USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Fitzwilliam > The history of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, from 1752-1887 > Part 18
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Its object has been to raise funds for benevolent work at home and elsewhere. From time to time it has sent boxes of clothing to the families of destitute home missionaries at the West, and aided in the support of the pastor, in repairing and furnishing the meeting-house, in purchasing an organ, in re- pairing the old parsonage, in building the new parsonage, in procuring hymn-books for the church, and in helping forward other objects of a similar nature.
From the record of payments for those objects since 1854, it would appear that this society has raised and used for the purposes named above the sum of three thousand three hun- dred and three dollars and ninety-seven cents, or an average of about one hundred and three dollars each year.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH AND SOCIETY.
From the History of Troy and from other sources, it ap- pears that in November, 1789, a Baptist church was organized at the house of Agabus Bishop, in the south-western part of what is now the town of Troy, with twenty-five members. This church was known for about twenty-five years as "the Baptist Church of Fitzwilliam." For twelve years it de- pended for preaching chiefly upon the Baptist pastors in the vicinity, and school and dwelling-houses furnished the places for its meetings. Among those named as pastors of that church, after 1791, are Rufus Freeman, Arunah Allen, and Darius Fisher, the last-mentioned of whom is said to have been pastor for sixteen years.
In 1815, about the time when Troy was incorporated, this church was divided to form what are now the Fitzwilliam and Troy Baptist churches. Some twelve or fourteen of its mem-
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BAPTIST CHURCHI AND SOCIETY.
bers became the nucleus of the Fitzwilliam church, and this was called " the First Baptist Church of Fitzwilliam." *
Several circumstances operated to impede its early growth, especially the fact that it had no meeting-house from the time of its organization until 1841, a period of twenty-six years. And having no church edifice, it could not support a regular ministry and enjoy the labors of a settled pastor.
Rev. Arunah Allen appears to have been the first Baptist preacher belonging to this town, and mention is made of him in the records of the Baptist church at different times for several years, though he may not have been formally recog- nized as its pastor.
Tradition asserts that Rev. Mr. Allen, who resided for a considerable period in School District No. 4, and whose name appears in the list of school-teachers near the close of the last and the opening of the present century, preached, more or less regularly, to congregations gathered in the school- houses in the south and west parts of Fitzwilliam, drawing his audiences to some extent from the adjoining towns in Massachusetts, as well as in New Hampshire. That he was regarded with favor as a man of good judgment and business capacity appears from the fact that he served the town as one of its selectmen in 1803-05, being chairman of the board in 1805. Mr. Allen came to this town in 1799, began to preach in 1807 or 180S, and was ordained in 1810 or 1811 as an elder of the old Baptist church, whose members at that time resided largely on West Hill and in Richmond. He continued to preach in Fitzwilliam till 1823, when he removed to Stock- bridge, Vt.
Elder Fisher and several other ministers served this church as occasional supplies, but no labors by a pastor are mentioned for a quarter of a century after it was organized ; and certainly the circumstances of the case confirm the opinion of the pres- ent pastor, that the church that had passed through hard struggles, and doubtless often met with sad reverses in main- taining its existence for so many years with small pecuniary
* If this church regarded itself as the continuation of the one organized in the house of Agabus Bishop, and dated from 1789 instead of 1815, few would dispute its claims.
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HISTORY OF FITZWILLIAM.
means and few members, must have had something of the spirit of Roger Williams.
But in 1840 the church seemed to obtain a new lease of life, for in May of that year Rev. John Peacock commenced evangelistic labors in Fitzwilliam, and found a church of twenty-two members ready to enter heartily into his work. Ile commenced at once a series of meetings, which were held partly in the old meeting-house and partly in a school-house, and continued fifteen days. More than forty persons were supposed to have been converted, of whom thirty-six united with the church by baptism, and several others by letter.
These additions gave the Baptist church new strength and courage.
August 17th of the same year, the members of the church formed themselves into an ecclesiastical society, to be called the Fitzwilliam Baptist Society, and this was incorporated by an act of the Legislature of New Hampshire, August 22d, 1840.
During the same year the church and society began to build a house of worship, to be fifty feet long and forty feet broad, and eighteen hundred dollars having been expended in its erection, it was dedicated in August, 1841. Soon after this a call was extended to Mr. Joseph Storer to become pastor. This being accepted, Mr. Storer was ordained November 17th, 1841, and was the first minister to occupy the pulpit of the new meeting-house. He was pastor till June, 1843, when Rev. Warren Cooper was called to the pastorate. Mr. Cooper filled this office abont one year.
