USA > Vermont > Lamoille County > Morristown > History of Morristown, Vermont > Part 5
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A review of the church records emphasizes the fact . that in those early days church membership meant some- thing. A Committee on Church Discipline was elected annually and for years they were no mere figureheads. In 1859 the following rules of discipline were adopted at the annual meeting :
"Article I. Disciplinable offences are Walking disorderly II Thess. 3.6
(which see)
Neglecting Gospel institutions, Heb. 11:25
Private injuries to the members of this Church or others Matt. 18:15
Heresy, Titus 3:10
All open and gross offences against the laws of God.
"Article II The general rules of procedure in all cases of gross offence or scandal shall be that laid down by our Savior in Matt. 18:15.
"Article III If any brother be offended with any other, he shall go and tell him his fault in a humble, private manner; and if this step be not success- ful, he shall take with him one or two brethren, and labor for a Christian settlement of the difficulty previous to any public steps of discipline in the case by the Church.
"Article IV Every complaint brought before the Church shall be exhibited in writing (a copy of the same containing charges and specifications with the names of witnesses having been previously left
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with the accused) signed by the accuser and also accompanied by a certificate recommending this course, signed by his associates in the labor. Whenever a complaint is lodged against a member of this Church, in his absence from Church meet- ing, it shall be the duty of the Moderator to send a copy of the complaint to the member accused and also to notify him of the time appointed for his trial.
"Article V No complaint shall be exhibited before the Church except at a Church meeting duly warned which it shall be the duty of all members to attend, when the charge shall be read by the moderator and if no good reason is offered to the contrary, trial shall proceed.
"Article VI The accused may have the liberty of naming witnesses and mentioning evidence of the fact on charge but not of acting in the decision of the church; the accused may be heard in answer of the charge brought against him either by himself or any other person a member of the Congrega- tional church whom he may choose as his counsel but he shall not act on the deciding of the question proposed for the decision of the Church.
"Article VII After a full hearing of both parties the question proposed for the decision of the Church shall be, 'Is he guilty or not guilty' and the mind of the Church on the question shall be taken by yeas and nays.
"Article VIII When any member is convicted by the Church of the charge brought against him, he shall be considered as disqualified for and sus- pended from communion; he shall be called upon to give in the presence of the Church glory to God by confession and if satisfaction be not given, a letter of admonition from the Church shall be transmitted to him at the time of the next Com- munion following his trial; and a second letter at the time of the second Communion; and if he shall still continue obstinate, a letter of excom- munication shall be publicly read on the Sabbath. Provided that this course may not be averted by the calling of a new trial council; for the offend- ing brother shall in all cases have the privilege of calling one new trial ecclesiastical council."
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Such trials were not unknown, and excommunication was sometimes the result. In 1855 two men were excom- municated; in one case, because the accused was "a profane and wicked man, guilty of great severity and unkindness to his family." The charges related some- times to business and sometimes to the personal life. In either case they were investigated according to regular rules of procedure and very fully. In one instance we read that the vote was taken at 2:00 A. M. We smile at such procedure today, but it was an honest attempt to keep the life of the church pure and above reproach, though it could hardly have been conducive to church harmony.
But the interests of this early church were not merely local. In the report of the annual meeting in 1875 we read : "Voted that our contributions for the next year be 1st Freedmen's Bureau, 2nd Vermont Domestic Mission- ary Society, 3rd A. B. C. F. M." This placing of the . foreign missionary interests last is rather strange since the church of that day had several close personal contacts with the foreign field, and many interesting missionary events had occurred within its walls. In August, 1863, Mr. Giles Montgomery of Walden was ordained for foreign work here. The reason the service was held in this church was because on that day he married the niece of Priest Robinson, Miss Emily Redington, who lived in her uncle's family and accompanied her husband to his work in Marash, Turkey. On August 19, 1863, an Ecclesiastical Council was called which was presided over by Rev. Benja- min Labaree, D. D., of Middlebury College, who also preached the ordination sermon, and Rev. Daniel Bliss of Syria extended the right hand of fellowship. The young couple started at once for their life work in Turkey, where Mr. Montgomery died at Adana, in 1888.
