USA > Vermont > Windham County > Newfane > Centennial proceedings and other historical facts and incidents relating to Newfane, the county seat of Windham County, Vermont > Part 1
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NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES 3 3433 07954337 1
1
IQF (NEWFANE) NEWFANE, VA.
7-IQF Ventana,
-
ยท
1774-1874.
CENTENNIAL PROCEEDINGS
AND OTHER
HISTORICAL FACTS
AND INCIDENTS
RELATING TO
NEWFANE, Vt.
The County Seat of Windham County,
VERMONT.
BRATTLEBORO : D. LEONARD, STEAM JOB PRINTER.
1877 H.T. B.A.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. 1896
.
iii
VOTE AUTHORIZING THE PUBLICATION OF THE HISTORY OF NEWFANE.
At a town meeting, held at School House Hall, in Williams- ville, on the 7th day of March, A. D. 1876, it was voted to have seven hundred copies of the " History of the Town and Church" published, together with the proceedings at the Cen- tennial Celebration ; and that one copy be furnished, free, to each family in town, the excess to be sold and the proceeds paid into the town treasury.
VOTED, To have a committee of three appointed to prepare and publish the aforesaid history at the expense of the town. Chose as said committee : J. J. Green, Rev. Charles Burnham and J. H. Merrifield.
D. A. DICKINSON, Town Clerk.
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PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.
In the preparation of this volume, old records have been consulted not only, but thoroughly searched. Some things before in doubt have been settled. Where authorities apparently equally trustworthy have disagreed, we have adopted that view which seemed to have the best evi- clence in its favor, after diligently comparing and sifting the statements made. Notwithstanding all this, it will doubt- less come to pass that some, as they read these pages, will say of certain things here recorded, " I do not believe that. I know that is not so." If the question should be asked, why you so believe, and how you know? perhaps you would say, " We have often heard the old people state these circumstances very differently." True, we have heard all these stories, and, after careful consideration, have reached the results set forth in this volume.
To illustrate, one writer says there were but six families in town when the church was organized ; while the biog- rapher of the Morse family sets the number at twenty. A careful examination of all the conflicting traditions, indicates beyond a reasonable doubt that there were at least fourteen families here in June, 1774, and perhaps twenty.
We cannot close these remarks without returning our sincere thanks to the descendants of the early pioneers and all those who, by their hearty co-operation in this enter- prise, have rendered invaluable aid in the researches that have been necessary to complete this volume.
JOSEPH J. GREEN, CHARLES BURNHAM, Committee.
JOHN H. MERRIFIELD,
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CONTENTS.
PART I.
Record of Proceedings Preparatory to the Centennial Anni- PAGE.
versary, &c.,. 9
Historical Address,-C. K. Field, 15
Biographical Sketches,-C. K. Field, 3-4
Toasts and Responses, 98
Historical Notes. 105
"The Vermont Free Press," 113
The Sleeping Beauty, 117
Centennial Discourse, 123
Sketch of Proceedings, 142
PART II.
Original Charter, .. 151
First Town Officers. 154
Family Genealogies,. 155
Sawtell Family Sermon, 12%
Longevity, Long Married Life, &c. 185
Roads and Bridges, 186
Extracts from first Town Records, &c.,
188
School Districts and Schools,
190 194
Pondville Baptist Church,
First Universalist Church,
198
Methodism in Newfane,.
201
Cemeteries,
202
Fayetteville,.
205
Williamsville,
211
Pondville, .
220
War Record, 225
Sons of Newfane Murdered in Louisiana, 243
Town Officers, 1774-1876, 245
Grand List, 1874, 250
PART I.
RECORD
OF THE PROCEEDINGS PREPARATORY TO THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF NEWFANE, JULY 4, 1874.
FAYETTEVILLE, VT., May IS, 1874 .- Agreeable to a notice given out by the acting pastor of the Congregational Church, Rev. Charles Burnham, on the previous Sabbath, the citizens assembled at the vestry of said church, to take into consideration the subject of a Centennial celebration of the organization of the town of Newfane, also of the church, and organized by choosing Rev. Charles Burnham, Chairman, and F. O. Burditt, Secretary.