He was succeeded, June 10th, 1844, by Rev. John Peacock, whose pastorate continued till 1847. August 5th of that year Rev. C. M. Willard was installed pastor, and continued his labors more than three years.
April 3d, 1851, Rev. W. H. Dalrymple became pastor, and remained such till 1854, when Rev. A. W. Goodnow succeeded to the office. For about three years after February 10th, 1855, Rev. A. B. Eggleston was pastor, while for two years after August 22d, 1858, Rev. N. B. Jones served the church in that capacity. In 1861, Rev. J. N. Chase became
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PASTORS OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
pastor, and continued sneh till his death, September 1st, 1862. Rev. George W. Cutting became pastor December 4th, 1862, and remained with the people till November 5th, 1868. Mr. Cutting represented Fitzwilliam in the State Legislature in 1865, and again in 1866, and was a member of the Super- intending School Committee.
Rev. E. H. Watrons was called to the pastorate April 23d, 1869, and closed his labors here July 1st, 1872. August 25th of that year Rev. II. W. Day became pastor, and remained snch till June 28th, 1874.
Mr. W. II. Dean, of the Newton Theological Institute, was ordained pastor July 4th, 1875, and remained one year.
The present officiating deacons of the church, Mr. II. A. Firmin and Mr. S. S. Stone, were elected September 5th, 1875.
The next pastor was Rev. Sumner Latham, who closed his labors, after abont two years' service, in 1878. He was suc- ceeded July 7th, 1878, by Rev. William Reed, who served the people till November 9th, 1879. From this time till Angust 7th, 1881, the church was without a pastor, when Rev. A. Dnnn, the present incumbent, was called to the pastorate.
The church now numbers sixty-six members, and the con- gregations upon the Sabbath range from sixty-five to one hundred. The system of having two regular sermons on the Sabbath is still adhered to, but does not give universal satis- faction.
In 1873 and 1874 the meeting-honse was extensively re- paired and made substantially new within and without, at the cost of abont three thousand dollars, and it was rededicated February 3d, 1874. There are three convenient rooms in the basement of the church that are well furnished for social meet- ings, the Sabbath-school, ladies' circles, and social entertain- ments. No debt rests upon the church or society. For sev- eral years a Ladies' Benevolent Society has been in successful operation, and most of its hard-earned funds have been ex- pended in renovating and furnishing the meeting-house and the vestries, while something has been done for other objects.
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HISTORY OF FITZWILLIAM.
There is also a Woman's Home and Foreign Mission Society, whose object is to raise funds to spread the Gospel in this and other lands.
In connection with the church there is a flourishing Sabbath- school, with ten offieers and teachers and one hundred and twenty-one pupils. The average attendance is about fifty- five. Most of the facts given above were furnished by the pastor, Rev. A. Dunn.
METIIODIST EPISCOPAL SOCIETY.
About 1866 Rev. William Merrill, a member of the New England Conference, but with health insufficient to take a regular appointment, opened a Sabbath-school in Distriet No. 3, which was not far from his residence. The school in- creased till it numbered one hundred and twenty-five mem- bers, when Mr. Joel Howe, one of the leading manufacturers of Howeville, and others, favored the erection of a chapel for publie worship in that village. Mr. Howe offered the neces- sary land, but his death led to the abandonment of this part of the project and to the purchase and fitting up of the Howe grocery store as a chapel. The cost of this was met by " the Ladies' Aid Society" and individual friends of the enterprise. The pulpit was supplied by Rev. Messrs. William Merrill, Joseph Merrill, Henry A. Merrill, and George A. Tyrril, for about ten years, when it was deemed best for the interests of Methodism in this town to have a place of worship at the depot village. The New Hampshire Conference sent Rev. S. S. Dudley to labor for this end, and as the result of his faithful work a small chapel, costing about one thousand dollars, was erected. The site, purchased of Mr. D. H. Reed, cost one hundred dollars, while the materials for the building and most of the labor were donated by friends of the undertaking.
The chapel was dedicated November, 1877, Dr. Bradford K. Pierce preaching the sermon.
