USA > Rhode Island > Bristol County > Barrington > A history of Barrington, Rhode Island > Part 34
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Asa Smith, IS16, 17, 18, 19, 20, IS22.
Jeremiah S. Drown, 1821, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, S, 9, 1840, I.
John Kelley, 1828, 9, 1835.
Benjamin Medbury, 1829, 30, 1, 2, 3. Samuel R. Martin, IS30, 1, 1833.
John Tyler, IS32, 33.
Josiah Kinnicutt, 1834, 5, 6.
Lewis B. Smith, IS41, 2, 3, 4, 5, 18S4, 5, 6.
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סוח ב.
431
TOWN OFFICERS.
Delegates to the Convention to form a State Constitution.
Emerson Humphrey, 1841. Lewis B. Smith, 1842. Nathaniel Brown, 1842.
Senators to the General Assembly.
James Bowen, 1843, 4.
Emerson Humphrey, 1845, 6.
Henry Smith, IS47, 8, 9.
Allen Bicknell, IS50, 1, 2, 3.
John Cooke, 1854.
Erastus L. Walcott,* 1885, 6.
John F. Richmond, IS88, 9.
William H. Allin, IS56, 7, 8.
George T. Baker, 1890, 1, 2.
Allen Brown, 1859, 60, I.
James M. Fales, 1893.
John Jenckes, 1894, 5, 6.
George L. Smith, 1897, S.
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING. APRIL 6, 1898.
Moderator - Alonzo C. Gardner. Town Clerk - Frederick P. Church. Town Treasurer - Ebenezer Tiffany.
Town Council -Charles F. Anthony, Ebenezer Tiffany, Jr., William R. Martin, George T. Baker, Frederick W. Perry.
Senator - George L. Smith. Representative - William T. Lewis, Jr. Justices of the Peace - Mark H. Wood, William A. Leonard, Francis Wood, John W. Eccleston, Michael T. Holden, Samuel F. Bowden, Fred- erick P. Church.
Assessors of Taxes-George L. Smith, Henry A. Anthony, Henry M. Stanley.
Collector of Taxes - Frederick P. Church.
Auctioneers - Levi Staples, William A. Leonard, Alonzo C. Gardiner. Town Sergeant - Samuel F. Bowden. Overseer of Poor - Levi Staples. Sealer of Weights and Measures - Frederick P. Church.
School Committee - George T. Baker, William T. Lewis, re-elected for three years ending April, 1901. The term of George L. Smith will end April, 1900, and that of Royal D. Horton and Wheaton B. Bowden, will end April, 1899.
Corders of Wood - Leonard P. Bosworth, William J. Peck, George L. Smith, Charles H. Martin, John Jones.
Packers of Fish -Erastus M. Buckingham, Seth F. Howard, Elisha O. Potter.
Pound Keepers-Samuel F. Bowden, William E. Smith, William H. Bullock, John W. Eccleston. Sealer of Leather -Alonzo F. Bates.
Viewers of Fences - William A. Leonard, William E. Smith, Charles H. Bowden, Oliver H. P. Cleland.
* Elected in place of John C. Burrington, deceased.
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Allen C. Matthewson, IS62, 3, 4.
Lewis B. Smith, IS65, 6, 7, S, 9, 70, 1, 1879, 80, 1, 2, 3, ISS7.
John B. Humphreys, 1872.
Harrison H. Richardson, 1873, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8.
John C. Burrington, 1884, 5.
Benjamin Martin, 1855.
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CHAPTER XXVII
THE UNITED CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY
Incorporation of the United Congregational Society - Its Purposes - Dual Plan of Church Support - The old Meeting House of 1739 - Church Services - Meeting House Repairs - Lottery of 1772 - Its Purposes - Lottery of 179S- Its Managers and Methods - New Meeting House now standing-House remodelled - The Parsonage - Officers of the United Congregational Society.