VOTED, To hold a town and church celebration. O. T. Ware and J. J. Green were appointed a committee to con- sult with citizens in the south part of the town, and invite them to be present and participate at the next meeting.
VOTED, To adjourn until the evening of the 26th inst., at 7 o'clock.
A true record.
F. O. BURDITT, Sec'y.
May 26, 1874 .- Met agreeable to adjournment, and the meeting was called to order by the Chairman. The report of the proceedings of the last meeting was read by the Secretary ; also heard the report of the committee appointed at the former meeting to consult with the citizens of the south part of the town. In response to the call of the Chairman, remarks were made by B. E. Morse, S. W. Bowker, D. D. Dickinson, E. P. Wheeler, A. J. Morse and Alexander Fairbanks in favor of, and heartily endorsing a centennial celebration.
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VOTED. To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the organization of the town on some day to be determined hereafter.
VOTED, To appoint a committee of arrangements to con- sist of ten persons.
VOTED. That a committee of five be appointed to nomi- nate permanent officers. and the committee of arrangements. The nominating committee was constituted as follows. viz : A. J. Morse. S. W. Bowker, D. D. Dickinson. O. T. Ware and B. E. Morse. After consultation. the committee reported as permanent officers the following list :
President of the Day-A. J. Morse.
Vice Presidents-B E. Morse and Austin Birchard.
Secretary-F. O. Burditt.
Committee of Arrangements-S. W. Bowker. J. J. Green, D. D. Dickinson. B. E. Morse. O. T. Ware. W. T. Bruce, A. B. Franklin. W. A. Stedman. S. P. Miller and S. G. Brown.
The report was accepted and adopted.
VOTED. That the ladies present form themselves into a committee of the whole, and nominate a committee of arrangements from among themselves. The following nomi- nations were made and confirmed :
Mrs. D. D. Dickinson, Mrs. Samuel Morse,
.. S. F. Whitney, W. T. Bruce.
.. D. A. Dickinson. .. (). L. Sherman.
.. F. O. Burditt. .. G. B. Johnson.
S. W. Bowker. .. Hazelton Rice.
.. O. T. Ware. C. E. Park. Miss Fanny Newton,
Amherst Morse.
W. HI. Goodnow. Jessie M. Miller.
.. Frank Moore. . E. E. Morse.
D. S. Sabin. .. Mary R. Birchard.
.. Nathaniel Higgins.
Floral Committee-Mrs. F. A. Fish and Mrs. Henry Cowan.
VOTED. That the celebration be held at Fayetteville on the 4th of July next.
VOTED. That a committee, consisting of one lady and one gentleman from each section of the town. be appointed to solicit subscriptions to pay necessary expenses.
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Mrs. F. O. Burditt and Mr. O. T. Ware, Mrs. O. L. Sherman and Mr. D. D. Dickinson were appointed said committee.
VOTED, That the committee of arrangements meet at S. W. Bowker's to-morrow evening at 7:30, P. M.
VOTED, That when this meeting adjourns, it do so subject to the call of the committee of arrangements.
VOTED, To adjourn.
A true record.
F. O. BURDITT, Sec'y.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, May 27, 1874 .- The committee of arrangements met at S. W. Bowker's, at 7:30 o'clock. and proceeded to business as follows :
VOTED, That a committee of three be appointed to make arrangements with the hotel keepers to furnish dinners on the day of celebration. S. W. Bowker, A. J. Morse and O. T. Ware were chosen such committee.
VOTED, That S. W. Bowker be the committee to con- sult the Hon. C. K. Field, and procure his services to deliver a historical address at the celebration. Should circumstances prevent his acceptance of the trust, then to procure some other person to perform that service.
VOTED, That the ladies take charge of the arrangements for costumes, and also for the singing.
VOTED, That the hour for the address be II o'clock.
VOTED, To have three Marshals, and S. W. Bowker, Col. A. B. Franklin and Samuel Morse were elected to those positions.
