USA > Vermont > Windham County > Whitingham > Green leaves from Whitingham, Vermont: a history of the town > Part 9
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It is well known that Nehemiah Sprague rang and 1 tolled this bell, when the tongue was missing, with a blacksmith's hammer ; and it is said that he tolled it in this way when the tongue was in place.
Some person having more brass than brains has undertaken to pervert history, and say that Sprague never struck the bell with a hammer. I know that he did. On monday night, July 3, 1837, I was sent to obtain the key to the belfry, so that the "fourth" might be opened in due form. The person to whom I was sent (Rufus Chase) said that the key had been Rufus Chass used the day before and not returned. Before midnight a key was found
and the belfry opened. It was understood by the
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boys that this key came from the hay scales. The bell was struck at 12 M., by Nehemiah Sprague, with a blacksmith's hammer, the tongue having been stol- en the night before, for it had been rung on Sunday. I know these facts.
The bell was injured that night, and a change in its tone noticed. From that time gradually weaker, and within six it was tolled for the last time at neral of Martha Hall. Sprague used the hammer on this occa- sion, but it was well known that the bell had been failing for more than a month. This bell was replaced by one weighing 1105 pounds.
it grew weeks the fu-
The new one was used several years, and then it disappeared. At length it turned up in Sadawga and was hung in the belfry of the the Methodist church, (now Baptist) under an agreement that the church should never acquire title to it by possession.
Not long after 1840 the decay of the old meeting- house became painfully perceptible, and finally it was abandoned for religious purposes, being only used as a town house. Efforts were made to have it kept in repair, and Hon. Parley Starr offered to pay quite a sum for that purpose, but a favorable vote of the town could not be obtained and it was abandoned.
When the villages of Jacksonville and Sadawga became somewhat populous, town meetings began to be held in those places, and the old house was left
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to the mercy of the elements: Piece by piece it was carried away by relic hunters and those too lazy to furnish their own fire wood, till it was stripped of its inward beauty, its windows destroyed, its doors de- molished, and the whole structure defaced.
When Whitingham celebrated its centennial anni- versary, in 1880, the east side of this house had been torn away, and the speakers' stand erected close to, and partly within, this open space. The oration was delivered by Clark Jillson, of Worcester, Mass., a native of Whitingham. His remarks in relation to the old meeting house were as follows :-
Eighty-one years ago to-day, this very spot was busy with the preparation for the erection of this grand old structure ; and the inhabitants of the town who have permitted the mutilation of its walls and allowed it to be shorn of its inward beauty-its unique pulpit, its square pews, its extensive galleries, so tastefully decora- ted, emblematic of New England life two hundred years ago- ought to be indicted for the desecration of the altar of their fathers.
Your modern churches, built to gratify the morbid tastes of those who worship fixtures more than Deity, lack that spiritual presence that every person cannot help but feel when he enters this conse- crated temple. It was built by a sturdy race of men, living entirely by the labor of their own hands, but having brains sufficient to ad- mit of a conscience. Two, at least, of your modern churches have had a private burial, while this ancient building still stands. If it had been left unoccupied and undisturbed it would have outlived them all, standing upon this hill, a monument to the memory of our fathers, a memorial of their unflinching integrity, their perse- verance under stress of limited means, their unfaltering fidelity to to the Christain faith and their willingness to do what they thought to be right. Unless some prompt and judicious action is had by the town, another eighty years will make it more difficult to tell
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precisely where this house stands than to point out with precision many an individual grave in yonder burial place ; and yet this is the spot where the result of industry and formerly the pride of the town, must soon perish. After the lapse of another hundred years this church, the academy, and other historic structures, will be known only in history. The skill of an artist could in no way be better employed than in placing beyond the reach of destruction the forms of these important landmarks.
These prophetic words were verified too soon. On the night of Oct. 14, 1883, this house was cut down by some reckless vandal whose soul was steep- ed in the dregs of depravity, whose unholy work was too disgraceful to bear the light of day. Farewell, dear old landmark of our fathers ! Your presence was a benediction, your loss will be a perpetual sorrow.
The external appearance of this house in 1799, will be clearly understood by referring to the cut on page 141, where it is represented precisely as it was then, except the addition of the porch and belfry.