U INTIL the year 1797, the support of the Congregational
Church and meeting-house had been sustained by the town and church united, or by the church itself, relying as it did upon the good offices of the people, without as well as within the fold, for the maintenance of the services and ordi- nances of religion. Prior to 1747, the town, at its annual meetings provided for the support of the minister. Since that time the salaries of the minister had either been raised by tax upon the ratable property of the town and paid by town treasurers, or by voluntary subscriptions of the people, collected by annually appointed solicitors. Funds for the church building and repairs had also been raised by a town tax, licensed by the General Assembly, or by private contri- butions. In answer to a petition of church members and others, the General Assembly passed an Act, May, 1797, to incorporate certain persons, by the name of the United Con- gregational Society, in the Town of Barrington.
" Whereas divers Persons belonging to the Congrega- tional Society in the Town of Barrington, in this State, whereof the Reverend Solomon Townsend was late pastor, preferred a Petition to this Assembly praying for an Act of Incorporation, whereby they may be enabled to promote cer- tain purposes hereinafter mentioned :
Be it further enacted by this General Assembly that Messieurs Josiah Humphrey, Edward Bosworth, Elkanah
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433
THE UNITED CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY.
Humphrey, Samuel Allen, Samuel Allen, Physician, William Brown, Consider Tripp, Solomon Townsend, Joshua Bick- nell, Solomon Townsend, Jun., Nathaniel Smith, Samuel Bosworth, Ebenezer Tiffany, Joseph Bicknell, Kent Brown, Samuel Allen, Jun., Sylvester Viall, Thomas Allen, Benjamin Martin, Samuel Barnes, Asa Bicknell, Ebenezer Peck, Mat- thew Watson, Matthew Watson, Jun., John Barnes, Josiah Kinnicutt, and John Harding, being the aforesaid Peti- tioners, together with such other as they shall from time to time elect, shall forever hereafter be a Body politick and Cor- porate, by the name of The United Congregational Society in the Town of Barrington, for the purpose of raising a Fund, by free and voluntary subscriptions and otherwise for the support of public worship in the said Society."
The Society was granted the right to receive, hold, and use subscriptions, contributions, donations, and legacies, lands, tenements, etc., for the use and benefit of the Congre- gational Church, the annual meetings to be held in May and quarterly meetings August, November, and February ; the officers to be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, with such others as the Society may choose. Nathaniel Smith was the first President, Asa Bicknell was the first Vice President, Joshua Bicknell, the first Treasurer, and Solomon Townsend the first Secretary. Seven mem- bers constituted a quorum. In the event that there are less than seven members, the books, and property of the: Society shall be vested in the Congregational Society, (Church) late under the pastoral care of the said Mr. Town- send.
After the grant of the charter and the formation of the Society, it assumed the ownership of the property and the management of the business affairs of the church. A fund was raised by the contribution of various benevolent indi- viduals, the proceeds of which were to be used for the sup- port of the ministry. This fund amounted to about $5,000, secured by gifts and legacies. The original contributors appear as follows : 28
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434
THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
The following is a memorandum of notes given by Indi- viduals, in discharge of the subscription which they severally signed for raising a permanent fund the interest whereof was to be appropriated for the support of a Congregational Min- ister, to preach in the Congregational Church in Barrington. The principal was to remain as a fund forever, (viz.) :
SUBSCRIBERS.
AMOUNTS.
SUBSCRIBERS.
AMOUNTS.
Nathaniel Smith,
$300
Benjamin Martin, .
$50
Ebenezer Tiffany,
.
250
Rachel Smith,
50
Matthew Watson,
300
Asa Bicknell,
75
Elkanah Humphrey,
100
Dr. Samuel Allen,
100
Josiah Humphrey, Jr.,
50
Solomon Townsend, Jr.,
25
John Humphrey, .
50
John Harding,
25
Sylvester Viall,
50
Ebenezer Peck,
75
Amariah Lilley,
100
Hezekiah Viall,
25
Joshua Bicknell,
·
100
Shearjashub Bourne,
100
Samuel Bosworth,
50
Joseph Adams,
50
Joseph Bicknell,
50
Thomas Allin, .