An audience of from forty to fifty is in attendance in this chapel on the Sabbath, while the Sabbath-school numbers twenty-one, and that at Howeville twenty-five. Since 1876
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MINISTERS OF METHODIST CHURCHI.
the two pulpits have been supplied by Rev. Messrs. S. S. Dudley, J. A. Parker, William Merrill, A. W. L. Nelson, and William Twombly.
The facts for this sketch have been kindly furnished by Mrs. M. E. Spanlding.
CHAPTER X.
FITZWILLIAM IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
Town Meetings to Provide Soldiers-Colonel James Reed at Lexington and Bunker Hill-New Hampshire Troops at Bunker Hill-Committee of Inspection-The Tory, Breed Bachelor-Patriotism of the Town-List of Fitzwilliam Soldiers-Provisions for the Army-Pensioners. The War of 1812-14.
THE early town meetings of Fitzwilliam were held under the intense excitement prevailing throughout the country that foreshadowed the American Revolution.
In 1774 the famous Boston Port bill and the bill for re- moving those charged with capital offences to Great Britain for trial, with other oppressive acts, had gone into effect, and the whole country was aroused to resistance.
Depnties from eleven of the American provinces had been in session at Philadelphia to protest against the encroachments of the mother country, and had adjourned, to meet again in May, 1775. Early in that year, or late in the year 1774, the proceedings of this Congress seem to have been laid before the people of each town, certainly in the province of New Hampshire, and they had been requested to vote upon the question whether or not they would abide by the declarations made at Philadelphia.
The people of Fitzwilliam were called together for this purpose February 23d, 1775, and the call for the meeting pre- sented to the seleetmen was signed by Robert Ware, Jacob Wilson, William Loeke, William Withington, John Locke, Gersham Brigham, Amos Knight, Aaron Morse, Nathan Platts, John Chamberlain, Thomas Weatherbee, Reuben Pratt, and Ebenezer Potter.
Deacon John Locke was moderator of this meeting, and it was
" Voted to abide by the proceedings of the Continental Congress."
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COMMITTEE OF INSPECTION.
It was also voted to raise a Committee of Correspondence to consist of three members, and John Mellen, John Locke, and John Fassett were chosen. It was also
" Voted that this Committee be a Committee of Inspection likewise." It was
Voted that the Town Treasurer pay one pound and seven shillings to Jolın Giddeness (Giddings ?) Esqr., of Exeter, on or before the 29th day of March next, agreeable to a desire of John Wentworth, Esqr. (not Governor John Wentworth), to defray our part of the charges of the Delegates chosen to represent this Province in the next Continental Congress and to pay the balance due the former delegates.
These " former delegates" were Nathaniel Folsom and John Sullivan, who had been chosen by a convention at Exeter in 1774. To this convention every town in the province had been invited by written letters to send deputies, and every town had been requested to pay its quota of a fund of two hundred pounds to defray the expenses of the convention. It was also recommended to the several towns to observe a day of fasting and prayer in the several congregations, "on account of the gloomy appearance of public affairs." The money was col- lected and " the fast was observed," says Belknap, "with religious solemnity."
The Fitzwilliam " Committee of Inspection" provided for at the meeting, February 23d, 1775, attended at once to the business for which it was created. Its duties were not defi- nitely set forth in the vote by which such a committee was raised, but it is easy to conjecture what these three men were expected to look after, for in the very opening of the struggle with Great Britain there were those in all our towns who secretly, if not openly, favored the cause of the oppressors, and stood ready to betray all the precious interests of freedom and justice. Some of these had grudges against their patriotic neighbors that they were waiting to gratify, while others were jealous of the popularity of some of the leading men of the town or province, who were outspoken in the cause of liberty. Others still were determined to make money from the sale of forbidden articles.
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HISTORY OF FITZWILLIAM.
For these and other reasons there were some who needed to be watched or "inspected."
At a later date we shall find the selectmen looking after the equipments of all the men in town capable of bearing arms, but this was not the business of this Committee of Inspection.
That this " Committee of Correspondence and Inspection" understood that they had duties to perform and were ready for any emergency that might arise is evident from the com- munication that they soon made to the General Assembly of the Colony of New Hampshire, which follows.
The original paper, of which this is an exact copy, is care- fully preserved in the office of the Secretary of State at Concord.
To the Hon. the General Assembly of the Colony of New Hampshire.
Most Honorable Gentlemen.
Whereas the late Congress for ye above said Colony past a vote on the 16th day of Nov. 1775 that the Committees of Corispondence or Saifty for ye several Towns in this Colony [should furnish] the names of one person or persons whoom theay should know or suspect to be enemical to this country.
