USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Dublin > The history of Dublin, N.H. : containing the address by Charles Mason, and the proceedings at the centennial celebration, June 17, 1852, with a register of families > Part 33
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From the church in Keene, Rev. Z. S. BARSTOW, D.D., pastor; Bro. ASA DUREN, delegate.
From Harrisville, Rev. W. G. TUTTLE, pastor; Bro. MILAN HARRIS, delegate.
From East Jaffrey, Rev. G. W. ADAMS, pastor; Dea. J. M. MEL- VILLE, delegate.
From Jaffrey, Bro. JOHN FROST, delegate.
From Marlborough, Dea. JAMES FARRAR, delegate.
Without pastoral charge, Rev. J. E. B. JEWETT and Rev. D. Mc- CLENNING.
"Council was organized by choosing Rev. Dr. Barstow moderator, and Rev. G. W. Adams scribe. Prayer was offered by the moderator. Certain papers were then presented to the council by a committee of the church in Dublin, setting forth their doings in relation to the business for which they were called by them. The following preamble and resolution were then unanimously adopted: -
"Whereas Rev. A. Hayes having in the providence of God left his pastoral charge over the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Dub- lin, and having signified his desire to be dismissed from said charge, whenever it should be deemed necessary by the church to settle an- other pastor, and
"Whereas, such a time has come, and the church and society, by vote, having concurred with him in the request, therefore: -
"Resolved, That, in the opinion of this ecclesiastical council, the relation of Rev. A. Hayes with the Trinitarian Church and Society of Dublin should be dissolved, and it is hereby dissolved.
"Resolved, That in the opinion of this ecclesiastical council Bro. Alonzo Hayes is a man of unexceptionable character, a sincere and humble Christian, and we cordially recommend him to the churches of Christ as a faithful and successful minister of the gospel.
"Council, then, by examination, having satisfied themselves as to the qualifications of Rev. E. F. Abbott for the gospel ministry, voted unanimously to proceed to his installation at one o'clock, P.M.
"The parts of the installation services were thus assigned, viz .: -
Reading of the Scriptures and introductory prayer by Rev. Mr. MCCLENNING.
Sermon and installing prayer by Dr. BARSTOW.
Charge to the pastor-elect by Rev. Mr. ADAMS.
Right hand of fellowship by Rev. Mr. TUTTLE.
Address to the people by Rev. Mr. JEWETT.
Concluding prayer by Rev. Mr. ADAMS.
Benediction by the Pastor.
"Voted to adjourn to the meetinghouse at one o'clock, P.M., to attend to the public services of the occasion.
"Agrecably to the above vote, the council convened in the Trini-
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tarian Church at one o'clock, P.M., and the several parts were per- formed as designated above.
"Voted to accept the above as the minutes of the council. Voted to adjourn sine die.
"Attest: Z. S. BARSTOW, Moderator. GEORGE W. ADAMS, Scribe." "DUBLIN, N. H., December 12, 1855."
Mr. Abbott left at the end of the fourth year of his pastorate, without any formal dismission. He was formally dismissed, much later, by a vote of the society, June 11, 1866. After leav- ing Dublin, Mr. Abbott preached in Surry, 1860-1861, and the next two years in Deering. We have not found the record of his death.
The cause of Mr. Abbott's leaving Dublin was the inability of the society to pay his salary. Under date of July 13, 1857, we find in the records of the society the following entry: -
"Rev. E. F. ABBOTT has had three sabbaths a year to himself, ac- cording to contract. He has been paid out of the treasury of the so- ciety fifty-six dollars and twenty-five cents for each quarter of a year that he has preached since his settlement here. To make up his salary of four hundred dollars a year, there yet remains due to him forty-three dollars and seventy-five cents on each quarter he has preached since his settlement, which sum we were depending upon the New Hamp- shire Missionary Society until we have obtained for his support the interest on the five thousand dollars which Rev. Edward Sprague bequeathed to the Town of Dublin for the support of a minister of the Congregational persuasion, after which, it was the design of the society that the interest on that fund should go to make up his salary instead of any appropriation from the New Hampshire Missionary Society.