125
Matthew Allin,
.
50
Matthew Watson, Jr.,
50
John Barnes,
50
Josiah Humphrey,
50
Mary Horn,
50
John R. Richmond,
50
Consider Tripp,
25
Enoch Remington,
25
Samuel Allen,
50
Luther Martin,
·
25
Solomon Townsend,
50
Calvin Martin,
25
Josiah Viall,
25
Jabez Bullock, Jr.,
·
50
Kent Brown, .
25
James Bicknell,
50
Josiah Kinnicutt,
25
Jabez Brown,
53 83
Edward Bosworth,
75
Samuel Barnes,
50
Total,
$3,103 83
.
Following the organization of the United Congregational Society, the dual plan of church management, as related to the pastorate and its support, was adopted, which continues to the present time. One of the first acts of the church and society was a united call to the Rev. Samuel Watson to become the pastor of the church, in 1798. A happy pastorate ensued, terminating in Mr. Watson's death in 1816.
The "ruinous condition " of the meeting-house demanded immediate attention. and the United Congregational Society voted to erect a new meeting-house, to take the place of the one built in 1734-9, which was now too small for the congre-
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50
Ambrose Martin,
100
John Short, .
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Sal
435
THE OLD MEETING-HOUSE.
gation. The old house, which had served the people for nearly seventy years, was a plain, wooden building, about forty by sixty feet on the ground, two stories high, with a barn roof without steeple or chimney. It stood on the same lot as the present house, but farther to the west. It faced the west, as does the present house, and was entered through a small porch, one story high. The house had four windows on each of the north and south sides. The picture on an- other page represents the old meeting-house, as described by Deacon Allin Bicknell, who attended the church services of the old meeting-house while Rev. Solomon Townsend was the minister, and who was twenty years old when the house was torn down. Most of the frame and boarding of the old house were used in the construction of the present house, and as the second house was built out of material from the first, it is certain that some portion of the present meeting- house were used before 1717.
The artist has introduced the drummer with his drum, calling the people to church, and in the foreground stands a pair of stocks, for the punishment of Sabbath day as well as week day offenders.
There was a central aisle in the house with a row of six pews on each side, and two side aisles with a row of square pews along the north and south walls and on the east end, excepting the space occupied by the pulpit. The pulpit desk was reached by passing through a door and ascending six stairs to the minister's seat and platform, over which hung the sounding board, suspended from the ceiling by a chain. There were two rows of seats in the gallery, and a long pew in front of the pulpit, called the "Goat's Pew," where the tything man could place naughty boys under the eye of the minister.
" The only supply of heat in cold weather was the foot stove, one or more in each pew, brought from home in the carriage or sleigh, and supplied with fuel and coal for the hour's service.
The meeting began at eleven A. M., and closed at twelve
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حاجة الى حياة الطرح
436
THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
noon, or thereabouts, with a second service in summer from two to three. The singing was congregational, the minister reading the whole hymn, and then reading two lines for the congregation to sing, and so on through the hymn. The minister or some one of the congregation acted as chorister, to pitch the tune and lead in the singing. The order of ser- vices was mainly that of the Congregational Church of our time, the invocation, the singing of a hymn, the reading of the scriptures, the long prayer, another hymn, the sermon, not a long one from Father Townsend, a third hymn, and the benediction. Among the Sabbath notices that were read at the week-day and other meetings, and of deepest in- terest to young and old, were the intentions of marriage between the members of the parish, and sometimes persons of neighboring towns.
