just finished his studies at Harvard University. In September, 1775, the church invited him to become their pastor. Soon after, the town united with the church in its invitation, offering the same salary and privileges which had been granted to Mr. Hall. Mr. Haven was evidently not well pleased with the state of feeling among the people, and had much hesitation about settling in Rochester. Before replying, he ad- dressed a very plain letter to the inhabitants of the town, alluding to their troubles and expressing the belief that they would never get through with them so long as their indifference to religion existed. He regarded the fact that they had been already deprived of three ministers as a sore judgment, and said that they might take his answer as a decided negative, unless they manifested a more general interest in the question of his settlement. He begged them to come out and vote for or against him, that he might know what course to pursue. The town immediately renewed the invitation with such unanimity that he at once accepted, in the following terms : -
" Mr. Haven's Answer to the Chh & Congregation in Rochester.
The sovereign of the universe governs all things, & by his providence orders them as shall be most to his honor & glory. He often brings about things contrary to our expectations & even wishes : But where he calls to a thing there must be a chearful resignation to his will, & we must be ready to go in the paths he has pointed out for us.
After great divisions & sore trials among you (the cause of which I hope none will now look abroad to find, but to his own heart) you have seen fit to give me an invitation to settle in the gospel ministry in this place, & to take the care of this chch & people upon me ; which is a great undertaking & what I am, of myself, utterly unable to go thro' with : Yet when I see that you are so well united (which is far beyond all expectation, & must be ascribed alone to the Lord) with an hum- ble relyance upon him, I must think myself bound in duty to yield to your solicita- tions, as being called thereto by the great head of the chch & bishop of Souls. The prayers of this chch & people I do earnestly solicit, that I may be directed & prospered in so great & arduous an undertaking : That I may be made a faithful minister of Jesus Christ, & a successful laborer in this part of his vineyard ; that I may be the means of winning many souls to him ; & that I may not fear the face of man, so as to leave any part of the business alotted me to do undone.
And that the great head of the chch may bestow choicest of heavens blessings
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upon his flock in this place, & upon the whole town, shall be the constant wish & prayer of a hearty well wisher to your souls, & your humble servant
JOSEPH HAVEN.
As an addition to what you have proposed for a support, I shall expect that the parsonage house be put & kept in good & decent repair during my ministration among you.
It has been proposed that the fence around the lot upon which the house stands be made good by subscription : this I shall likewise expect.
And as God has seen fit in his infinite wisdom to bring great troubles & distress upon this land, the burden of which will fall heavy upon almost every person ; to testify my readiness to suffer with my brethren, & reposing my confidence in God, I do freely remit a tenth part of my first years sallary (which is eight pounds) to the town.
Rochester Nov". 25th: 1775."
The town voted Mr. Haven's call Nov. 20, 1775, and appointed the following committee
" to Prosecute the above business as the Case shall require, Capt William Allen Barnabas Palmer Capt William Chamberlin Ens Richard Furber Joseph Pearl John Plumer Esqr Deaen James Knowles.
" Dec. 25, 1775, Chose Jabez Dame Barnabas Palmer Capt William Allen a Committee to Procure Meterials."
" Paid Committee for going after Mr. Haven 1-18-612."
"Expences of Mr. Haven's ordination 12-10-4."
The ordination occurred Jan. 10, 1776. The churches represented in the Council were the First and Fourth in Dedham, Mass., the First and Second in Berwick, Me., and the churches in Somers- worth, Dover, Barrington, and New Durham.
" Chose Revd. Mr Haven Moderator. Revd. Mr. Foster Clerk. Revd. Mr. Porter made the first prayer ; Revd Mr. Haven preached a sermon ; Revd. Mr. Foster made a prayer with laying on of hands; then he gave the charge ; Revd Mr. Merriam gave the right hand of fellowship; Rev'd Mr. Belknap made the concluding prayer ; a Psalm was sung & the assembly dismissed with the blessings being gave."
Thus happily commenced the relation of pastor and people, which continued for nearly half a century. The parsonage was again re- repaired, but the meeting-house was almost beyond mending. Mr. Haven omitted no opportunity of urging the importance of a new building. He frequently illustrated the uncertainty of life by point- ing to the shattered old building in danger of falling at every brisk gale of wind. After three years of patient continuance with no more prospect that the house would fall of itself, he gave them a discourse which is a good example of his style of "plain preaching."