It had rather of a chilly look, and resembled a huge barn more than a church. In each gable end was a circular window which furnished light for the loft where the military stores of the town were kept.
In 1806 the inside was finished and the pews built. These pews were about 8 feet square, with a seat on all sides except against the door. These seats were simply a hemlock board about eight inches wide and hung on forged wrought iron hinges, so that when the congregation stood up in prayer time or during the singing, these seats were turned back against the
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inside of the pew so that the worshippers could lean against the high top-rail of the pew.
At the close of a prayer the seats were turned down with the full force of their weight, causing a sort of nerve-rending clat- ter, a terror to those who desired to keep free from all levity in church.
The pulpit was directly in front of the entrance. It resembled a modern bay window in a second sto- ry, except that it stood on an octagon post about four inches in diameter. Its form was hexagonal, just large enough inside to fit a well-fed minister, and its top level with the galleries. It displayed considerable architectural beauty, and was really a fine piece of workmanship. When a boy, I always admired the courage of any preacher who dared to stand up in it, for from below it looked dangerous, even though a short person could hardly look over upon the congregation.
I remember one oc- casion when the Rev. Hosea Ballou of Bos- ton, who was a tall man, preached from this em- inence, and during the exercises a short and !!! . 111 rather dumpy brother undertook to give out a hymn, when it became necessary to adjust a box
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upon which to stand that he might be seen by the congregation. This was a trying time for the boys who occupied seats above the galleries where they could get a birds-eye view of this amusing but ne- cessary transaction.
There was no sounding board over this pulpit, nor was any needed, for a person who could live on the hills of Whitingham till he was old enough to preach would be likely to have lung power sufficiently po- tent to make a sounding board or an ear trumpet absolutely useless.
At the second annual town meeting, of which we have a record, the town elected a Tithingman. Such an officer had been known more than 20 centuries, and his duties in many respects were like those of a constable, except that his authority was exercised more particularly in church, where he was supposed to preserve proper decorum among the young people.
In church this officer was armed with the badge of his office, which consisted of a rod not unlike an or- dinary bean-pole. With this comely weapon the weary slumberer was reminded of his spiritual obli- gations, and those who were unmindful of proper decorum were liable to receive due notice thereof by a touch of the rod.
Rev. Asa Kent, who preached here in 1802, is said to have given a graphic description of a Tithingman who appeared at the old church on Sundays armed with the staff of his office, and relates how he stirred
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up, with his official rod, those who shouted "Amen."
But this is simply a repetition of the old story of the innocent countryman who thought he could pre- serve order in a Methodist prayer meeting if he was appointed Tithingman. Mr. Kent applied this story to Whitingham. On the ground that lightning may strike twice in the same place, his application might appear reasonable at first sight, but the story is old- er than Whitingham, and migratory in its tendencies, it having been applied to numerous towns in this country and in Europe.
It was told as a burlesque on the earnestness and zeal of the Methodist denomination, and the fact that in order to give it any vitality whatever as a story, it became necessary to assume that the Tithingman was not able to tell the difference between a prayer meeting and a disturbance of the peace, shows at a glance that it was not even founded on fact.
Nathaniel Davis came to Whitingham in 1779, at the age of 18 years. The first Methodist Episcopal preacher did not reach the town till two or three years after, and he, went from house to house warn- ing the unconverted to flee from the wrath to come. Under his ministrations Mr. Davis was converted, and soon made class leader, which office he held for 30 years. This period covers the time when, and the place where, this remarkable scene is alleged to have occurred. Mr. Davis was also one of the prime movers in establishing the Whitingham Circuit in
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1799, and probably the person instrumental in pro- curing the services of Mr. Kent as preacher in 1802.
If the story of Mr. Kent is true, this ludicrous affair occurred in a Quarterly meeting. The Tith- ingman was a public officer, elected by the town. Mr. Davis was class leader, and the most prominent man in the Methodist denomination. Did he know of any such transaction? Did any person in Whi- tingham know of it previous to 1870?
Ebenezer Davis, son of Nathaniel, who was then 18 years old, of the same church, and an exhorter of acknowledged ability, E benezer Davis never found it out;
and his daughter now living (1889) makes the fol- lowing statement about the application of this story to Whitingham :-
Grandfather was appointed Class leader, an office which he re- tained thirty years. He was a man who had great memory, and fond of telling anecdotes, but I never heard him, or any one else, tell the one you mention, and I doubt its truth.