In 1772 the meeting-house sadly needed repairs and there were no funds at command. Resort was had to the public lottery, which had been legalized by the General Assembly since 1744. The lottery system was introduced into Rhode Island in 1733, but was suppressed by law, for the reason as stated, "that by these unlawful games, called lotteries, many people have been led into a foolish expense of money." A penalty of five hundred pounds was placed on the scheme, and a fine of ten pounds on any one holding a ticket. Eleven years later the lottery system was again legalized, and a scheme of fifteen thousand dollars was allowed for building Weybosset Bridge in Providence. The plan of a lottery was as follows : A certain money value was divided into a number of unequal prizes, and then a number of tick- ets was sold, each ticket giving a chance of winning one of the prizes. If all the tickets were sold, the profits of the lot- tery were large, and might be enormous; if not, the managers diminished the risks by playing the unsold tickets, and re- serving the prizes which might fall on them. From a machine called "The Wheel of Fortune," as many numbers were drawn from another similar machine, the order in which they came out determining to what tickets they should belong.
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18
437
MEETING-HOUSE LOTTERIES.
By the system, churches and parsonages were built and re- paired, bridges, streets, and highways were constructed, market houses and school-houses built, school and church funds secured, manufactures encouraged, and rivers and har- bors cleared for commerce. In England the British Museum and Westminster Bridge were built by funds obtained by lotteries, and the Congregational, Baptist, and Episcopal Churches in Rhode Island were frequently the agents in lottery schemes, although they had been denounced as early as 1699, by an assembly of ministers at Boston, as "cheats and their agents pillagers of the people."
Barrington waited forty years before a lottery was applied for, and the first record of a petition for a lottery appears in the Acts and Resolves of the General Assembly, under date of August, 1772.
"Whereas, divers of the Inhabitants of the Town of Bar- rington preferred a Petition, and represented unto this As- sembly, that the Congregational Meeting House in said town is very much out of Repair ; that the laying out Three Roads, one to the Southward, and Two to the Westward of the Said Meeting House, will greatly accommodate the Inhabitants and Travellers towards Fuller's Ferry and the said Meeting House : And that their Circumstances are such they cannot effect the same without the interposition of this Assembly : And therefore prayed this Assembly to grant them a Lottery, "upon such scheme as the Managers shall think proper, to raise the sum of One Hundred and Sixty-Five pounds lawful money : One Hundred and Ten pounds thereof to be appro- priated towards repairing said Meeting House and the Re- mainder towards opening or laying out the said Highways : And that James Browne, Josiah Humphrey, Nathaniel Mar- tin, Samuel Allen and Edward Bosworth, Esquires, may be appointed Managers of said. Lottery." It was therefore enacted that the prayer be granted and the Lottery be al- lowed.
Fuller's Ferry referred to was the ferry over the Seekonk
438
THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
River to Providence, where the Washington Bridge was afterwards built.
That the lottery was a success in a business light is proven by the facts that the meeting-house was repaired and the main road through the town from southeast to northwest was laid out and constructed. Reference is elsewhere made to the great expense of the town in building this road.
In proof that our ancestors were no more nor less virtuous nor clear in their notions of ethics than their fellows of that period, we again find them applying to the General Assem- bly, the supreme power to remedy the ills of society, in 1798, for another lottery, for the sole benefit of the Congre- gational Church. This was the year when the charter of the United Congregational Society was granted and two years after the death of the venerable pastor, Rev. Solomon Townsend.
A Lottery was granted to the United States Congrega- tional Society in Barrington, January, 1798, as follows :
"Whereas Joshua Bicknell and others, Members of the United Congregational Society, in Barrington, preferred a Petition unto this Assembly and represented, that their House, by them occupied for publick religious Worship, is much decayed, and that the settling the Gospel in that Place, has exhausted their Finances, so that the aforesaid House of Worship, must remain in its present Ruinous Condition, unless relieved by the kind interposition of the Legislature of this State, and thereupon prayed this Assembly to grant them a Lottery, to raise the sum of three thousand Dollars, to be appropriated to the Repairs of said Meeting House, and for the further Establishment of a Gospel Ministry in Said Society, and that the said Joshua Bicknell, and Thomas Allin, Esquires might be appointed Directors of said Lottery, on giving Bonds agreeably to Law : And the premises being duly considered, It is voted and Resolved, that the Prayer of said Petition be granted, that the said Joshua Bick- nell and Thomas . Allen, Esquires, be and they are hereby appointed Directors of said Lottery, on giving Bonds ac-
439
BARRINGTON MEETING-HOUSE LOTTERY.
cording to Law, for the faithful discharge of their trust ; Provided, that they do not set forth a scheme of said Lottery, within six months from the rising of this Assembly."