" AUGUSTINE WOOD, DAVID APPLETON, ABIJAH RICHARDSON, Trustees."
This abstract from the records is self-explanatory. The so- ciety had not received the help of the New Hampshire Mission- ary Society, and were waiting in the expectation of obtaining the income of the Sprague fund. Not obtaining either, they found themselves considerably in debt to Mr. Abbott.
The contest to obtain the Sprague fund began officially at a meeting of the Trinitarian Congregational Society in Dublin, held, November 26, 1855, when it was voted "to choose an agent to take legal measures to cause the interest on the five thousand dollars that Rev. EDWARD SPRAGUE bequeathed to
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the Town of Dublin, for the support of a minister of the Congre- gational persuasion, to be applied agreeably to the tenure of said bequest." Augustine Wood was chosen as the agent to effect this object.
We find, from the records of the First Congregational (Uni- tarian) Church, that, on January 1, 1856, "A copy of a bill of complaint, entered by the Trinitarian Congregational Society of Dublin and its pastor, was served upon the pastor of the First Congregational Church and Society, requiring him to show himself to be the pastor of a Congregational church, regularly ordained, in order to prove his right to enjoy the income of the Sprague fund."
The Trinitarian Congregational Society was defeated in this undertaking, and it was a bitter disappointment to them. The matter was carried to the courts, and to the Supreme Judicial Court of the state. The evidence has been printed in full, but it would be too tedious an undertaking to give even an ab- stract of it.
The final decision of the court, in substance, was, that the testator, Rev. Mr. Sprague, left the fund with the understanding that the income should be paid to the minister of the First Con- gregational (now Unitarian) Society, with no other condition than the requirement that the recipient should be an ordained minister. Congregationalism is a matter of church polity, and not of doctrine; and the court decided that the income of the fund should be paid to the minister of the First Congregational Society, irrespective of any special doctrinal views that he might hold, because no such conditions were imposed by the testator.
The mistake is too frequently made of connecting congrega- tionalism with Trinitarians only. There are many Trinitarian Congregationalists, but all Unitarian societies in America are Congregational bodies. Doctrines are another affair altogether.
On June 11, 1860, the society voted to paint the meetinghouse before hay-time, if a suitable painter could be obtained. Abijah Richardson was chosen as the agent to superintend the paint- ing, and Malachi Richardson was chosen an agent to raise the money with which to do it.
On October 4, 1860, the society heard the report of the agent appointed to act for the society about the Sprague fund, and it was voted to authorize the agent to borrow a sufficient sum of money, with what had been already raised for the purpose, to settle the costs which had arisen in prosecuting the case.
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With respect to the next two pastors of the church, the church and society records are alike silent. Their names are not even mentioned. We have gathered our data fromother sources.
Rev. NATHAN WEBB SHELDON was the seventh pastor of this church. He was born in Woolwich, Me., October 19, 1792. He was a graduate of the Bangor Theological Seminary, in 1822. He was ordained, June 2, 1824, and had been a preacher in sev- eral places before coming to Dublin. He was in Stoddard in 1858-1859. His engagement in Dublin lasted a year, from July 1, 1860. He died, November 26, 1873, at the age of 81. We have not learned the place. The writer remembers him as a man who was slow of speech, but a model Puritan in the probity of his character and the severity of his doctrines. During his engage- ment in Stoddard, his wife died and he officiated at her funeral, a very unusual circumstance.