The story of Mr. Kent applies to the year 1802, and the chief actor is represented as a sort of crank who assumed that the Methodists were disturbers of the public peace, and that if he could be elected Ti- thingman order might prevail. The Tithingman in 1801 was Joseph Hammond, and he was re-elected in 1802. This is absolute proof that he was not the man who sought this office, as stated by Mr. Kent, for he was already in office. It was not unusual to
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elect two Tithingmen, and in 1802 Mr. Hammond had an associate. This man had seen similar service before, and his name was Dea. James Glass. There seems to be no evidence to indicate that Dea. Glass could not discriminate between a prayer meeting and a mob, therefore, the Kent-Brown fable finds itself to be the adopted child of the "prominent member of society" who has been "especially active in train- ing the minds of young men," and a leading literary spirit (as shown by his works) and public counsellor for "a quarter of a century!"
Previous to building this church there had been occasional preaching in town by ministers of various denominations, resident and non-resident. It is not known who preached the first or last sermon in the old meeting house, but it was probably occupied by nearly every clergyman who had preached in town or in the adjoining towns, at some time during its eighty-four years of existence.
One of these was Rev. David Lamb, who was born in 1745, brought up a Congregationalist and fitted for college ; but the "new lights" (Baptists) gained his favor and he embraced their views, but never went to college. His wife was Sarah Clark, but her early history is unknown. They had six children, two sons and four daughters.
At the age of 40 he was teaching school in Charl- ton, Mass., from which place he removed to Killingly, Conn., and from there to West Springfield. He was
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strict about the observance of the Sabbath day, and while in Killingly preached so much solid truth on the subject of Sabbath breaking that his services were not in accord with his hearers, and he was asked to retire that freedom might prevail.
Soon after he removed to West Springfield a revi- val broke out in Killingly, and Elder Lamb was sent for. He was then conqueror. His enemies having received light, were prepared to shower blessings on their heretofore discarded pastor.
Elder Lamb came to Whitingham in 1796 and re- sided here for more than twenty years. He was in Whitingham three years before the first church was built and for 20 years after, and was one of the first to preach within its walls. In March, 1802, the town "Voted, to allow Elder Lamb Ten Dollars for his services in town the year past." He was well ed- ucated for that time and a forcible preacher, but was never settled in Whitingham. He died in 1820, at the age of 75 years. He was an ardent and constant advocate of the christian cause, and one of those who was willing to set up nights to forward his work, and he appears to have been honest in purpose.
The following lines which I found, written by his own hand, show his style of composition and the line of his religious thought :
Lord give me Strength to die to sin, to run the Christian Race : To live to God and glorify the riches of his Grace.
My lovely Jesus while on earth did rise before 't was Day,
And to a Solitary Place He went, and there did pray.
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I'll do as did my blessed Lord, his footsteps I will trace ;
I long to meet him in the Grove and view his Smiling Face. And when my Soul has found her Love I'll let him go no more ; But bring him to my fathers House, that all may him adore.
Now let all Drowsiness be gone, let me enjoy my Lord, And let my Mind be Swallowed up in his eternal Word. If Meditations all Divine, at midnight fill my Soul,
Sleep Shall no longer, all my Powers and Faculties Controul.
But I'll arise and Sing and pray, and Spend Such Hours of Joy ; In praising him whose Name doth all my powers employ.
Yet if my Nature doth require with Sleep a little Rest ;
Dear Jesus, let it be no more than thou Shalt think it best !
Wrote in Whitingham, Nov. 27, 1808, by David Lamb, in the 64th year of his age.
SEVENTH DAY BAPTIST.
In 1618 there was a violent controversy in England as to whether the Sabbath of the fourth command- ment was in force among christians; and on what ground the first day of the week was entitled to be distinguished and observed as "the Sabbath."
In 1628 Theophilus Brabourne published the first work advocating the seventh day, or Saturday, as the true Christian Sabbath. Although a clergyman he and his adherents were treated with great cruelty.
