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VERMONT CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES
1762-1914
GG 914.3 C73c
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Gc 974.3 C73c 1144757
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00055 6271
TohumComstock
The CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES of VERMONT and THEIR MINISTRY 1762-1914 HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL
By JOHN M. COMSTOCK Corresponding Secretary of Vermont Congregational Conference
ST. JOHNSBURY, VT., THE CALEDONIAN COMPANY,
1915
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/congregationalch1762coms
ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS
The reader will note the following corrections, and one item of additional information.
Page 129, last line, New should read Now
Page 140, No. 22, Crew should read Crewe
Page 154, Knowlton, Stephen, should be No. 59
Page 156, No. 7, Langford, John Cosyn; Ely, Eng., Jan. 22, 1851
No. 11, B 93 belongs in this line No. 12, D C 82, Y 85, belongs here
No. 67, B 13 belongs here, and not with No. 66 Page 173, the following numbers should read thus :
No. 31, Poultney
No. 32, Oct. 29, 1828, Sudbury ; Winchester, N. H., Apr. 3,1846
No. 33, Mar. 21, 1888, Warren, Woodbury, Calais
No. 34, Dec. 3, 1788, Sharon, Chelsea, Highgate ; Chelsea, July 19, 1843
No. 35, Nov. 20, 1805, Pomfret ; Halifax, N. S., Sept. 11, 1848
Page 174, No. 61, Wells, Moses Hemmenway
1144757
CONTENTS
Page
The Beginnings
7
Later History
11
Organizations
12
Vermont Domestic Missionary Society
14
Fairbanks Boards
16
Religious Periodicals
16
Women's Organizations
18
Associations of Churches
18
Ministerial Associations
19
men
Annual Meetings of State Body
21
The Towns, Their Church and Ministry
26
Alphabetical List of Ministers
126
Vermont's Contribution to the Ministry
180
FOREWORD.
The undertaking of preparing a history of the Congrega- tional churches of Vermont was first seriously proposed by Rev. Pliny H. White, who had unusual gifts for historical re- search. He had collected much material, when his early and lamented death in 1869 put an end to his researches. Rev. Azel W. Wild succeeded to the results of his labors, and gathered in addition a vast amount of data about the early history of Congregationalism in the state. His design to publish a volume on the subject was approved by the state Convention, and sample pages and a prospectus were put in print; but greatly to Mr. Wild's disappointment, the work was of such size as not to be readily salable, and he reluctantly abandoned the project. His manuscript, which contains a history of each church down to 1830 and biographies of pastors and native ministers to the same date, has been deposited in the Congregational Library in Boston.
The present writer, who succeeded Mr. Wild in the position of corresponding secretary of the state body, is deeply in- debted to his predecessor for his courtesy in permitting the use of his manuscript, as well as of his valuable collection of material covering the more recent years. He has prepared this volume in the belief that a work of less ambitious scope and smaller compass would be welcomed by Congregationalists of his native state. Its historical outline professes to be but a brief summary. The statistics form the major part of the work, and have been prepared with much care, having always as their substantial basis the earlier work of Mr. White and especially the invaluable collection of Mr. Wild.
Errors and omissions will be found, as the writer is painfully aware. Some of these could perhaps have been rectified by further investigation, but it has not seemed best to delay publi- cation longer.
VERMONT CONGREGATIONALISM.
It should be needless to say that this little volume does not profess to be a history of organized Christianity in Vermont, and makes no mention of the other denominations which have had a large and worthy part in the religious life of the people. Its only aim is to cover the outlines of the work of that denomina- tion which was the first of Protestants in the field and has al- ways maintained the first place in number of churches and of communicants.
JOHN M. COMSTOCK.
Chelsea, Vt., July 1, 1914.
THE BEGINNINGS.
For the beginnings of Congregationalism in Vermont we go back to the first coming of English-speaking white settlers, or even earlier. The first Protestant* religious service in Vermont was undoubtedly held in the town of Rockingham in March, 1704. Rev. John Williams, pastor of the church in Deerfield, Mass., during a Sunday halt in the mournful march toward Canada of the captives taken at the famous raid upon Deer- field preached a sermon to the remnants of his congregation on the bank of the stream which now bears his name. The first independent English settlement in the state was at Fort Dum- mer, now Brattleboro, in 1724. By 1728 a chaplain was in regu- lar appointment at the fort, and so for a long time thereafter. The chaplain was a Congregationalist, and there should natur- ally have been a church organized at Brattleboro earlier than elsewhere. Just why this was not done is not quite plain. The organization there, as will be seen, was not effected till many years later.