Rev. OSCAR BISSELL was the eighth pastor of the church, his term of service extending from the first of August in 1861 to the first of March, 1865. Like his predecessor, he was an acting pastor and there was no formal service of installation. Mr. Bis- sell was born in Litchfield, Conn., December 20, 1822, and was a graduate of Yale in 1849, and of the Hartford Theological In- stitute, in 1853. After brief engagements in other states, he came to New Hampshire in the fifties, and was ordained at the South Village in Westmoreland, May 14, 1856, and was dismissed from that church, May 7, 1861. His next settlement was in Dublin, where he remained, as we have seen, nearly four years. After leaving Dublin, he preached two years in Roxbury. We have not learned the particulars of his death. The writer knew him well in Westmoreland, being a student there while Mr. Bissell was settled over the Second Congregational Church, located at the South Village. Mr. Bissell was a good classical scholar, a clear writer, using good diction, a sunny, genial man, whose presence was always welcome among his parishioners. He was liberal in proportion to his means. He was unmarried when the writer knew him. A serious deafness interfered con- siderably with his parish work, especially in calling upon the sick.
Rev. ANDREW JACKSON FOSDICK was the ninth pastor of the church. He was born in Nashua, June 3, 1836. He studied at the Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, N. H., 1856-1857; also graduated at the Bangor Theological Seminary, 1860. He was licensed to preach by the Penobscot Association, at Bangor, Me., July 12, 1859. He was ordained at East Al-
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stead, N. H., June 22, 1864; dismissed, March 21, 1866. His Dublin engagement was for four years from the first of May, 1866. After leaving Dublin, he went into the farming business, in Milford, N. H., and, finally, became an insurance agent in Boston, Mass., with a residence at East Stoughton, Mass. He was married, August 30, 1860, to Miss Cornelia W. White of Bangor, Me.
During the ministry of Mr. Fosdick, a fund was raised by subscription, the income of which was to be applied to the pay- ment of the minister's salary. The first mention of this fund upon the records of the society is under the date, June 11, 1866, and is as follows: -
"Chose AUGUSTINE WOOD agent, to see that the fund recently con- tributed for the purpose of supporting preaching in the Trinitarian Congregational Society in Dublin be fixed so that it shall never be applied or used contrary to the design of the contributors of said fund."
On July 7, 1866, the society passed a vote, declaring in the most unequivocal manner the conditions under which the bene- fit of the fund which had been subscribed could be enjoyed. The vote, at this meeting, is as follows: -
"Voted that the following declaration of trust be adopted, and that a copy thereof, signed by the trustees, be furnished to each contrib- utor to the ministerial fund: -
"Whereas $2000 has been subscribed by David Appleton, $1000 by Malachi Richardson, $500 by Augustine Wood, $200 by Abijah Richardson, $1200 by Abigail Morse, $800 by Sylvia Twitchell, $100 by Emily Wood, and paid, or to be paid to the Trustees of said society, to establish a fund for the sole purpose of supporting the Christian religion, in the said Trinitarian Congregational Society, and the in- terest thereof to be paid to the minister of the Trinitarian Congrega- tional persuasion who shall statedly preach in said society, and shall hold to and teach for doctrines the native total depravity of the entire human race, vicarious atonement by Jesus Christ, the supreme divin- ity and deity of Jesus Christ, supernatural regeneration by the Holy Ghost, future eternal rewards and punishments, infant baptism, and the full inspiration and binding authority of the Holy Scriptures as the word of God: -
"Now, be it known, that said fund and the interest thereof shall be forever held for the trust aforesaid, and if, from any cause, said so- ciety shall hereafter be dissolved, or shall, for three years, cease to maintain public religious services of the character contemplated by the said fund, then the said fund shall revert to the said contributors
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or their legal representatives, and all contributions now or hereafter made to said fund shall also be held upon the same trust and con- ditions."
This was a declaration which was to be placed in the hands of each contributor. At a meeting of the society, June 10, 1867, it was "Voted that they adopt the vote of the board of trustees in relation to the ministerial fund, and that said fund shall be held upon the trust and conditions stated in said vote."