After the restoration of Charles II., in 1660, there were a dozen or more congregations in England ob- serving the last day of the week for public worship, but in 1851 there were only three Seventh Day Bap- tist congregations in England.
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In America this denomination was more prosperous, its first appearance here being at Newport R. I., in 1671. They were then known as Sabbatarians, but in 1818 the general conference rejected that name and adopted that of "Seventh Day Baptists." Their views generally correspond with those of the Baptist, except the peculiarity of observing the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. They support a pros- perous Mission at Shanghai, China, several schools in the United States, a tract and publication society, and issue a weekly and monthly periodical. They have about 100 churches and nearly 10,000 members.
One literary light says, "a portion of the inhabi- tants called themselves Seven Day Baptists." This probably refers to some extinct sect, whose chief delight consisted in making public proclamation that they were Baptists seven days in a week.
The Seventh Day Baptists, of whom I now write, were of a different order and never very numerous in Whitingham. However, it is said that a Seventh Day Baptist church was organized here about 1788. There is no doubt that several persons in town were of that belief, and that an effort was made to organize a church, but no records have been found to show that it was accomplished.
Elder Williams was of that persuasion, and for a few years promulgated his doctrines in this vicinity, but no considerable number of persons adhered to his tenets, and after a few efforts had been made 20
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to establish that sect the whole enterprise was aban- doned. It is not certain that Elder Williams resided in Whitingham while he was connected with the Seventh Day Baptists, but he preached there, several years, and when his society failed to become popular some of the members, together with himself, merged with the Baptists who organized a church in 1808.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL.
John and Charles Wesley, both students at Oxford, England, with a few associates, organized a meeting in 1729, for their mutual moral and spiritual advance- ment. They were young men of good habits, un- doubted integrity, and religiously inclined. At the end of six years their organization consisted of less than 20 persons, George Whitefield of Pembroke College, the celebrated open-air preacher, being one of the number.
This little band of reformers became an object of ridicule; but its members pursued their labors with such methodical directness as to cause a student of Christ church to apply to them the name of "Method- ists." They were denied admission to the churches, but they continued to assert their belief in private houses, barns, market places, and the open fields.
Their converts were despised and utterly neglect- ed by the church, which resulted in the formation of organizations called "the United Societies."
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In 1735 John and Charles Wesley visited America, and the people here were deeply interested in their new methods of presenting the claims of religion as they understood it. Whitefield also visited America six times, and his labors were attended with eminent success. The same year Whitingham was chartered he was here, and died at Newburyport Mass., Sept. 30, 1770 at the age of 56 years.
At this time Wesley's societies had a membership of 29,179. The first conference was held June 25, 1744, in London. The forms of Methodism are nu- merous, but it is not my purpose to explain wherein they differ. In fact, the difference is so slight that - it requires considerable skill to tell where the lines should be drawn between the several orders.
The Wesleyan Methodist of Great Britain and the Methodist Episcopal church in this country, seem to take the lead in point of numbers and importance. Among the other divisions may be mentioned the Calvinistic Methodists, the Methodist New Connect- ion, the Primitive Methodists, the United Methodist Free church, the Bible Christians, the Primitive Methodists of Ireland, the Reform Methodists, and some others. Mmembers of either of these divisions are apt to feel at home in any Methodist meeting, and not so particular where they are as what they do.
There were a few persons in Whitingham soon af- ter the town was chartered who claimed to belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, but they were not
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possessed of sufficient numerical strength to warrant the employment of a regular preacher.
In 1779 Nathaniel Davis came to Whitingham from Bennington. He was only 18 years of age, but came to stay.
Nathaniel Davis
He cut
the first tree on the farm where he lived and died.
His death occurred on the 2nd day of March, 1840, on his 79th birth day.
He was converted when about 2 1 years of age, and from that time he was active and a leader in the Methodist Episcopal church. His opinion in church affairs was second only to that of the minister, and to his good judgment may be traced much of the early prosperity of Methodism in Whitingham.