VOTED, That we meet at 9 o'clock, A. M., at or near the school house in Fayetteville, and form the procession.
William T. Bruce was appointed a committee to engage a band for the occasion.
J. J. Green was appointed a committee to furnish notices of the celebration and procure their insertion in the county papers.
VOTED, That when we adjourn, it be to meet at Bowles' Hotel two weeks from this evening, (June 9th), at 7 o'clock. Should it be a stormy evening, then to meet on the first pleasant evening after. Adjourned.
F. O. BURDITT, Sec'y. A true record.
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JUNE 9TH .- Met at Bowles' Hotel. at 7 o'clock. P. M. Meeting called to order by S. W. Bowker. Chairman. The report of the last meeting was read by the Secretary.
VOTED. That B. E. Morse and Rev. Charles Burnham be appointed Toast Masters.
VOTED, That S. W. Bowker appear in Continental cos- tume. as one of the Marshals.
VOTED. That a committee of three be appointed to pre- pare a programme for the day. and J. J. Green, O. T. Ware and F. O. Burditt were elected said committee.
VOTED. That a committee of five be appointed to procure costumes, and make all necessary arrangements connected therewith. Mrs. D. A. Dickinson. Mrs. Wm. II. Goodnow. Mrs. S. W. Bowker, Mrs. O. T. Ware and Mrs. D. D. Dickinson were appointed such committee.
VOTED, That F. O. Burditt and wife, and D. A. Dick- inson and wife be a committee to arrange for the singing.
VOTED, That the committee on costumes be requested to send for twenty male and twenty female costumes.
VOTED, To adjourn the meeting for two weeks from this evening, to S. W. Bowker's Hotel. at 7 o'clock. P. M.
F. O. BURDITT. Sec'y. A true record.
JUNE 23D, 1874 .- The Committee of Arrangements met. according to adjournment, at S. W. Bowker's, at 7 o'clock, P. M. The meeting was called to order by the Chairman, and the proceedings of the last meeting were read by the Secretary.
On motion. a committee of three was chosen to procure lumber, build a platform. prepare seats. and make the general arrangements for the accommodation of speakers, invited guests, and the public in general. S. G. Brown, F. O. Burditt and D. A. Dickinson were appointed said committee.
VOTED, To adjourn without day.
I certify the foregoing to be a true record of the proceedings in relation to the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the organization of the town of Newfane.
[Attest.] F. O. BURDITT, Sec'y.
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The following is a copy of the circular letter of invitation issued, and published in the newspapers of the day :
1774.
1874.
CENTENNIAL
Of the Town of Newfane, Vt.
A. J. MORSE, President.
AUSTIN BIRCHARD,
BENJ. MORSE. Vice Presidents.
DEAR SIR :- This is the centennial year of the charter and organization of the Town and Congregational Church of Newfane, and we feel it not only a duty but a pleasure to do honor to the memory of those brave Fathers and noble Mothers who, facing all the perils and suffering the hard- ships incident to pioneer life, wended their way into this. then pathless forest, and built for themselves homes that soon echoed to the music from the cradle and the busy hum of the great wheel and the little wheel, and the wild free song of the girl at the loom
As she fashioned the wool and the tow, For wear and not for show.
The settlement of the town was commenced in May, 1766. by Jonathan Park, Nathaniel Stedman and Ebenezer Dyer. from Worcester County, Mass.
The town was organized in 1774, and we feel that the appropriate day of the year to honor its founders, is that day which has crowned the work of all our fathers with honor and glory among the nations of the earth.
Therefore, we do earnestly and cordially invite you and yours to come and join with us in celebrating the Town Centennial, on the 4th of July, 1874.
Yours truly, S. W. BOWKER,
Chairman of Com. of Arrangements.
NEWFANE, VT., June 1, IS74.
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1774. 1874.
NEWFANE CENTENNIAL. July 4th, 187 4.
PROGRAMME OF THE DAY.
At g o'clock. A. M .. the Procession will be formed in the following order :
ist. Ye ancient Marshal, S. W. BOWKER. will appear in the Military Uniform of Continental times, assisted by Marshals Col. A. B. Franklin and Samuel Morse. arrayed in the Military styles of the present day.
