USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Canaan > The history of Canaan, New Hampshire > Part 22
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hands. Elder Broadhead sometimes occupied the pulpit in the meeting house. In his prayers and exhortations he seldom failed to mingle religion with the politics to the infinite disgust of the Federalists who heard him. It is said that it afforded him great satisfaction to lash his opponents from the pulpit, because it gave them no opportunity for reply. Years afterwards (in 1829) he left the pulpit for the honors and emoluments incident to the life of a representative in Congress. A famous old man he was and held in honor in church and state. Canaan was a federal town, the home of Daniel Blaisdell, who never liked Methodists any better than he liked Democracy. He and the elder often encountered each other in debate and they seldom separated until both had become more or less enraged. On one of these occasions after an unusually stormy talk, the elder said to some of the neighbors that he had a great mind to "thresh Blaisdell." The next time they met was in passing through the woods between their houses - Blaisdell lived on the Prescott Clark farm - Blaisdell stepped out and said to the elder that "he was ready for a threshing if he thought he was able to do it." The elder replied "I think I can do it now and evermore, but I won't at this time." He said he was mad when he made the threat and thought the most Christian course was to own up.
At the beginning of the last century the country had been di- vided into circuits, the Hanover circuit to the west and the Bridgewater circuit to the east, and so far as they could be found, ministers assigned for their special care. Canaan, Dorchester Enfield, Springfield and a part of Grantham constituted the Hanover circuit, and the minister spent a week in each town. It was only once in four weeks they had services here.
In 1806 the N. E. Conference met in Canaan; it was ar- ranged that there should be a grand camp-meeting on the shore of Hart Pond, in Robert Barber's woods, near the Wells place. Bishop Asbury presided. Ministers and brethren from far and near came to assist him, and there was a great multitude of peo- ple present, curious to see and hear that famous apostle of Meth- odism, who had been ordained a bishop by the sainted John Wes- ley himself and sent here to do his Master's work. Great success attended the labors here. Stevens says, "On Wednesday, May 11th, Asbury arrived in Canaan, where the conference began its
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session. The next day about forty four members were present besides probationers and visitors. On Sunday, May 15, 'I or- dained,' says Asbury, 'eleven elders in the woods. At three o'clock I preached in the Meeting house. It was a season of power." The tenets of that faith were adopted into many fami- lies and continue to this day.
After this period we lose sight of the active element in the church. We only know that they never ceased to work and pray. There was a reaction ; no gushing or striking scenes were heard of. The tide ebbed and flowed smoothly. The Conference Re- port for the year 1809 contains the first mention of a preacher for Canaan, Ebenezer Blake, and the membership is put down at 155. In 1810, under Warren Bannister and Joseph Lull, em- bracing the Canaan and Bridgewater circuit, the membership is 170. It is not known how many of these were residents of Canaan, although the report would indicate that all were. It is, however, improbable. Canaan is not mentioned again until 1817 when Eleazer Phelps is the preacher with a membership of 69. This would seem to be nearer the right number taking into considera- tion the number of families in town. In 1818 John Paine is the preacher and the membership is 71. The records from 1815 are very meagre, with an occasional omission, often consisting of only a statement that a meeting was held. In 1815 Jacob Marston was local preacher, Robert Williams, exhorter, with Thomas Cotton, Benjamin Norris, John Nevins, Moses Lawrence and Jonathan Snow were leaders. John R. Dustin and Thomas Cot- ton, stewards. In 1820 Joseph Killam reports 139 members. In 1822 and in 1823 the same. In 1825 Caleb Dustin and Giles Campbell preached to the Canaan and Lebanon circuit with a membership of 213, and in 1826 the number is increased to 235. The records for May 9, 1818, are "Voted to give Samuel Norris a recommend to the yearly Conference." He was admitted the following June, superannuated in 1840 and died in 1880.