Most of the early preachers were supplied by An- nual Conference, only a few of them being residents of the town at the time of their appointment. Those earliest in the service were comparatively strangers, but they exerted a salutary influence on the people. Among these early advocates were, Peter Van Ness, Michael Coats, Joseph Mitchell, Daniel Bromley, Elijah Ward, Asa Kent, Phineas Peck, Caleb Dustin, John Tinkham, Ebenezer Fairbanks, David Goodhue, Laban Clark, Andrew McKain, Major Curtis, Sam- uel Cochran, Reuben Harris, Cyrus Culver, John Reynolds, Stephen Richmond, Gilbert Lyon, Daniel Breyton, David J. Wright, Phinehas Dean, Samuel
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Eigherny, and Sherman Minor. The work of these preachers covers a period from 1798 to 1817.
There was a minister belonging to this denomina- tion, a native of Whitingham, who began to preach at the age of 20 years. He died in 1875, at the age of 91. This remarkable man was Rev. Ebenezer Davis, son of Nathaniel. His long life was conse- crated to the welfare of others. He died as he had lived, a true, conscientious and devoted christian.
When the Reformed Methodist church was organ- ized here, in 1829, he became a member and its first pastor. He was the only Methodist clergyman in town for many years, and his memory will long out- live the present generation.
In 1862, a new church was built at Sadawga and preachers were supplied most of the time from the Methodist Conference. When any vacancy occurred Shubael Atherton, a native of the town, supplied the desk. He was a powerful preacher, but there is no record that he was ever assailed by a Tithingman.
This church edifice was owned by four persons, who sold it to H. C. Coates as trustee of the Baptist Society, in whose behalf it was purchased. Terms of payment were agreed upon so that 12 of the amount was to be paid May 7, 1877 ; 14 June 19, 1878; 14 April 1, 1879.
This church is the remainder of the first Baptist church, as it was in the palmy days of Elder Amherst Lamb, of whom more will be said hereafter.
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The records of the Methodist Episcopal church, previous to 1858, are not very complete in dates, but they show that Rev. John L. Smith was pastor in 1843, and in 1849-50; John Taylor in 1852; Moses Spencer in 1858; Michael R. Chase in 1859 ; Zenas Kingsbury in 1860-61; N. Adams in 1862 ; Shubael Atherton in 1863; A. J. Roberts in 1864; John S. Little in 1865-6; Hubbard Eastman in 1867-8-9-70-1-2; J. H. Gaylord in 1873; E. H. Bartlett in 1874; Hubbard Eastman in 1875 ; R. B. Fay in 1877-8-9 ; F. T. Lovett in 1880; J. Hamil- in 1881-2-3 ; H. F. Forest in 1884; Royal C. Vail in 1885-6; W. E. Sargent in 1887; George A. Armstrong in 1888; Edward B. Harris in 1889.
REFORM METHODISTS.
A disagreement about church government led to the formation of several independent churches, and among them was one in Readsboro, Vt., as early as 1814. In a book entitled "Church and Sects," pub- lished in 1850, may be found this statement :-
The Reformed Methodist church had its origin in Readsborough, Vermont, on the 16th January, in the year 1814. It was organized by a small seceding body of Episcopal Methodists, at the head of which were a few local preachers and exhorters, the most promi- nent & influential of whom was the Rev. Elijah Bailey, for some time a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church.
This new denomination was duly organized at Bal- timore, Md., in 1829, and soon after a church was
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gathered in Whitingham. Joel Jillson, who had been dissatisfied with some minor method, was clerk till 1838, and
Royal C. Streeter Sylvanus
Pike until 1842, when Royal C. Streeter was elected to fill that position, an office he retained with great satisfaction to the church, as long as it existed.
This church was started with nine members, Rev. Ebenezer Davis being pastor thereof. From its be- ginning to 1840 meetings were held at private hou- ses in more than 40 different places, in a single year.
In 1840 the Reform Methodists. and Universalists formed a union, for the purpose of building a church. This house was erected by Eli Green, and located near the residence of Dr. Waters Gillett, about a mile southwest from the old meeting house. It was oc- cupied by these denominations nine years.
Soon after this church was built, the Universalist society found a strong rival in the Rev. Mr. Bailey of Wilmington, who organized a church and held meet- ings in this house. Nehemiah Sabin and John Brig- ham were chosen deacons. A Sunday school was opened and a Bible class formed, of which the writer was a member. Rev. Hosea F. Ballou, the regular Universalist pastor, did not approve of such innova- tion and it soon ended in collapse, but not without having accomplished some good.
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