The rapid settlement of Vermont did not begin until the close of the French and Indian War, when the region first ceased to be in constant danger from Indian attack. Settlers now came in rapidly from the longer settled parts of New England. These were nearly all of Puritan stock, and so naturally Congre- gationalists. The first of the new settlements was at Benning- ton, and there the first church of our order and the first Protestant church in the state was organized in 1762, the next year after the beginning of the town.
The formation of this church calls for special notice. It was constituted by formal union of churches in Hardwick and Sunderland, Mass., whose members had emigrated in a body, joined presently by a church in Westfield, Mass., whose pastor
*Roman Catholicism temporarily preceded Protestantism in the state. At Fort St. Anne, in Isle la Motte, mass was regularly said as early as 1664 or '6. Jesuit priests were also active among the Indians along Lake Champlain soon after this date, and built a little church edifice at Swanton probably in 1700.
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VERMONT CONGREGATIONALISM.
became pastor of the Bennington church, and by a part of a church at Newent (then in Norwich, but now in Lisbon), Conn. These were all "separate" churches, not in fellowship with "regular" Congregational churches. The widespread "separ- ate"* movement in Massachusetts and Connecticut had its ori- gin in a protest against the "halfway covenant" and formalism, and in insistence upon vital religion in the pulpit and in the membership of the churches,-these being stimulated by the "Great Awakening" which attended the preaching of White- field and his associates. It was attended by many excesses and follies, but on the whole wrought a good work. The church of Bennington,t then, was irregular in its formation, as indeed in various ways were several other of the earlier churches.
The course of immigration followed two parallel lines on the western and eastern sides of the state. The next church organ- ized in 1764 was well up the Connecticut valley, at Newbury, joined with Haverhill, N. H. Next follow Westminster, 1767; Windsor (joined with Cornish, N. H.), 1768; Guilford, 1767 or '8; Brattleboro (now West Brattleboro), about 1770; Nor- wich, North church, 1770; First church in Hartford (Presby- terian but afterwards becoming Congregational,-the "Dothan" church), 1771; Thetford, 1773; Rutland (now West Rutland), 1773; Rockingham and Chester,§ 1773; Newfane, 1774; Weath- ersfield, First church, 1775; Putney, 1776; Marlboro, 1776; Royalton, 1777; Townshend, 1777; Halifax, 1778; West Wind-
*The most authoritative account of this movement may be found in "The Separates, or Strict Congregationalists of New England," by Rev. S. Leroy Blake, a native Vermonter, born in Cornwall, published by the Pilgrim Press. The theory that immigration to Vermont was largely stimulated by persecution of the Separatists on the part of the "Standing Order" in Mass. and Conn. has been disproved by Prof. J. E. Goodrich. See The Verinont Review for January, 1907.
¡The story goes that growth of Congregationalism at Bennington was stimulated by the policy of Samuel Robinson, leader of the Ben- nington settlers, who inquired into the religious preferences of new- comers, inviting Congregationalists to remain in Bennington, but di- recting Baptists to Shaftsbury and Episcopalians to Arlington, while those of no preference were turned toward Pownal. It is certainly true that the first Baptist church in the state was organized in Shafts- bury, which town has remained loyal to that denomination, and the first Episcopal service was held at Arlington, while Pownal has never been a stronghold of any branch of the church.
¿This town, most populous in the state in the censuses of 1791 and 1800, has suffered more from einigration than any other.
§The two towns combined in one organization. Upon their separa- tion in 1778 each church retained the original date of organization.
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VERMONT CONGREGATIONALISM.
sor, 1778; Dummerston, 1779; Hartland, 1779. Of these 21 churches formed before 1780, only two are west of the moun- tains.
The period of beginnings may be considered somewhat arbi- trarily to end with the close of the 18th century. Before the be- ginning of 1801, 76 more Congregational churches were organized, making in all 97; but three of these had become extinct, so that the new century was begun with 94 churches. Nearly all these were in the southern half of the state, where most of the earlier settlements naturally lay.