1 Corinthians, 11:22. " What, have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God ? What shall I say unto you ? shall I praise you in this ? I praise you not."
He told his hearers that it was a mark of declension in religion to see God's house
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going to ruin. " I hardly need make any closer application, for this old rack of a building, which is going to decay without any repairs, and which, by our conduct, we seem to think good enough to worship God in, seems to make application enough. This, which is called the house of God, is become a by-word to passen- gers. The season is coming on when a great many of you will excuse yourselves from attending public worship, because you expose your health in such a house. Do you think that if you have convenient houses yourselves to dwell in, it is no matter how God is turned off ? Why should there be such neglect ? Why do you show so little regard to God and religion ? Is it not plain that you have not much regard for either ?"
Before the breaking out of the Revolution, the necessary votes had been passed for building a new house, committees had been appointed, some of the large timbers had been cut and hauled, and the town had been divided into parishes. The house was to have been for the accommodation of the first parish, which consisted of one third of the town lying towards Dover, and although the whole town was to be taxed for this purpose, yet it was agreed that when the upper parish should build a house of their own, their proportion of the present tax should be refunded. Moreover, the meeting-house was intended to be a great honor to the town in its style of archi- tecture, for it was voted that it should be of the same dimensions as that at Dover "where the Rev. Mr. Jeremiah Belknap now doth preach," which was doubtless regarded as a model in those days. The old house was far from the center of population, and to avoid any difficulty about location, Esquire Chatburne and Captain Rogers of Berwick, with Dr. Thompson of Durham, were chosen a commit- tee to " perfix a place " where the house should be erected. The work was scarcely begun when it was interrupted by the war, and the crazy old building on the hill continued to be the capitol of the town, where the peace of the Gospel was preached on the Sabbath, and the war of Independence was discussed on week days. Associ- ated so intimately as it had been with the history of Rochester as a royal township, it was fitting, perhaps, that it should remain an emblem of decaying despotism, until its place could be supplied by an edifice which should be a worthy representative of free government.
Mr. Haven's philippic at last roused the people to action. The building of the new house, - the present Congregational Church, - was commenced in 1780. The building committee consisted of Jabez Dame, Col. John McDuffee, and Capt John Brewster. The committee who were to " perfix the place" selected the common below the present village. The land belonged to Mr. James Horn,
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and the town gave him in exchange a part of the planned ten-rod road adjacent. So much of the old house was to be used as would be profitable, and tax-payers were allowed to pay in labor or mate- rial at the market price. The upper parish, contrary to the original plan, was exempted from all tax for this house. The currency was now at its greatest depreciation, so that ten thousand pounds were voted for the material and for framing the building, and twenty-five dollars a day wages for the workmen. Eleven hundred and fifty- seven days' labor were expended in getting out and raising the frame, and the committee bought for the raising, thirty-four gallons of rum, eleven pounds of sugar, one barrel of cider, two and one half bushels of meal, thirty-eight pounds of salt pork, one hundred and sixty-eight pounds of veal, one bushel of peas, one peck of beans, nine pounds of butter, and two bushels of potatoes.
What a raising! Imagination only can picture the scene. No record nor even tradition has preserved the doings of that eventful day; nor with the most minute knowledge of particulars could any description do justice to such an occasion.
As soon as the frame was raised, the pew privileges were sold at auction to get means to continue the work. A plan for the pews, presented by Jabez Dame, was adopted by the town. Purchasers were to build their own pews. None were allowed to purchase except those concerned in building the house. " All pews of the same denomination to be built in a similar manner." One fourth of the price was to be paid on demand, and eight months was allowed for the payment of the remainder. One half of each installment was to be paid in good merchantable white-pine boards, and the other half in current passable money. As the value of currency was con- stantly changing, the actual amount of money to be paid was to be estimated by comparing the market price of white-pine boards at the time of payment, with that at the time of the auction. The house was at length completed, and the seat of government, of reli- gion, of fashion, and of trade was lost to Rochester Hill and descended to Norway Plains.