That vote was, in effect, the official adoption by the society, for themselves, of the declaration which had been placed in the hands of the contributors. That declaration was appended to this vote, exactly as we have given it, except that one more con- tribution was added to the list, expressed as follows: "The par- sonage and land connected with it, by the proprietors of said parsonage and land, viz., JESSE MORSE, ISAAC APPLETON, ABI- JAH RICHARDSON, and MALACHI RICHARDSON."
It will be seen, by the reader, that the conditions upon which alone this trust can be rightfully enjoyed by any minister of the society are very strict and precise. He cannot rightfully receive the income of the fund or the use of the parsonage, according to the terms of this declaration, copied verbatim from the records, without he shall hold and teach the doctrines therein set forth. The use of the income of the Sprague fund was un- conditioned, except the simple requirement that the minister should be ordained. The use of this trust fund is conditioned upon a belief in, and the teaching of, the particular doctrines set forth. As the years pass, it may become increasingly diffi- cult to find one who can comply with all these conditions.
Rev. AMOS HOLBROOK was the tenth pastor of the church, to which he ministered in connection with the church in Harris- ville. He was born in Wales, Mass., September 9, 1824. The place was then known as South Brimfield. He was at first a land surveyor. He invented, patented, and applied a time bank lock. He taught school and kept books in Milford, Mass. He was a lay preacher at Mendon, Mass .; South Milford, Mass .; and Braggville, Mass., from December, 1859, to September, 1865. He was licensed to preach by the Mendon Association, September 7, 1865. He was the pastor of the church at Box- borough, Mass., from October 14, 1865 (ordained, May 9, 1866), until November 17, 1868. He was at Douglas, Mass., 1868-1871. He supplied Harrisville and Dublin for three years, from the first of November, 1871. He remained two more years in Harris-
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ville, also supplying the pulpit at East Sullivan. He then went into the state of Vermont, supplying the parishes of Saxton's River, 1876-1881; Cambridgeport, a part of the same time, 1877-1881; Windham, 1881-1887; and Colchester, 1887-1896. His health failing, he moved to Sturbridge, Mass., and died there, April 10, 1899.
Rev. JOHN FRANCIS BASSETT, the eleventh pastor of the church, was born in Salem, Mass., March 8, 1836. He did not receive a classical education. He studied theology at the New- ton Theological School, a Baptist institution, leaving in 1862, without waiting to complete the course. We are not aware that he was settled elsewhere in New Hampshire, although he occa- sionally preached in other churches. He had been ordained before coming into the state, in April, 1870. He began duty in Dublin, the first of July, 1875, being admitted to the church, July fourth of that year. He preached a year to the society, but he was not formally dismissed from the church until January 6, 1881, when he received a letter to a Congregational church in Salem, Mass.
Rev. RICHARD MONTGOMERY BURR was the twelfth pastor. He was born in Middletown, Conn., August 13, 1852. He did not receive a classical education. He graduated at the Andover Theological School, then located at Andover, Mass., in 1877. That institution is now located in Cambridge, Mass. Mr. Burr began his duties in Dublin, as the acting pastor of this church, on the first of September, 1877. He was received into the church on September 9, of that year. He also supplied Nelson, at least a portion of the time, in 1880. He was ordained, June 16, 1880, in Nelson, and was dismissed from this church, March 1, 1880. We hear of his preaching afterwards in Northbridge, Mass .; Rochdale, Mass .; and Lyme, Conn.
Rev. GEORGE B. CUTLER was the thirteenth pastor. He began duty about the middle of the year 1884 and remained a year. We have been unable to ascertain any facts about his pastorate. There are no records of either the church or the society for about a dozen years. There is no record of any meeting of either, for the election of officers, or for any purpose whatsoever, from about 1884 until about 1895.