At Bennington and Newbury, as we have seen, the church began with the town, the sentiment of the early settlers being predominantly religious. It must not be thought that this was generally the case. The new towns formed the frontier of New England, and we have not found in later times that religious institutions develop spontaneously in frontier settlements. Many of these new churches trace their beginnings to incentives from without. In 1780 the General Association of Connecticut deputed two ministers for service in "Vermont and parts ad- jacent." Following this, many temporary missions into the new settlements of New York and Vermont were undertaken by Connecticut pastors either on their own responsibility or that of their local associations, in response to urgent requests from Connecticut people who had moved to the new regions. The Missionary Society of Connecticut was formed for this very purpose in 1798. Many of the early churches owe their organ- ization to the missionary tours of these Connecticut pastors,* some of whom remained in the state and are enrolled among our early ministers.
With the progressive settlement of the state (the popula- tion grew from 154,465 in 1800 to 280,652 in 1830) the or- ganization of churches kept pace. From 1801 to 1830, 104 new names appear, besides reorganizations in some cases where the first organization had become extinct. Other denominations, notably Baptists, Methodists, and Free Baptists, had come in, and for them, as for us, this was a period of rapid growth. Many of the names added to our roll before 1830 have long since disappeared. Some were no doubt unwisely planted and un-
*Some came also from Massachusetts on a similar errand.
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VERMONT CONGREGATIONALISM.
necessary ; many towns were overchurched from denominational zeal; some churches perished through internal dissensions, traceable in some cases to unworthy ministers who proved false shepherds. A large proportion of the extinct churches of this period never had a house of worship as a local habitation. The shifting of population, also, began early to cause "abandoned farms" in the older towns .* It is not difficult to account for the long list of dead churches, which are not found solely or chiefly in our own denomination.
In an account of the beginnings there belongs some men- tion of pecuniary ways and means. In Massachusetts and Con- necticut, whence most early Vermonters came, the Congrega- tional churches formed the "Standing Order," and the erection of houses of worship and the maintenance of pastors was a sub- ject of general taxation. This was one of the matters against which the Separatists protested, and to which of course other denominations were opposed. In 1780, the General Assembly of Vermont passed an act empowering a town to levy land taxes for building or repairing its meeting house or supporting its minister, provided that no person be compelled to contribute "contrary to the dictates of his conscience." In 1783 this was made more explicit by declaring that all persons should be "considered as being of opinion with the major part of the inhabitants within such town or parish," and so liable for taxation to support the church favored by the majority, unless a certificate should be produced signed by an officer of some other church, to the effect that the person in question was a supporter of that church. In 1801 the law was relaxed so as to allow any voter to certify for himself that he did not "agree in religious opinion with a majority of the inhabitants of the town," and so free himself from the legal obligation. In 1807 all laws uniting church and state were repealed and the support of public worship in every form was made purely voluntary.
*Conant's History of Vermont shows that 10 towns lost population between 1791 and 1800, 13 between 1800 and 1810, 63 between 1810 and. 1820, and 44 between 1820 and 1830.
LATER HISTORY.
The year 1830 may fairly be taken as marking the end of the Period of Beginnings. Immigration had practically ceased, and emigration to the newer frontier of the West was well in operation. From this time until quite recent days more churches became extinct than were newly organized. The later organ- izations were mainly in newer villages begun or fostered by the course of the railroads, or made necessary by the shifting of centers of population for other reasons. Growth was hindered not only by the draining of young life from the farming towns (which is still the chief obstacle to the vigorous life of many of our churches), but there were also powerful internal con- vulsions, divisive and in some localities almost fatal to the life of the church. Such were the Anti-Masonic fever, which caused the end of many pastorates and set many churches by the ears; the shorter and less virulent plague of Millerism, which in some localities was extremely trying; the Anti-slavery agitation, which was divisive in its beginnings, while in the end great unanimity resulted. With these may be mentioned the controversy over the "new measures" in evangelism,* with the career of the noted (or notorious) Burchard, evangelist, as an episode. This evangelistic movement resulted in more additions to the churches than in the same length of time before or since, but the reaction was equally noteworthy.
The latest years of our history have shown on the whole a steadier life than any preceding period. The number of churches organized in the past quarter century has so far ex- ceeded the number of those becoming extinct that the number now reported (214) is probably larger than has ever been true at any time in the past. Probably also fewer of these have a merely nominal existence and more are real factors in the higher life of their communities.