The tickets were written as follows :
Barrington Meeting House Lottery.
THE bearer of this ticket will be entitled to the prize that may be drawn against No. 1649 agreeably to the scheme of this lottery.
B
THOMAS ALLIN, JOSHUA BICKNELL,
& MANAGERS.
555555555555555! 5555551
The Directors, Messrs. Bicknell & Allin, issued 4,000 tickets, par value $4. If all had been sold, the lottery would have realized $16,000, less the prizes. There were 1,226 prizes of $4 each ; 52 prizes of $10 each ; 24 prizes of $20 each ; 21 prizes of $25 each ; 9 prizes of $50 each ; 10 prizes of $100 each ; 4 prizes of $200 each ; one prize of $500, and one prize of $1,000. The total was something over $10,000. Gen. Allin, one of the Managers of the Lottery, died in the year 1800, and in June, 1800, the General Assembly ap- pointed his son, William Allin, Esq., a lawyer of Barring- ton, as Manager, "to proceed upon the business of said lottery jointly with Joshua Bicknell, Esq."
The tickets were sold at home by the managers, and in Providence and Boston by Lottery Brokers. Jonathan Hastings was their Boston broker, and the following letter from Mr. Hastings will make clear his method of doing business.
BOSTON, 21 Feb 1800.
" MESSRS' BICKNELL & ALLIN. GENTLEMEN -
I think it probable that I could sell as many as five Tick- etts in Barrington Meeting House Lottery, If you see proper
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440
THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
to consign me any. I beg you will send on a number of the Printed Schemes as distributing them will help the sales very much.
My Comm. will be 21/2 p Cent for selling and paying of the Prizes. The Scheme must be published in the Boston paper. This Expense must be paid by the Lottery or Man- agers - It will be about five dollars.
I am Gentlemen, your humble Servant,
JON. HASTINGS."
There were companies established to insure lotteries as the following memoranda will show: Leading gentlemen in Bristol insured 50 tickets in the first Class tickets of Bar- rington Meeting House Lottery of the year 1800, and 210 tickets in the second class of 1801, receiving the tickets at a discount and paying all deficiencies less the prizes ; the first 50 tickets cost $150 ; sixteen prizes of $4 each were drawn, making a loss of $6, or $1.72 each ticket. The 210 tickets sold for $714, and drew prizes amounting to $504, a loss of $210, or $I a ticket.
The following note was addressed to a Lottery Insurance Company :
" June 27, 1800. What will the Washington Insurance Company insure 500 tickets for in the Barrington Meeting House Lottery? to indemnify for the cost of the tickets at three dollars each, the company to have all the prizes drawn against the No's of the tickets insured.
JOSHUA BICKNELL, WILLIAM ALLIN,
Managers.
Endorsement :
18 pr ct. discount, or suppose the Lottery is to have the benefit of the Prizes if amount to more than $1500 - What . will be the premium ? "
The results of the drawing of the first-class were announced in the Herald of the United States, No. 2, Vol. IX, published at the office, Warren, on Friday, July 25,
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441
NEW MEETING-HOUSE.
1800, by Nathaniel Phillips. The second class drawing was announced August 24, ISOI. We have no records to show the amount realized from this lottery.