The town was now territorially divided into two parishes, but as yet no division of the church or society seems to have been made. By an arrangement voted by the town, Mr. Haven continued for many years to preach in the upper parish a certain number of Sab- baths every year, in proportion to the taxes paid by that part of the town for his support.
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Hitherto we find no record of a refusal to pay the tax for the sup- port of the minister. Its lawfulness and propriety seem to have been unquestioned. In 1780, however, John Jenness, Joseph and Solomon Drown, and Elijah Varney were arrested and imprisoned for refusing to pay their ministerial taxes. Joseph Drown brought an action for trespass against the town, and succeeded in recovering execution. The town then appointed a committee to examine the other cases and report, special care being taken that none of their personal friends should be on the committee. In accordance with their report, the town settled with the complainants by paying the charges of their imprisonment and abating the obnoxious tax.
This marks the beginning of the struggle by which, during Mr. Haven's ministry, the quasi-connection hitherto maintained between Church and State was entirely abolished. The ferment of the Rev- olution extended to religious affairs. Freed from the odious tax by a foreign power men began to chafe under taxation for the support of a ministry, whose instructions they disbelieved or disregarded. But not yet for many years was the yoke thrown off. Still towns were authorized by law to tax all the citizens for the maintenance of a gospel ministry. And these taxes could be collected by process of law in the same way as any others.
In 1791 the town voted that accounts which particularly belonged to the Congregational Society should be kept separate from other accounts which concerned the town at large. June 3, 1799, the town instructed the Selectmen to petition for a charter for the Congrega- tional Society for " the purpose of incorporating the Society by the name of First Parish, that they may have power to transact all necessary parish business separate from the town." The petition was accordingly presented, signed by Richard Dame, Beard Plumer, and Joshua Allen, the selectmen of that year. But nothing seems to have come of it. At least, no record has been found of any legis- lative action upon this petition. The Congregational Society, how- ever, seems to have maintained an existence separate from the town.
In Rochester, as in many other towns, the lands set apart for the support of the minister occasioned more or less difficulty. Mr. Haven, who was by no means quarrelsome or avaricious, brought a suit against the town in 1814, for trespass on the Parsonage Lot. March 27, 1815, the town appointed N. Upham, M. Hale, and Jacob McDuffee to confer with Mr. Haven in regard to his claim. They
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reported a proposal from Mr. Haven dated May 11, offering to relin- quish his salary and all due him to the 29th inst., on condition of receiving $1,500 in money or acceptable notes, with exemption from all taxes, also to relinquish the parsonage lots after the following March, provided they should be leased only to hire a preacher " of good moral and religious character and approved abilities." The town refused to accept this offer, and he appears to have received his regular salary till 1819, when the act of the legislature fully divorced church affairs from the control of the town. At the next annual meeting in 1820, an article to see if the town would vote to raise a salary for Mr. Haven was dismissed. Both Mr. Haven and the town seem to have considered the contract between them still in force, for in April, 1822, Mr. Haven stated that he had long since expressed his willingness to release so much of the contract as re- lated to his " yearly salary of 80€ of the late lawful money to com- mence Nov. 19, 1819," but with the condition that this should in no other way affect his contract with the town. This offer was accepted by vote of the town. In October, 1824, Mr. Haven proposed to the Congregational Society to relinquish "the parsonages " into their hands, they to pay him $25 quarterly for " the second division par- sonage lot," and he to quitclaim the "main road parsonage lot." The Society accepted this proposition and voted to sell the same " by quitclaim in lots with good security, interest annually, and pro- ceeds to be invested for a permanent fund for benefit of the society." Very naturally, the town, or rather the voters supporting other denominations, did not permit "the parsonages " thus to lapse into the possession of the Congregational Society without claiming their share. The Selectmen having refused when requested, to call a town meeting to consider this subject, a petition was duly presented to J. H. Woodman, Justice of Peace, and a meeting called by him was held Feb. 19, 1825, to see " what method the town would take to preserve its right in the parsonage lots." A Committee of one from each religious society was appointed to consider the matter and report at an adjourned meeting. The Committee were representa- tive and leading men in their several Societies: - David Barker, Jr., Congregationalist; Charles G. Dennett, Methodist; Joseph Cross, Universalist; Jonathan Dame, Friend; Meshach Robinson, Baptist. They reported unanimously, that the parsonage property was designed for religious uses, and recommended that the Selectmen and their
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successors in office should be trustees of the fund derived from said property, and report annually to the town its condition; also that the incomes from this fund -
" be distributed annually among the different religious societies which are or shall be recognized as religious societies, according to the taxable polls and estates of the several members of the said societies at the time of taking the inventory in said town, and those persons who do not belong to either of said societies shall designate at the taking of the inventory in each year, to which of said religious societies their proportion shall be paid, and if any person shall refuse or neglect to designate to which society shall be paid his proportion of said income, it shall be distributed among the said several societies, according to the polls and estates of the members composing each."