*The so-called "Free" churches of Montpelier and Berlin were a short-lived mark of this controversy.
ORGANIZATIONS.
The Ministerial Associations, formed by pastors and other ministers for mutual fellowship and helpfulness, were the earli- est organizations in the state other than the churches them- selves. The Windham Association was formed in 1775, the Rutland in 1788, and others soon after. These Associations have always examined and licensed candidates for the min- istry, and until very recently membership in an Association has been considered a necessary requisite to good standing in the ministry. Recent changes have lodged ministerial standing in the Associations of Churches, and the Ministerial Associations have become merely professional clubs without ecclesiastical im- portance.
Consociations of Churches were first formed in Windham and Rutland counties in 1797 and '8, combining the churches and their pastors into one organization for purposes of fellow- ship and also with functions of a standing council with authority over both churches and pastors. Out of these gradually grew the Conferences of Churches, disclaiming authority and aiming at fellowship only. These have somewhat reluctantly by urgent advice of the National Council changed their name from Con- ference to Association, and have assumed responsibility for the standing of ministers within their borders and the function of licensure. The tendency is also to resume some measure of authority and to revert to the type of the old Consociation.
The state organization began oddly enough with a meeting outside the state, at Hanover, N. H.,* Aug. 27, 1795, of delegates from Ministerial Associations, at which it was decided to or- ganize a General Convention of Ministers in the State of Ver- mont, to be composed of two members from each Association or Presbytery in the state. The denominational name did not for many years appear in the title, Congregational and Presby-
*The meeting was held at the annual Commencement of Dart- mouth College in the president's study.
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VERMONT CONGREGATIONALISM.
terian churches being but vaguely distinguished .* Fellowship was the general aim, as with the Ministerial Associations. There were none but ministerial members until 1822, when the constitution was altered to admit delegates from the Consocia- tions, who might be laymen. Upon the rise of the Conferences, they were given membership, together with the Ministerial As- sociations. In 1841 the name of the body became the General Convention of the Congregational Ministers and Churches in Vermont. In 1892 a radical change took place, providing that hereafter the Convention should be composed of direct repre- sentatives (pastor and delegate) of the churches. In 1898 the name became The Congregational Convention of Vermont, and in 1908, obedient to national request, The Vermont Congrega- tional Conference.
*Very likely it was at first (but vainly) hoped that the Grafton Presbytery, having churches on both sides of the Connecticut river. would unite.
1
VERMONT DOMESTIC MISSIONARY SOCIETY .*
Mention has been already made of the early home mission- ary work in Vermont done by ministers from Connecticut and Massachusetts. The beginnings of such work by our own churches may be dated from the appointment of a committee in 1804 by the "Consociations of the Western Districts of Ver- mont" to prosecute this work and to receive contributions for its support.
At the meeting of the state Convention of 1807, it was voted that "the Convention form themselves into a society to be known by the name and style of the Vermont Missionary Society." This continued in operation for eleven years, toward the end of which period its pecuniary support became seriously weakened. In 1817, Mr. Levi Parsons, later a devoted but short-lived missionary to Turkey, was commissioned by the so- ciety for itinerant missionary service and for the raising of funds. He organized what he called Juvenile Missionary So- cieties in many towns of the state, with the special object of enlisting the interest of the young. So successful was this movement that in 1818 the Vermont Missionary Society made way for a new organization, to be composed of delegates from these local societies and called the Vermont Juvenile Missionary Society. In 1826 its name was changed to the Vermont Do- mestic Missionary Society, by which it is still known. Since 1823 the society has held its annual meeting together with the Convention, with which its membership has become practically identical. In the same year of its last change of name, 1826, the American (now Congregational) Home Missionary Society was formed, and our state society became at once auxiliary to the latter, entrusting to it all home missionary work outside
* A fuller treatment of this subject may be found in "An Historical Sketch of Home Missionary Work in Vermont by the Congregational Churches," read by Rev. Charles S. Smith at the 75th anniversary of the society in 1893, and printed in a pamphlet of 18 pages.
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VERMONT CONGREGATIONALISM.
our state limits. At a much later date (1906) a closer union was formed, our state society, with others, becoming a con- stituent part of the national society, and sharing in its man- agement.