Among the old band of Methodists we find the names of Solo- mon Sias, Jacob Sanborn and B. F. Hoyt as presiding elders. Then there was Moses Lawrence, John R. Dustin, Nathaniel and Samuel Norris, Jacob Marston, Joseph Killam and Samuel Gile as leaders, preachers and exhorters, and Robert Williams, who in his last years lived in constant fear of the sheriff. The old
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man got into debt and had nothing to pay it with. The fear of the sheriff was great upon him. He scarcely dared leave his house, fearing he might be carried off. When he went for his cows he would take his axe upon his shoulder. His neighbors all knew of his fears, and one of them, Maj. Levi George, thought to give him a scare. One evening while driving his cows home accompanied by his axe as usual, the Major came up behind him, and seizing him by the shoulder said, "Mr. Williams, you are my prisoner." The old man's face became white with fear. He turned suddenly upon the Major, who said to him quietly, "You see, neighbor Williams, I don't fear your axe, but you needn't be afraid, for I've got no papers agin you." Those were the days when poor men were shut up in jail for debt, as if that might help it. After that Major George himself fell into debt, by way of an indorsement for his son-in-law, but he took precau- tions before trouble came, to put his property into Lawyer Pet- tingill's hands for the benefit of his family. Joshua Blaisdell, the merciless, was sheriff and was ordered to arrest the Major. When arrived at the house the Major said, "You can take me to Haverhill as soon as you please, I have provided for my family and shall be glad to go with you, because I don't want to be bothered with thinking of you any more." The sheriff departed with a promise to return soon, but much to the annoyance of the Major he never troubled him afterwards. It was one of the peculiarities of that sheriff to annoy people who fell into his power. If letting them alone was most agreeable, he would ar- rest them, and if to arrest them gave great pleasure, he would stand off with his papers in his pocket, leaving his victim a prey to his own uncertain expectations.
At last there came over the church days of heaviness and in- difference when neither preaching nor prayers availed anything. They were just drifting, drifting. In the year 1824 a long- wished for revival commenced, primarily it was the result of a sermon preached in the old church by Mr. Foster from Hanover, who was sent here to minister to the Congregational church. All religions had to use the same pulpit. The people had been lis- tening weekly to the long monotonous sermons of Elder Wheat or Elder Hardy, for whom they never had much respect, and to Caleb Dustin and William McCoy, whose chief merit consisted
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in constantly offering "wine and milk without money and with- out price," but offered in so indifferent a tone and manner, that none would accept it, thinking it was for somebody else. McCoy preached in Enfield and South Road and once in four weeks on the Street. Most of the people, particularly the older ones went to sleep in the corners of the pews, and only waked up at the slamming of the seats by the boys and girls as they rose to the last prayer. The seats were narrow and the backs high and straight. They had followed those old saints for years through all their arguments, and had come to believe that there was no variation nor shadow of change in their discourses, and for this cause they regarded it as perfectly safe and proper for them to sleep away the weary hours that lingered about this old temple. Mr. Fos- ter's manner was very impressive and earnest. His sermon was an eloquent plea, addressed to the young, urging them to live soberly and flee for their lives to the throne of grace and seek refuge there from impending danger. There was a charming refinement and fascination in the style of this new preacher, that interested the sleepers at the start and kept them awake. And the boys were not permitted to slam the seats when they rose for the benediction. After the sermon the men and women gathered in routs, and passed opinions upon the man and his doctrines. They "guessed" he was "all right," and his talk was right to the "pint." Mr. Haynes said it was time for all of them to wake up and remember that they had a Lord and Maker to whom they were all accountable, and not trust their entire salvation any longer to Elder Wheat and Elder Hardy or Caleb Dustin. Moses Lawrence said it was full time for them to do some praying on their own account, and let us begin now said other brethren. Those old fossils got waked up lively, and a great solemnity like a shroud fell upon them, and they bowed before it. They all be- gan to flee to the mountains, as if it was their last chance to es- cape from remorse of conscience. There was great rejoicing for many were converted, some, who seemed to be more reprobates than the devil, became submissively Christians. After this great harvest of souls had become ripe, the churches went to work to gather them in.