These humbly sheweth to the Hon. Assembly that the Committee of Inspection of the Town of Fitzwilliam are of opinion that BREED BACHELOR, of peckersfield (Packersfield), has conducted in an enemical maner, viz in openly violating the Association of the Continental Con- gress by buying a large quantity of india tea and freely offering it for sale as he was passing though this town and did dispose of some of it to one or more persons in town, as we are able to prove from the confestion of Frederic Reed who has declared before one of this Committee and before other persons that he bought tea of the said Bachelor, and that he had retailed the most of it out again, and that he would by more if he could get it. and gave out some very threatening words in case any Committee or any persons should come to examine or disturb him about it whoom we think has conducted in an Enemecal maner lik wise.
We would give Your honors a short specemin of the conduct of the above said Bachelor's conduct as he past through the Town viz that the said Bachelor came to Town and taried over night at the above said Reeds'-the Committee of No 5 (Marlborough) understood that he was past though their town with a quantity of tea, they sent one of their Committee to persue him, who came to the house of Capt. John Mellen, inholder in Fitzwilliam, some time in the night and put theare. Capt.
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COMPLAINT AGAINST BREED BACHELOR.
Mellen being one of our Committee the next morning the said Bachelor came along mounted on horseback with 3 bags of tea under him. Mr. Abijah Tucker, the Committee man from No. 5, went out and desired the said Bachelor to stop and come in to the house, but he refused. Mr. Tucker insisted something upon his stopping, the said Bachelor struck Mr. Tucker with a club he had in his hand and wounded him on the hand, and rode of as fast as he could. Capt. Mellen then took his horse and persued after him, and overtook him about a mile and a half. And persuaded him to turn back and settle the matter. he consented and came back to ye house of Capt. Mellen and agreed to leave it out to Major Farrah and Major Brigham what should be done with the tea who gave their judgment that the tea should be stored with Capt. Mellen till theare was some order of Congress concerning it, and upon their going out to his horse to bring in the tea they found but one bag. The Said Bachelor said he had two bags of tea, and that Mr. Tucker had stole one bag and that he should pay for it, but mistrusting that the said Bachelor had hid it some persons went in search of it and found it cast into the brush a little out of the Roade and brought it in-and upon further investigation it appeared that the said Bachelor had three bags when he past the house next to Capt. Mellen's, seach being made the third bag was found in the brush not far from where the other was found, which bag he would not own untill the next morning and then he owned it and began worining at Capt. Mellen to let him have this bag untill the next evening when Major Brigham came to Capt. Mellen's house and Capt. Mellen desired Major Brigham to take that bag of tea and carry it home, and store it so that he might get rid of Bachelor, and upon the whole the Major received the bag at the hand of Capt. Mellen, one of this Committee in the presence of several persons. When Bachelor who was out of the room come to understand that Capt. Mellen had sent away that bag, he appeared to be very angry, and the next morning he went of and has since reported that Major Brigham stole that bag, which is a very fals report.
The whole of which affair we submit to your wise consideration and determination.
Fitzwilliam ye 6th of March, 1776.
John Fassett ) Com. of Corispondence and John Mellen Inspection for the Town of John Locke Fitzwilliam.
The reputation of this Tory, Breed Bachelor, was very bad, and the loyal people rejoiced when he was out of the way.
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HISTORY OF FITZWILLIAM.
When the town voted to abide by the proceedings of the Continental Congress, it committed itself without any reserva- tion to the cause of the colonies against the unlawful and cruel usurpations of Great Britain. How mneh was involved in that act the voters did not comprehend, but they were shrewd enough to perceive that the most important interests were at stake, and that they were taking a stand from which it might be next to impossible to retreat.
In judging of their act a number of faets merit considera- tion. In 1773 the people of Fitzwilliam were few in number -only two hundred and fourteen, and in 1775 two hundred and fifty-and they were scattered over a comparatively large territory. They were, moreover, mostly poor or in very moderate circumstances, as they had exhausted nearly all the means they possessed in the purchase of their farms and im- provements. But little of the land had been cleared, and all they had done in this direction had been done at great disad- vantage. Their dwellings were mostly poor log-huts with very few of the conveniences of life. To improve their con- dition a little, year by year, demanded great economy, untiring industry, and the severest toil, so that if there was a town in Southern New Hampshire that seemed to require all its re- sources within itself to render life more comfortable within its borders, and to make better provision for the education of its children, that town was Fitzwilliam.