They recommended also that the sales of the property which had been made be confirmed by the town and that the selectmen receive of the Congregational Society their transfer of the notes, mortga- ges, deeds, and moneys arising from said sales, excepting so much as had been paid to the Rev. Joseph Haven for his acquittance, and the necessary expenses of the sales. This report was adopted, and the Selectmen were subsequently instructed to give quitclaim deeds to previous purchases of parsonage lands, if desired. The Congre- gational Society voted a committee to transfer the parsonage funds to the town, and also to confer with the other societies about divid- ing the same. The lands in some instances came back to the hands of the town, from the failure of the purchasers to pay or from other causes, so that it was several years before the lots were entirely dis- posed of. In 1827 two lots are mentioned as "bid off" by Isaac Pearl. In 1830 the Selectmen were a committee " to sell or let the parsonage land which has reverted to the town; " and the year following it was -
" Voted to sell that part of the parsonage land that was formerly Daniel Hus- sey's, and that trustees receive proposals for sale of other parts of parsonage land of which they have taken possession and report."
With the disposal of the parsonage funds the whole connection of town and church affairs ceased. And this was nearly coincident with the closing of Mr. Haven's ministry.
No history of Rochester could be regarded as approximately complete without a prominent record of the life and services of the Rev. Joseph Haven. He was for many years the only religious instructor of the people of Rochester, Farmington, and Milton, and his pastorate was more than double the length of that of any other
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minister here. It should also be noted that his ministry extended over the most important periods of the town's history. The Revolu- tion, the adoption of the Constitution, and the inauguration of both State and National Governments, the transition from a Monarchy to a Republic, the War of 1812-15, the separation of church from civil authorities, all occurred during his ministry. Nor was he by any means a silent looker-on, but as became his position he was a leader of public thought and sentiment, not hesitating to speak his opinions plainly and forcibly on all public questions. His father was a shoe- maker in Hopkinton, Mass., and afterwards in that part of Dedham which is now Dover, Mass., where he was deacon of the Congrega- tional Church.
JOSEPH HAVEN was born in Hopkinton, Mass., May, 1747, and graduated at Harvard University in 1774. He studied theology with a clergyman of his own name in Dedham. As already seen he was ordained at Rochester, Jan. 10, 1776. For forty-nine years excepting when prevented by sickness or the infirmities of age he continued to preach the gospel, having the assistance of a colleague the last two years.
Though the settlement of Mr. Haven gave general satisfaction to all parties, yet the troubles and dissensions which had been so long rife did not at once cease. Mr. Haven sometimes alluded to them publicly, endeavoring thus to bring to a sense of shame those who would not harmonize together in the social meetings. He was sev- eral times on the point of leaving, and would have gone but for his sympathy for their sad condition. After a time the parish became harmonious and prosperous.
It is difficult, in these days of multiplied churches of almost end- less variety, to realize the grief and anxiety with which the pastors of old time saw the new isms creeping into and dividing their parishes which had been co-extensive with the town. It is easy for scoffers to say that their salaries were in danger, and hence sprang their ear- nestness. But although these ministers like all others were human, the charge is on the whole grossly unjust. The anxiety of such a man as Mr. Haven arose far more from an earnest love of his people than from any self-interest. He sincerely believed that the practices and teachings of these various denominations were on the whole dangerous to their spiritual welfare. As a faithful watchman it was his duty to warn the flock. This he did faithfully.
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