Rev. GEORGE WASHINGTON RULAND was the fourteenth pastor. He was born at Brookhaven, N. Y., April 29, 1840. He studied at a theological school, then located in Concord, N. H., which was known as the Alpha Chapter of the Boston Univer- sity School of Theology. He left this institution in 1867. He
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began preaching in this church, June 7, 1894. He made an arrangement, October 1, 1894, to remain a year. He was re- ceived into the church by letter, January 3, 1895. He contin- ued to preach until June 7, 1895. He took a letter from this church, December 27, 1896, to the First Congregational Church in Keene.
A Rev. Mr. RICE supplied this church in the month of May, 1896. Rev. LYSANDER DICKERMAN supplied the pulpit from August 3, 1896, for two months, until October 1, 1896.
Rev. EDWIN BAILEY BURROWS, the fifteenth pastor of the church, was born at Mayville, N. Y., June 30, 1841. He gradu- ated, B.D., at the Yale Divinity School, 1872. He was ordained at Lebanon, Ohio, October 11, 1872, and was dismissed, No- vember 15, 1874. He was acting pastor of a church in Mt. Ver- non, Ohio, for about four years, 1875-1879. He was settled at Springfield, Mo., from November 15, 1880, until December 31, 1882. He was the acting pastor of a church at Webster Groves, Mo., for about five years, 1883-1888. He was the pastor of this church from October 25, 1896, until June 14, 1897. He died in 1902; we did not learn in what place.
Rev. WILLIAM FRANCIS WHITCOMB, the sixteenth pastor of the church, was born in Claremont, N. H., October 16, 1873. He graduated at Dartmouth College, A.B., 1896. He came to Dublin in May, 1897, and began a stated engagement, June 1, 1897. He was ordained in Dublin, September 13, 1899, and his pastorate terminated, October 1, 1900. He was married in about a month after his ordination, on October 12, 1899, to Miss Minnette Eliza Washburn, a native of Springfield, Vt. He was afterwards settled in Surry for more than five years, from October, 1900, to January, 1906; then in Westminster, Vt., from January, 1906, to October, 1910. Since the latter date, he has resided at Claremont, in the meantime supplying a pulpit in Croydon.
Rev. GEORGE HENRY HEFFLON, the seventeenth pastor of the church, was born at Deep River, Conn., July 10, 1865. He graduated at Yale University, A.B., 1891; A.M. 1897. He pur- sued a course of study at Drew Seminary, 1891-1892. He was settled at Southwest Harbor, Me., in 1895, and ordained there, May 28, 1896, and remained until 1900. He supplied a pulpit at Ellsworth Falls, Me., from 1900 until he came to Dublin in 1901. He began his Dublin pastorate about the first of June, 1901, and his term of service closed, November 26, 1905. He was a man of scholarly and refined tastes, but he was afflicted
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with deafness, which seriously interfered with his pastoral du- ties, especially in visiting the sick. Eventually he could not hear his own voice. The effectiveness of his pulpit ministrations was greatly impaired as a result of this affliction. He was of a kindly and genial temperament and won the respect of all who knew him. On leaving Dublin, he studied at the Berkeley Divinity School, and was ordained as a deacon of the Protes- tant Episcopal Church, September 25, 1907, and became the as- sistant minister in All Souls' Church for Deaf Mutes in Phila- delphia.
Rev. JOHN M. LAMONT, the eighteenth pastor, was born and educated in England. He had been considerably in Dublin, and had been a private tutor, engaged in preparing young men for college, and was well known by many of those who compose the "summer colony." He began preaching for the society. March 18, 1906, and was ordained, July 30, 1906. He remained about a year with this society.
Rev. HENRY ALBERT COOLIDGE, the nineteenth pastor of the church, was born in Leominster, Mass., May 7, 1867. He pur- sued a course of study at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary. Be- fore coming to Dublin, he had preached in Wilmot, N. H .; Francestown, N. H .; West Granville, Mass .; Quincy, Mass .; and elsewhere. He preached in Dublin, July 12, 1908, which was the first Sunday after his acceptance of a call to become the pastor. His last sermon as pastor was on February 11, 1912. He left Dublin on the following day. He preached for a time in Baldwinville, Mass., and is now located on a farm in Antrim.