In 1805 the Society proceeded to erect a new meeting- house, the funds for which were raised in part by this lottery and in part by subscriptions of the people. The location chosen was the site of the present house. After the stakes were driven for the corner of the house, the story goes that Captain Mauran who lived in the house, south of the site, removed the stakes several feet to the east that he might have a better view of the road and river to the north. He certainly did a favor to the Society in securing the present ample grounds in front of the house. The size of the house is known, as the present meeting-house is only a modified form of the old one. The old house had a square porch, which was surmounted by a small tower. There were two front doors to the porch, one on the west and the other on the south side. The interior arrangement of the pews and pulpit on the first floor was the same as in the first house, the number of the' pews being increased. The galleries were supported by small fluted wooden posts as was the pulpit. A row of seats extended around the gallery, and back of these seats was a row of square pews, each of which would seat nine or ten persons. Two rows of seats on the west end of the gallery were occupied by the singers and players on instruments. This house was heated by two stoves that stood, one on the right and the other on the left of the entrance door. Stove pipes conducted the smoke and surplus heat across the house to a chimney on the east end. Foot stoves were however needed in the coldest weather and were used by many of the women of the con- gregation during the winter months. The great sounding board over the preacher's head was an object of interest to all youngsters, and curious speculations occupied young minds as to what would become of the minister should the apparently slight support chance to break. Fears were en- tertained especially, when some tall form gesticulated too
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442
THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
earnestly, lest a rift should be made in this sacred vessel of the Lord's House. Our first impression was that it con- tained some aids to piety, devotion, and eloquence which ministers only had the privilege of enjoying.
Later we learned that its chief function was to aid the vocal organs of the old school theologians as they thundered the anathemas of the damned and proclaimed the happiness of the saved, as they rejoiced over the electing grace of God in sending a few to Heaven, the most to perdition. The old sounding board was an unconscious and innocent agent in the loud declaration of a most pernicious doctrine, which has long since followed the sounding board into an historic oblivion.
In 1851 the society remodelled the meeting-house of 1805-6. The pews, galleries, and sounding board were removed, the floor was elevated so as to admit of a lecture room on the first floor and an audience room on the second floor. The spire was added to the old tower and a bell was introduced. In 1888 the society made still further additions to the east end of the church and an organ was added to the church music. Prior to that time from 1851, the small alcove room in the rear of the audience room was used for the choir and organ. The United Congregational Society still continues to conduct the business affairs of the church in the raising money for the salary and in other mat- ters of a similar character.
In 1816 the property afterwards known as the Parsonage estate was purchased of Silas Shepard, executor of the will of the Rev. Samuel Watson, late pastor of the Congrega- tional Church of Barrington. The grantees were Jabez Bul- lock, Humphrey Kent, Nathaniel Viall, Simeon Grant, Heze- kiah Viall, Noah Reed, Seth Whitmarsh, Peleg Paine, Theophilus Hutchins, John Viall, Benjamin Viall, 2d, of Seekonk, County of Bristol, State of Massachusetts ; Eben- ezer Tiffany, Joshua Bicknell, Allin Bicknell, William Brown, John Short, Wilmarth Heath, Jabez Heath, Solomon Town- send, Jr., Nathaniel Peck, Ebenezer Peck, Benjamin Peck,
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443
THE PARSONAGE.
Learned Peck, Ebenezer Smith, Simeon Drown, Joseph Rawson, George Gladding, Watson Ingraham, Samuel Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Jr., John Humphrey, Emerson Humphrey, Thomas Allen, George Allen, Ellis Peck, Benja- min Martin, Sylvester Allen, Anderson Martin, Ambrose Martin, Sterry Martin, Mary Tiffany, Benjamin Heath, Kent Brown, Simon Smith, Asa Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Josiah Kinnicutt, and Samuel Heath of Barrington. The property was deeded to them, their heirs, and assigns, to be held as a parsonage, for the use of a minister in the Congregational Society of said Barrington, so long as he shall be settled in, and continue to preach to said society, but to be for the use ·of said society, when there is no minister preaching to them. The estate was bounded easterly, by the East Highway ; southerly, by the land of John W. Bicknell, Joshua Bicknell, and others ; westerly by the West Highway ; northerly, by land of Josiah Kinnicutt, Sylvester Allen, Kent Brown, and others, and contained about twenty-one acres.
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