Four years later Priest Robinson's successor, Rev. Lyman Bartlett decided to take up work in the foreign field, and on July 21, 1867, a council was called and his relations with this church were severed, and Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett afterwards left for his chosen field of work in Caesarea, Turkey. In 1884 they were removed to Smyrna, and here in 1892 Mrs. Bartlett died. At her request she was buried in the Protestant cemetery there, the only American to lie among the Armenian, Greek, and Jesuit converts. In 1884 their daughter, Cornelia, who had completed her education in this country, joined her
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parents and started a kindergarten, the first mission kindergarten in Turkey. In 1904, because of his daugh- ter's ill health, Mr. Bartlett returned to this country, and resided in California until his death, in 1912.
On July 1, 1880, still another Council was called in this church to ordain the Rev. Henry Otis Dwight to foreign work in Turkey. Mr. Dwight had previously married a Morristown girl, Miss Della Griswold, a member of the local church and this fact doubtless led him to take a letter from the Edwards Congregational Church of Northampton, Mass., to this church. At this Council the sermon was preached by Rev. N. G. Clark, D. D., Secretary of the A. B. C. F. M. It is interesting to note that Mr. Dwight's name remained on the church roll here until his death, in 1917, in spite of his long years of distinguished service in Turkey and his last years spent in this country. ·His daughter, Adelaide, who was a teacher at Peoples Academy for a short time, joined this church and retained her membership for some time after she, too, took up foreign work in Turkey, where she is still engaged.
In 1875, under the vigorous leadership of the Rev. V. M. Hardy, the church building was again remodelled, being raised up and a furnace added to make better heat- ing facilities, also a ladies' parlor, a vestry, and a kitchen equipped to make possible the serving of meals. The building was rededicated in December of that year, Rev. M. H. Buckham, President of the University of Vermont, preaching the sermon. In the winter of 1885 and 1886, the pipe organ, the first one in town, was added at a cost of $1,425 with a dedicatory service under the direction of Prof. W. F. Whipple. Local talent, consisting of Pro- fessor and Mrs. Whipple, Miss Mellie Slayton, Mrs. H. P. Munson, Miss Kate Healey, and Mrs. P. K. Gleed, presented the program, assisted by S. D. Hopkins and Professor Davis of Burlington.
For twenty years this edifice met the needs of the congregation, and then agitation for a new church was begun. So hearty was the response that in less than a year from the time the building committee was appointed the present structure was dedicated. No small part of this efficient work was due to the building committee, consisting of H. A. Slayton, Chairman, H. P. Munson, E. S. Robinson. Rev. G. N. Kellogg, Mrs. P. K. Gleed, and Mrs. G. M. Powers. The new church was a memorial to the
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Rev. G. N. Kellogg in more ways than one. Not only did he create the sentiment which made its erection possible, but he designed the building, the architect simply carrying out his ideas. On January 21, 1897, the structure was dedicated, the Rev. Smith Baker of Boston preaching the sermon.
In 1880 the Church and Society voted to purchase a parsonage and the debt thus incurred was assumed by the Ladies' Industrial Society. The house at the corner of Main and Summer Streets opposite the Soldiers' Monument served for a time, but was exchanged for the house adjoining on Summer Street. This proved too large and not well adapted to the purpose and was later sold. When the death of Mrs. Martha Safford made the lot adjacent to the church available, it was purchased and an attractive, modern, Dutch colonial house was erected and opened in 1927.