Rev. HARRY ALLEN GRANT ABBE, the twentieth and present pastor of the church, was born in Hartford, Conn., August 8, 1870. He graduated at Yale University, A.B., 1892; also at the Hartford Theological Seminary, B.D., 1900. He has resided in Hartford, Conn .; Fort Payne, Ala .; Centre Nyack, N. Y .; Stowe, Vt .; Somers, Conn .; and Brockton, Mass. He has been the pastor of this church since October 6, 1912. He has labored very earnestly for the best interests of his parish, and he has been greatly aided by his estimable wife, whose musical tastes and varied accomplishments have been much appre- ciated by the people in the village.
The first services of this society were held in the hall of Asa Heald at the lower end of the village. Subsequently, the meetinghouse of the First Congregational (Unitarian) Church was used, the town, for several years, retaining an interest in it. Still later the old Town Hall was used. On October 14, 1834,
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the society voted to build a meetinghouse. In accordance with that vote, a brick edifice was constructed which stood on or very near the site of the residence of John A. Gleason. It was dedicated, June 22, 1836, the sermon being by Nathaniel Bou- ton, D.D., of Concord, N. H. This edifice stood until 1877. On June 29, 1876, the society voted to "tear down" the brick church and build a new one. At another meeting, it was voted to build where the brick church was. At a subsequent meeting, it was voted to build at the lower end of the village. In accord- ance with the last vote, the present wooden church was built in 1877. There is no record of its dedication that we have dis- covered.
The deacons of this church have been Stephen J. Woods, Jesse Morse, Abijah Richardson, Luke Richardson, Augustine Wood, Charles Burton Shay, and William C. Strong.
The following is a list of the communicants in this church. All are supposed to have been received upon a profession of faith, except those who were received by letter from other churches, which are indicated, in the list by an "}," followed by the place whence they came, if known. In cases where the dismission is recorded, the name is followed by a "d" and the church to which one was dismissed: -
ORIGINAL COVENANTERS
1. Stephen J. Woods, Novem- ber 27, 1827 .
2. Martha Woods, November 27, 1827
3. Abijah Richardson, No- vember 27, 1827
4. Elizabeth Richardson, No- vember 27, 1827
5. Thomas Hay, November 27, 1827
6. Rebecca Hay, November 27, 1827
7. Lucy Hardy, November 27, 1827
8. Luke Richardson, November 27,1827
SUBSEQUENT MEMBERS
9. Achsach Wood, August 28, 1828
10. Jesse Morse
11. Isaac Appleton
12. Malachi Richardson, June 12, 1831
13. Daniel McClenning, 1. from Roxbury
14. George Hardy
15. John Brooks
16. Augustine Wood, May 1, 1842
17. Elbridge Baldwin, 1. from Claremont
18. Lyman K. Farnum
19. Jacob Fitch, 1. from Roxbury 20. Elijah W. Ellis
21. John McClenning, 1. from Chesterfield
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22. Clark C. Cochran, January 7,1849
23. Asa D. Woods, January 7, 1849 24. DeWitt Clinton McMaster, February 18, 1849
25. Thomas Allen McMaster, February 18, 1849 26. Annie Davis
27. Lucy Dearborn, l.
28. Mary Ann Townsend
29. Mary D. Hamilton
30. Nancy Locke
31. Abigail Richardson
32. Harriet Brooks
33. Betsey Townsend
34. Silence Taggard
35. Rebecca Eaton
36. Mary Rebecca Richardson
37. Mary Ann Robbe
38. Harriet G. Kendall
39. Mary Twitchell
40. Tamison Richardson
41. Irene A. H. Hardy
42. Abigail Morse
43. Emily Wood
44. Sarah Taggard
45. Adelia M. McIntire
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