The Methodist church was most active, and was greatly in- creased and strengthened in the numbers that entered its por-
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tals. The old members renewed their vows, and promised to be forever afterwards more brightly shining lights in the Church and before men. There was old Robert Martin, and Benjamin Haynes and Orpha Currier and Levi George, Benjamin Davis and Thomas Miner and Amasa Jones and Jacob Dow and Moses Lawrence and John R. Dustin, with all their families who had been so long born again, as to have nearly forgotten it, and being in grace, didn't believe they could ever fall, whatever else might happen to them. With this firm belief in their own sure salvation, they had grown snowy cold and prayerless, ex- cept when their minister happened to be around, and then they were ever lamenting that the state of religion was so low - so lost sight of in the affairs of life! They had so long stood in the front ranks with their backs to the worldly crowd and their broad shoulders caught all the cheerful rays of heavenly light, and absorbed them like sponges, so that there seemed to be no visible access to the Rock of Ages. And long they had thus stood like the weatherbeaten stumps of the dead pine trees along the highway of the town.
There was a density and opaqueness about those solemn old saints and their notions about being "elected," that excited no interest among the young and gay, and there were large numbers of them in those days, who had festive seasons everywhere. And then old people talked in parables and proverbs, about their own security and then went about their business like other men who had never boasted of their grace. Sometimes it seems as if that generation of Christians did not die in their appointed time, but lapped over into another age, and have been lingering all the way down until now. They used to make the women wear bonnets plain, sans ribbons or flowers, and calico dresses made from scant patterns. They used to call these tricks, denying themselves, bearing the cross, and being in contempt of the world. But we used to think these plain and cheap clothes in- dicated more stinginess than grace. Suppose the ladies now should be seized with a freak to appear in church, like those plain primitive sisters, and they should fill the church full of cheap calicoes and hats plain without ribbons or feathers. It would be a sight! Perhaps they would boast of it as an act of humility ! Well, those old men who always walked about like John Gilpin,
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as if they "carried weights," in the wilderness of their hearts heard the warning voices, and waked up as they had never been waked before. They withdrew their faces from the sunlight and fell upon their knees with their faces to the ground and let the flood flow over them. And when they rose if they were not washed clean of some of their nonsense, that, like barnacles to a ship, had been clinging to them, at least they said they were renewed, and declared with emphatic humility that they would never again stand in the light of divine truth. And to signalize their new earnestness and sincerity they proposed to build a new house.
The great harvest of members that had been gathered in, made it necessary that they should have a place of their own, where they could assemble and counsel each other often. By the ar- rangement with the other churches they were entitled to occupy the old meeting house but once in four weeks; that was not often enough to keep up a wholesome organization. So they drew their plan and after some lively discussions upon the spot, lo- cated it on South Road where the roads intersect. This spot being central and of easy access would best accommodate the brethren of Enfield and South Road, who were supposed to con- stitute a majority of the church. It did not cost much to build the house. The hearts of the people had been recently paralyzed by fears of hell-fires. It made them generous. Some gave labor, some gave lumber, others furnished provisions for the laborers, and all gave something. Their zeal was great and on the 1st day of January, 1826, the house was dedicated. Henry J. Wooley, a young Irishman preached the sermon. He was a dark haired man, an exhorter of wonderful power, and of strange skill in the application of language. His descriptions of hell and its torments were weird and unique, giving the impression of being personal experiences. Oftentimes in their prayer- meetings and love feasts he would psychologize the sensitive members of the meeting, and when they would awake from the trance into which they had fallen, they would present marvelous pictures of their experiences in foreign lands and spheres, some of them not very agreeable.
One of the most notable things that occurs to me at this long distance, was the choir and the music. Music has all my life
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long been to me a passion. It has absorbed a great many hours of my life. The rehearsal of it has given great pleasure, and I never tire of listening to it. "Thinking in the midst of music is one of the sweetest things in life, when the heart is at ease. When we feel the harmony, are harmonized by it, and yet lose not one thread of the golden woof we are weaving." I learned to sing in those old days, and I often feel the vibration of those old melodies, when my mind reverts to those old days. There were singers then everywhere, every house was vocal with sing- ing. There were no fifes or fiddles allowed in that house in the first years; their tones were not harmonious to pious ears. But the seats were filled with young men and maidens, and in the center stood Reuben Welch, a tall man of large bulk, a most in- veterate stutterer, but what seemed strange was that a man who was unable to articulate any sentence intelligibly, could sing all day without any impediment. And I have wondered since then, why, knowing he could sing any sentence, he did not carry on his ordinary conversation by the aid of minims and semi-breves, rather than stumble about his words like a person who wants to but cannot sneeze. He used to hold a singing book in one hand, the hymn book in the other, and mark the time by each alternately, and his heavy bass voice would roll out over them and control all the rest. The music they sung was solemn and plaintive, such as was best adapted to the serious condition of the Christian mind. They had no Bliss, no Sankey, no Gos- pel Hymns; these delicious melodies which give us so much pleasure were unheard by them. It was not known that any- thing pleasing or cheerful could enter into divine worship.