In June, 1898, the facilities offered by the new church made possible the entertainment of the General Convention of the Congregational Churches of Vermont, at which Rev. V. M. Hardy, pastor here ten years before, was Moderator. In October, 1912, the twenty-seventh annual state Christian Endeavor Convention was held here. Rev. Fraser Metzger of Randolph, candidate for Governor on the Progressive ticket, was President of the State Associa- tion that year, and among the high spots of the convention were the addresses by Rev. George L. Cady, D. D., later Executive Secretary of the American Missionary Associa- tion; Rev. Paul Moody, then at St. Johnsbury, now Presi- dent of Middlebury College, and A. J. Shartle, long asso- ciated with "The Christian Endeavor World," the official organ of the society.
Among the men who have gone out from this town to serve as Congregational ministers were: Wm. A. Robin- son, 1840-1910; Herbert M. Tenney, 1850-1924; Samuel Luman Vincent, 1851- ; Josiah Wood- ; Wilbur Rand, 1856- Dr. H. M. Tenney, after thirteen years of fruitful service as pastor of the First Congregational Church of San Jose, Calif., resigned in 1903 to become the Secretary of the American Board for the Pacific District, and was serving in that office at the time of his death.
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THE BAPTIST CHURCH
The second organized church in town was undoubtedly the Baptist, since on January 19, 1811, this church was received into fellowship by a council, in which the Johnson and Fairfax churches were represented. The Articles of. Faith previously prepared were then examined and after slight changes were found satisfactory, and in 1812 the church joined the newly organized Fairfield Association. The Covenant accepted by the Council was a long, but a very clear statement of their belief as Christians and as Baptists. From it the following characteristic articles are quoted : "Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordi- nances of Christ and to be observed in the church until His second coming and that no person has any right to the Lord's Supper until he has received baptism and that baptism is to be administered by burying the body in water and that in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and this is to be done on the profession of the candidate's faith and that the administrator must be one who has been authorized according to Christ's appointment. . ... A church thus gathered have power to choose and call to ordination those officers that Christ hath appointed in His Church viz. Bishops or Elders and Deacons and also to depose such officers as evidently appear to walk contrary to the Gospel and to. discipline their members though in some cases it is common and profitable to request the advice of sister churches. . . ... We believe that brother ought not to go to law with brother but all differences should be settled in the Church according to the rule given by Christ in the 18th of Matthew and elsewhere."
That this Covenant was made the rule of their daily life is shown by the church records. Elder Thomas Brown was called in 1814 and seems to have been their first pastor, but, applying their right as an independent church, three years later they withdrew fellowship from him, and in thus excluding him were sustained by a regu- larly called Council. Nor did they neglect the discipline of their own members, as their records show: "Voted to send a letter of admonition to Bro. Rankin for neglecting to meet with the Church and refusing to abide his own agreement." In another instance the church was called upon to settle a dispute between father and daughter, the former complaining the latter had spread a report about
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the extravagance of her mother-in-law in using 200 weight of sugar, while the daughter said she had been neglected when sick, and that her father had not paid her for work done before he married a second time. Votes were taken upon all charges. In 1819 it was "Voted to raise six cents on the dollar on the Ratable Property for the purpose of hiring preaching." In 1823 Elder Spaulding was called and they "Voted to assist Elder Spaulding to move to this town and get up his wood and pay him $125. for a com- pensation for preaching one half the time for one year." Again we read, "The Church was then called to express their mind in regard to Br. Dulcive's gift whether they thought he had a preaching gift. The majority thought he had not and could not approbate him." Another brother, Joel Hayford, was more fortunate, for in 1826 a Council was called to set him apart by ordination to the work of an evangelist.
The Church Covenant was signed by twenty-four people, Earl Wingate and Miriam Wingate heading the list. The fifth name recorded was that of Jacob Walker, but in point of service and influence in the church his name might well have come first. He not only served as Deacon, but
was Clerk for a quarter of a century. Church meetings were often held at his house, and he was generally included in any committee elected, and to him fell the lot of writing letters of admonition to recreant church members.