And then for our poor and unprotected colonies to defy the power and wealth of Great Britain must have seemed to the wise a hazardous experiment. And yet there appears to have been no hesitation about sustaining the aets of the Continental Congress. The royal Governor of New Hampshire stool ready to do and was doing all in his power to keep the prov- ince from joining the patriots in other sections of the land, but the men of Fitzwilliam were ready and even eager to cast in their lot with their self-sacrificing countrymen.
For the space of seven years after 1775 we find the acts of this town in all their business meetings largely influenced by the wants of the country at large, and the calls for funds,
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MILITARY COMPANY ORGANIZED.
provisions, and troops to free the land from the armies of Great Britain.
These were the absorbing matters that confronted the people here, just as they had succeeded in establishing their town government, and for these long and anxious years it is not surprising if everything else was treated as of only secondary importance in their town meetings.
In 1775, and very soon after American and British blood had been shed at Lexington and Concord, Mass .. Governor John Wentworth determined, as he expressed his purpose, " to plant the root of peace in New Hampshire, " and " bring about an affectionate reconciliation with the mother country." A new Assembly was called by him in May of that year, but the members asked for time to consult their constituents, and while their reasonable request called for delay a convention was doing its work at Exeter in which the province was largely represented. The Fitzwilliam pastor, Rev. Benjamin Brigham, was a member of that convention. This body sanctioned, in the plainest manner, all that the patriots had done to prevent the British troops from keeping New Hamp- shire in subjection by means of a powerful battery at Great Island, and, moreover, instructed the members of the Gov- ernor's Assembly how to act when they should again meet for business. The anticipated result soon followed, and in August, 1775, the Governor issued a proclamation adjourning his Assembly till April, 1776, which was the last act of his administration, and the end of the British Government in New Ilampshire. This had been maintained in one form or another for ninety-five years.
Some time during the year 1775, and possibly at the meet- ing held on May 10th of that year, the town arranged for the formation of a military company. The record follows.
At a meeting called by the selectmen
Voted and chose Capt. Asa Brigham, Moderator. Chose John Mellen, Captain of the Militia of Fitzwilliam. Chose Levi Brigham, Lieutenant, Samuel Kendall, Ensign, and Daniel Mellen, Clerk.
Voted and Chose Messrs. Caleb Winch, Reuben Pratt, Nathan Mixer,
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HISTORY OF FITZWILLIAM.
and Benjamin Davidson, Sergeants. Chose Leonard Brigham, Jonas Knight, David Perry, and Ezekiel Mixer, Corporals.
And also the Selectmen, agreeable to the directions of the Warrant for said Meeting, examined the Inhabitants in relation to what firearms were wanting, agreeable to the directions of the Provincial Congress, in order to make return thereof to said Congress, and found the follow- ing persons destitute-Viz. Ichabod Smith, Joseph Dunn, Daniel Squirs, Joseph Brown, Joseph Grow, James Rice, Capt. Brigham, James Butler, Sip Jawhar, Rev. Brigham, Doctor Brigham, Stephen Harris and Son, Deac. Fassett, Leonard Brigham, Nathan Mixer, John Chamberlain, Robert Ware.
To understand this action on the part of the town it should be mentioned that the convention at Exeter, in adopting measures for a new form of government to take the place of that which had been administered by the Wentworths under royal authority, reorganized the militia of the province. Negroes, Indians, and a few of the highest civil and judicial officers were not included, but with these exceptions the entire male population of the province between the ages of sixteen and sixty-five were to be enrolled as belonging to the Training Band, or the Minute Men. The former of these, the Train- ing Band, included all the mnales between sixteen and fifty years of age, with the exceptions named above ; and each of these men was required to furnish himself with the following articles, and to keep the same at all times ready for use-viz. :
A good fire arm, good ramrod, a worm, priming wire and brush, a bayonet fitted to his gun, a scabbard and belt therefor, and a cutting sword or a tomahawk or hatchet, a pouch containing a cartridge box that will hold fifteen rounds of cartridges at least, a hundred buck shot, a jack knife and tow for wadding, six flints, one pound of powder, forty leaden bullets fitted to his gun, a knapsack and blanket, a canteen or wooden bottle sufficient to hold one quart.
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