For many summers and winters these old brethren came up to worship God in the house they had built. They grew older and passed away one by one, let us hope to enjoy the heavenly felicities they believed in store for them. As the years passed by the congregation diminished, it grew more and more in- convenient to attend there. The members had gravitated away from that house. Some days the audience would resemble ours upon a rough day. Some days the doors would stand gaping widely for those who should but did not come. It seemed to have served the purpose for which it was built, and like an old garment was left by the wayside. Phineas Eastman bought it,
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took it down at the time the Northern Railroad decided to es- tablish a station at East Canaan, removed to that place, and made a store out of its timbers, and from that day the voice of prayer has not been heard within its walls. Previous to this event, in 1841, Rev. George W. H. Clark, an earnest faithful man, was appointed to take charge of the church here. During the fol- lowing year under his auspices a very extensive revival occurred, and very large numbers were added to the church, from the north and east part of the town.
In June, 1842, a camp-meeting was held in the woods near the Wells burying ground, where members were converted and united with the church. Many of the new Christians were disinclined to worship in the house on South Road, it being far to travel, and besides they wished to be where they could mingle with other Christians. This feeling increased rapidly and ere long it was decided to build a new house on the Street, which they could occupy and control together. A building commit- tee was appointed, subscriptions solicited, land purchased and in due time the people saw a new spire rising towards heaven. Everything was completed, orderly and judiciously, and when the new house was dedicated it was already free from debt. This event occurred on the 2d day of October, 1844. The ser- mon was preached by Rev. Mr. McCurdy.
Mr. Clark, in 1892, wrote regarding his pastorate here :
I arrived in Canaan July 9, 1841, after dark, went directly to the old parsonage on South Road, called up the family opposite, as they had retired, to get the key. I found the church in a very low state. My preaching places for the Sabbath were three fourths of the time at the old chapel on South Road, and one fourth at the church at the Street. Held meetings in schoolhouses in different parts of my charge. A series of meetings were held on South Road where twelve to fifteen were con- verted in the fall. In March, 1842, when my Presiding Elder Rev. C. D. Cahoon, came to the Third Quarterly Conference, I asked him if he could not arrange for a camp meeting for his next visit. The presiding elder came, June 6th, and brought with him John Mars, a colored man. Camp meetings began with small attendance, but increased, some six were converted by Friday night. Saturday morning it began to snow and continued all day, but it was a great day of power. In our first preaching service the presiding elder preached; fourteen were con- verted; meeting held in the Enfield tent. Saturday morning Mars preached and 125 came to the altar. Monday morning closed the meet- ing. We went to the old church on the Street Monday evening, Mars
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was with me. We held meetings nearly every afternoon and evening for four weeks. The whole country was moved religiously as never before. In the Autumn we held a union meeting with the Congregation- alists, Baptists and Free-will Baptists. Three weeks in the Congrega- tional church about 80 were converted. As a result of the work I bap- tized about 132. Early in the winter we began talking about building a church on the Street. That winter the timber was cut and carried to the mill. In the spring before I left the job was let for building. I re- turned in a few weeks and saw it raised.