2d. Brattleboro Cornet Band.
3d. Settlers of 1766 moving into town.
4th. Parson Taylor's goodly people on their way to church. in the Sunday-go-to-meeting garb of a hundred years ago.
5th. Young America and My Lady of the Period.
The line of march will be through the Streets and around the Square.
. At 11 o'clock, Prayer by the Rev. CHLAS. BURNHAM. AN ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
Music by the Choir - Music by the Band.
Auld Lang Syne.
Historical Address by the Hon. CHAS. K. FIELD. Music by the Choir Ode to Science. Music by the Band. Dinner at 12 1-2 o'clock.
2 o'clock. p. M .. Music by the Choir - Old Liberty. Music by the Band.
2d. Voluntary Speeches, Sentiments. Responses. &c. An Original Poem written for the occasion.
MUSIC. 0 Sunday, July 5. The morning service will be devoted to a SPECIAL HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE CHURCH.
HISTORICAL ADDRESS OF THE
HON. CHARLES K. FIELD:
Delivered at the Centennial Anniversary of the organi- zation of the Church and Town of Newfane, July 4th, 1874.
EWFANE, the shire town of Windham County, is situated eleven miles west of Connecticut river, and is bounded north by Townshend, east by Dummerston, Putney and Brookline, west by Wardsboro and Dover. and south by Marlboro. The township contained originally within its chartered limits thirty-six square miles; but, in IS20, that part of the town lying northeast of West river was annexed to Brookline, which materially reduced the chartered area of the town. The original charter of the town was granted in 1753, by Benning Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire, to Abner Sawyer and others, by the name of Fane. There was a current tradition, seventy years ago. that it was called Fane after Thomas Fane, one of the " men of Kent " who was engaged in an insurrectionary movement under Sir Thomas Wyat. in 1554, during the reign of Queen Mary, for the purpose of elevating Lady Jane Grey to the throne, in consequence of the odious Spanish match which Mary had formed with Philip 2d. Abner Sawyer and sixty- five others were the original grantees of Fane. Their names were as follows :
Abner Sawyer, John Milling, Ebenezer Morse, Vespasian
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Millar. Joseph Baker. Thomas Adams. James Ball. John Ball, Samuel Brown. Jabez Beaman. John Hazeltine. Ross Wyman. John Young, John Adams. Charles Bridgham. Joseph Dyer. Jr .. John Chadack. Barnet Wait. Ebenezer Taylor. Ebenezer Prescott. Isaac Temple. Edward Goodale, John Holland. Phineas Wilder. Joshua Houghton. Asa Boucher, David Osgood. Jonathan Osgood. Asa Whitcomb. Samuel Bayley. Thomas Sawyer, Saul Houghton. Ezekiel Kendall, Samuel Kendall, Daniel Allen, Ebenezer Taylor, Jr., Joseph Bayley, Nathaniel Houghton. John McBoide. Philip Goss, Joseph Glazier. Jacob Pike, Benjamin Glazier, Abner Wilder, Josiah Wilder. William Densmore, Barzillai Holt, John Glazier. Nathaniel Bexby, Rueben Moore. Aaron Newton, Peter Larkin. Matthias Larkin. Samuel Moore. Jonathan Wilder, Tille Wilder. Ezra Sawyer, Ezra Sawyer. Jr .. John Stone. Fortunatus Taylor. Hy. Sherburne. Theo- dore Atkinson. Richard Wibird. Samuel Smith. John Down- ing, Samuel Solley, Sampson Sheaffe, Daniel Warner, and John Wentworth, Jr.