The missionary work was at first almost wholly itinerant, the workers going about among weak churches and destitute communities, and remaining but a brief time in any one place. In 1826 a change of policy took place. The itinerant work proved deficient in lasting results, and from this time the effort of the society was mainly devoted to aiding the weaker churches in the support of a permanent ministry. About 1850 stress be- gan again to be laid on itinerant work for communities entirely unchurched, and from this time, or a little later, both methods of work have been pursued together. The decade beginning in 1850 is conspicuous for an alarmning weakness of many churches in the smaller towns due to emigration. In some cases more members of a given church were to be found in some Western community than in the home town.
From 1857 the employment of theological students for sum- mer work with churches and in pioneer work has been steadily pursued, and many distinguished ministers of our denomination have found rural Vermont a valuable training school. In 1891 began the employment of young women as district visitors in needy regions, out of which has developed in many cases the service of these young women as acting pastors of churches.
From two-thirds to three-fourths of all the churches now existing in the state have been founded or at some time aided by our state missionary society, including not a few which have grown to strength and prominence. Many others, still weak, have been kept from extinction by the same means, to the vast benefit of the communities where they are situated.
The following are the principal officers of the Society from the beginning :
PRESIDENTS-Richard Skinner, 1818-19; Titus Hutchinson, 1819-29; Samuel Swift, 1829-34; William Page, 1834-47; Wil- liam C. Kittredge, 1847-49; Erastus Fairbanks, 1849.65; James W. Hickok, 1865-74; Charles F. Thompson, 1874-5; J. M. Haven, 1875-6; John W. Stewart, 1876-7: Franklin Fairbanks,
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1877-84; Rev. Henry Fairbanks, 1884-1914; Nathan G. Wil- liams, 1914-
SECRETARIES-Rev. Thomas A. Merrill, 1807-18; Rev. Daniel Haskel, 1818-22; Rev. Calvin Yale, 1822-8; Rev. Reuben Smith, 1829-30; Rev. Charles Walker, 1830-3; Rev. Ira Ingraham, 1833-9; Rev. Samuel Delano, 1839-42; Rev. Isaac R. Worcester, 1842-7; Rev. Cyrus B. Drake, 1847-8; Rev. John F. Stone, 1848-63; Rev. Charles S. Smith, 1863-88; Rev. Charles H. Mer- rill, 1888-
TREASURERS-William H. Hooker, 1812-21; Job Lyman, 1821-7; Samuel Hickok, 1827-30; James D. Butler, 1830-2; Ira Button, 1832-9; Constant W. Storrs, 1839-72; Joseph C. Emery, 1872-89; Theron M. Howard, 1889-93; William C. Tyler, 1893- 1902; John T. Ritchie, 1902-
THE FAIRBANKS BOARDS.
In 1856, in accordance with the bequest of Joseph P. Fair- banks of St. Johnsbury, two funds of $10,000 each came into possession of the Convention, the income to be used, in one case, for "the aid of pious young men in a course of preparation for the ministry," and in the other, "to be given to disabled and needy clergymen of Vermont." Two boards of five persons each are annually chosen to fulfill the conditions of these trusts, and each makes an annual report to the state body. By other bequests and gifts these funds have increased until the fund of the Fairbanks Board of Education now stands at $16,215, and of the Fairbanks Board for the Relief of Ministers at $25,250. The later additions to the latter fund are allowed to be used for the aid also of widows and orphans of ministers. Annual contributions are also made hy churches to be admin- istered by the latter board.
RELIGIOUS PERIODICALS .*
The emphasis which Congregationalism puts upon the in- tellectual side of religion helps to explain the demand for re-
*An address delivered by Rev. Ezra H. Byington before the cen- tennial meeting of the General Convention at Bennington in 1895 treats at length of the history of the Chronicle and its predecessors.
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VERMONT CONGREGATIC NAL ISM.
ligious literature of a high class which. has been noteworthy in Vermont, as elsewhere. Certain periodicals have been closely connected with our denomination in the state for a large part of its existence.
First was the Vermont Adviser, a monthly magazine pub- lished through seven years (1809-15), edited with signal ability by men in the ministry of our churches appointed for that pur- pose by the state Convention, and devoted to religious intelli- gence and discussion suited to the needs and modes of thought of the day.
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