Mr. Clark died in Fairfax, Vt., February 27, 1897. In Canaan his labors had been productive of harmony and good fellow- ship, and in 1843 he was sent to another field. Then the Rev. Erasmus B. Morgan fiery, fractious, irritable and opinionated, was placed in charge of this church. He was a very positive man, one of that rare class who believe they are called to improve upon God's own work, neither humble nor charitable ; exacting ; a wordy man of narrow intellect, embracing not much beyond his own intellect; very passionate withal, and apt to take offence at trifles. He began preaching on South Road, and sometimes oc- cupied Heath's Hall on the Street. He had not been here long before there was a called meeting of the church, and about half of the brethren refused to attend further upon his minis- trations. He was displaced by Elder Cahoon and a Mr. Eaton put in charge, but the cross fires were too sharp for Brother Eaton and he left. Mr. Morgan had a strong and earnest party here and he was reinstated. And he, with those who believed in him made war upon the other side. The feeling ran higher than at a presidential election, and the lies and slanders that followed were unbecoming professed Christians. The anti-Morgan lambs were without a pastor. They prayed and talked well, but they lacked a head. About February, 1844, a smart preacher named C. V. Caples, a colored man, received charge of the indignant half of the church, and then the wars of Morgan and Caples be- gan, and are a part of the church history. Religion and so- ciety got badly mixed,- dynamite would have been dove-like com- pared to the explosions that shook and shocked the community. The joy and peace of believers was laid aside, and great bit- terness and soreness resulted from the wicked words and deeds that were not restrained. It is related that one of the Morgan brothers in a prayer, asked the Lord "to seize on Sister
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and shake her well over hell, but be careful and not let her drop in. "'
Morgan revoked Caples' license to preach but Elder Cahoon came in and vouched for him as a regular preacher. Mr. Co- nant, Congregationalist, vouched for him; Elder Clements, Bap- tist, however, called him an uncertain character. Mr. Caples made charges against Mr. Morgan and cited him to appear and answer at the next conference. The doors of the new church were closed against Morgan, and he preached in halls and school- houses. The moral atmosphere was heated and murky, too much so for the leading combatants. On the 8th of July, 1844, "Brother Morgan packed up his goods" and retired discomfited, and on the 16th, of the same month, "Brother Caples goes off to the State of Maine," and is no more seen in Canaan. The effect of that controversy was like a great blister on the church, it was years in healing but it purified many hearts and wrought out much Christian charity.
In 1844 the Circuit was divided on the line of Canaan and Enfield, leaving Canaan, Dorchester and a part of Hanover in the Canaan Circuit. Rev. Reuben Dearborn stepped into the breach left vacant by the retreating hostile forces. It was not a pleasant place to put a new man, but he was equal to the oc- casion. Carefully avoiding and ignoring the past troubles, he gradually brought the brethren together and a degree of har- mony prevailed. The church increased in numbers . and for many years was prosperous. They have had many preachers since that day with many of whom the brethren felt no regrets on parting after one year's intercourse, and there were others whose stay might have been lengthened until this day with profit. And they have always preferred to have the services of their preachers. But a change has come over the spirit of this country church. Once they were hardly content with two sermons and a prayer meeting on the Sabbath, now their hunger and thirst after righteousness is appeased by one sermon, and no prayer meeting on Sunday. They are content also to share their preacher's services with East Canaan. In 1883 the pastor was required to divide his time between the two churches. During the term of Rev. Joshua Holman the present parsonage on the
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Street was purchased and repaired, and in 1869 the debt upon it was removed.
In June, 1843, Stephen Eastman was licensed as a local preacher. He was born February 10, 1818, and married Laura L. Loverin of Loudon. He was the sixth of eleven children born to James and Polly (French) Eastman. He attended two terms at Canaan Union Academy and several terms at the Newbury (Vt.) Seminary, joining the N. H. Conference in 1846 at Leb- anon, Bishop Waugh presiding. He was stationed one year at Hopkinton, one year at North Charlestown, two at Walpole, then at Alexandria and Hebron where he closed his labors on earth March 14, 1854. On May 14, 1847, Larned L. Eastman was licensed as a local preacher. He was born March 12, 1813, the fourth son of James and Polly Eastman, married April 3, 1839, Lucy A., daughter of Henry Currier of Enfield. His life as an itinerant was one of great mental and physical activity. He relates his journeyings so modestly and concisely that it is best told in his own words.
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