In 1761 the charter was returned to Gov. Wentworth. and a new one issued to Luke Brown and his associates, containing the same provisions that are embraced in the original charter. The nth day of May, 1772. the governor of New York made a grant of this township, by the name of Newfane. to Walter Franklin and twenty others. most of whom resided in the city of New York. This New York charter is a literal copy of the original charter granted by Gov. Wentworth. The 12th of May, 1772, Walter Franklin and his associates, the grantees named in the New York charter, assigned and conveyed all their right in said town- ship to Luke Knowlton and John Taylor, Esqs .. of Worcester County, Mass. The titles to the lands in said township are derived directly from the New York charter. The township was surveyed in 1772, and duly organized May 17, 1774. The town was first settled in 1766, by Jonathan Park, Nathaniel Stedman and Ebenezer Dyer, who emigrated from Worcester County, Mass. The first clearing was made by Park and Stedman on the Nathan Merrifield farm, north of the Newfane Hill Common. in the spring of 1766. In 1774. Judge Knowlton, one of the original proprietors under
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the New York charter, was allotted some 300 or 400 acres in and about the present site of Fayetteville.
Deacon Park's clearing covered the old common on New- fane Hill and the Knowlton Farm. Judge Knowlton exchanged his lands in and about Fayetteville with Deacon Park for his clearing of eighty acres and a log cabin thereon. The deacon went down and cleared up the land in and about Fayetteville. In 1787, the judge succeeded in removing the shire from Westminster to Newfane Hill; but in IS24- thirty-seven years thereafter-the shire was removed from the Hill to Fayetteville. Had Judge Knowlton made his pitch upon the lots originally allotted to him on Smith's Brook, and contributed as liberally towards the growth and pros- perity of a village where Fayetteville now is, it would have changed materially the destiny of Newfane. Starting. a hundred years ago. a settlement where Fayetteville now stands, with no rival villages near, it would have secured such a concentration of wealth and business as would have made it one of the most important villages in the county. For several years the early settlers suffered all the hardships and privations incident to the settlement of a new country. Without roads, or teams, or any of the ordinary means of transportation, they were under the necessity of conveying, by their own personal efforts, all their provisions and farming tools from Hinsdale, N. H.,-a distance of twenty miles- through an unbroken forest. At that early day there was no road or pathway up the valley of the West river, from Brattleboro ; but they were obliged to cross Wicopee Hill. in Dummerston, by marked trees. Elizabeth, a child of Jonathan Park, was the first child born in town,-February 20th, 1768.
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INDIANS.
The early settlers of Newfane were never molested by the Indians, for the reason that no permanent settlements were made in this town until after the storming and taking of Quebec by Wolf, in 1759, and the capitula- tion of Montreal in 1760, when the French lost their control over the Indian tribes in the Canadas. June 27, 1748, before any settlement was commenced, a battle was fought in the south part of this town or north part of Marl- boro : the precise place of the battle cannot be fixed. Capt. Humphrey Hobbs, with 40 men, was ordered from Charles- town. No. 4, through the forest to Fort Shirly, in Heath, one of the frontier posts in Massachusetts. The march was made without interruption until Hobbs arrived at a point about twelve miles northwest of Fort Dummer, "on a low piece of ground covered with alders intermixed with larger trees, and watered by a rivulet," where he halted to give his men an opportunity to refresh themselves. A large body of Indians, commanded by a half-breed of the name of Sackett, who was said to have been a descendant of a cap- tive taken at Westfield, Mass., discovered Hobbs' trail, and endeavored to cut him off. Hobbs had carefully posted a guard on his trail, and, while his men were refreshing them- selves, the enemy came up and drove in the guard. Hobbs then arranged his men for action, each man selecting his tree for a cover. The enemy rushed forward, and received a well-directed fire from Hobbs' men, which checked their progress. A severe conflict ensued. Sackett and Hobbs were well known to each other, and both were distinguished for their intrepidity and courage. Sackett could speak English, and frequently called upon Hobbs to surrender, threatening to sacrifice his men with the tomahawk if he refused. Hobbs, in a lond voice. returned a defiant answer, and dared his enemy to put his threat in execution. The action continued about four hours, each party retaining their
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original position. During the fight the enemy would approach Hobbs' line, but were immediately driven back. Sackett, finding his men had suffered severely, retreated, carrying off his dead and wounded. Hobbs lost only three of his men -Ebenezer Mitchell, Eli Scott and Samuel Green ; and three were wounded. The loss of the enemy was supposed to be greater. In all battles the Indians made extraordinary efforts to conceal their loss, and to effect this would incur greater exposure than in actual combat. When one fell, the nearest comrade was accustomed to crawl up and, under cover of the trees and brush, fix a " tump line " to the dead body and cautiously drag it to the rear. Hobbs' men stated that in this action they often saw the dead bodies of the Indians sliding along the ground as if by enchantment. As late as the year IS10, a large number of graves were visible on the lower portion of the Robinson flats, so-called, under a cluster of chestnut trees, near the South Branch below Williamsville, where the bodies of the Indians who were killed in this fight were supposed to have been buried : at least, such was the current tradition for fifty years or more among the early settlers of Newfane. Stevens, in his Journal, states that Capt. Hobbs started for Fort Shirly from Charlestown, No. 4, with forty-two men, officers included, on Thursday, June 23. 1748, and camped the first night at Bellows Falls, and the next day marched for West River, which they reached Saturday, 25th ; " then traveled down the river and came to the South Branch, then traveled up the Branch two miles and camped, then traveled six miles southwest, and came to a small brook, where we boiled our kettles, and just as we began to eat, the enemy came upon us." The late General Field, who furnished a sketch of Newfane for Thompson's Gazetteer, about fifty years ago, was evidently misled by the prevailing traditions in relation to the fight with the Indians by Melvin's party for he fixed the scene of the battle at the mouth of the South Branch, in Newfane; and Belknap, in his history of New Hampshire, and Beckley, in his history of Vermont, adopt the same error. The publication of Capt. Melvin's journal, in the New Hampshire historical collec- tions, fixes the place of the fight with Melvin's party in Jamaica, some seventeen miles above the mouth of the South
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Branch in Newfane. and about four miles below the mouth of Winhall river, which. during the old French wars, was regarded as the upper fork of West river. and the South Branch in Newfane as the lower fork thereof. After the fight with Hobbs, Sackett retreated and passed down the Wan- tastiquet to its mouth, and. crossing the Connecticut, marched down to a point opposite Fort Dummer, where they ambus- caded a party of seventeen men, who were marching from Hinsdale to the fort. under command of Ensign Thomas Tay- lor. and killed four of the party. Four escaped. and the remainder. with Ensign Taylor. were taken prisoners. Ensign Taylor, in a journal describing his march to Canada, which he wrote after his return, describes his route to Crown Point, on Lake Champlain, as follows: " Crossed the Connecticut at a place called . Catts-bane,' two or three miles above the mouth of West river, which we fell in with at the lower fork : thence proceeded up that river, part of the way on the flats, over the ground where Capt. Melvin's affair hap- pened. three or four miles below the upper fork ; thence to the source of the river." This would seem to settle the question conclusively. that the fight with Melvin's party took place some two hundred rods northeast of Jamaica village. on the banks of the West river. At the commencement of this century. the graves on the Robinson meadow, about one hundred rods below Williamsville, near the left bank of the South Branch. were plainly to be seen ; and the writer of this remembers when a boy, as late as 1812, two graves were distinctly visible on Newfane Hill, and the current tradition was that two scouts from Fort Dummer were at one time engaged in shooting salmon at the mouth of the South Branch, and, being driven by the Indians to the summit of Newfane Hill. were killed, and afterwards buried about sixty rods northwest of the site of the old Court House. The theories of Beckley, Belknap, and others. in relation to the origin of the graves on the Robinson meadow and on New- fane Hill, are all contradicted by the journals of Melvin and Stevens. The ploughshare has long since rudely obliterated every trace of their existence.
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RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
There are three religious societies in town, Baptist, Con- gregational and Universalist. The Congregational is the most numerous. Their place of worship is at Fayetteville. The Universalists have occasional preaching at Williamsville, and the Baptists worship at Pondville, in the extreme south part of the town.
A Congregational Church was organized in 1774. when there were but fourteen families residing in the town: it consisted of nine members, and Rev. Hezekiah Taylor was ordained and assumed the pastoral charge of it on the day of its organization.
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