After the fine brick church already referred to was declared unsafe the Baptists shared the newly erected Methodist Episcopal Church, but much of the time they were without regular preaching service, and again they had a supply for a fourth or a half of the time. One does not wonder at the entry which appears, "Feelings generally low." That they met these discouraging circumstances with a brave spirit is indicated by the last entry in their first and only record book, which is extant: "Church met at Br. Hocomb's on Sat. 20 of June, 1835. Meeting was opened and some remarks made on our situation and it was proposed to leave all old difficulties, say nothing about them and make one effort to travil on and a prayer meeting was appointed every Sabbath evening at 5 o'clock at Br. Hocomb's. Jacob Walker, Clerk."
Ten years later. in 1845, Rev. J. B. Hall moved into Town from Waterbury Center. He was not a close-com- munion Baptist, so from that time on the character of the
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church changed somewhat, and in the "History of the Baptists in Vermont" it is later listed as a Free Baptist Church. In 1873 the local paper contained the following item: "The Baptists of the western part of the town have been making strong efforts to raise the means to engage the services of Rev. Mr. Stevens of Waterbury for a year, but on account of the smallness of their numbers have failed. Mr. Stevens has officiated in the church at the Corners for a few Sabbaths."
Ten years later Rev. Lyman Sargent was preaching there, and the pulpit was occupied more or less regularly until 1892. After that date there was no resident pastor, though services were held at different times by various denominations until 1922, when the church was burned in the disastrous fire which destroyed the large barn on the Hadlock place, and the blacksmith shop.
THE METHODIST CHURCH
But little is known of the very early history of this church. At a town meeting, held in September, 1813, the subject of dividing rent money due for the support of the Gospel was discussed, and it was voted that the Selectmen be empowered to make the division among the different denominations "when either of them shall provide a preacher on the Sabbaths at the most convenient place agreed on, they shall have their proportion of the money." At the March Meeting following, these officers reported that there was a balance of $78.94 unexpended, and recom- mended that under the former vote it be divided among the Congregationalist, Baptist, and Methodist Societies, and it was so voted. So they were holding preaching services here as early as 1814. The town was probably a part of the Stowe or Wolcott circuit, with no resident pastor until 1865, when Benjamin Cox was appointed to Morristown, Hyde Park, and North Hyde Park, and since that date it has been a regular conference appointment, sometimes alone and at other times as of late years with Elmore.
After the brick church at the Corners was condemned for use, the people began to plan for another building, and the second church erected was another Union Church, this time at Morrisville. on the site of the present Universalist Church. It was completed about 1836. Like the first
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edifice the money was raised by general subscription, and no one denomination had a controlling voice in its construc- tion or management. There were fifty-two pews and the same number of pew owners, and each owner, according to these articles of organization, had the right to dictate the kind of preaching for one Sunday in the year. If these early churchmen thought in this way to settle the troublesome question of church rivalry, events soon proved they were mistaken. Human nature was still too selfish, and soon a sharp contest for the control of the church was on. Proxies were solicited from pew owners; in fact, they were bought, as each denomination struggled to main- tain its hold. The Universalists were successful in gaining domination, and the Methodists began to work for a church of their own at the Corners.
In June, 1839. a meeting was held which was recorded as follows: "We the undersigned inhabitants of Morristown do hereby agree to bind ourselves our heirs, and assigns to pay the sum affixed to our names for the purpose of building a house for the worship of God, to be located near the south line of the land now owned by Horace Powers in James Tinker's garden. Said house is to be for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Society of Morristown and occupied for no other purpose than religious worship. The expense of building above the foundations is not to exceed the sum of $1,000. When $500. shall have been subscribed, said subscribers shall meet and choose such officers as shall be necessary to con- stitute them legally qualified to carry into effect the above design. Said house shall be completed in the month of October next or before if possible."
In less than three weeks the contract had been let, the pews had been sold at public auction, and over $1,200, or enough to pay for the church building, had been raised. Thus was built the structure, which for almost a century was a familiar landmark at the Corners. For more than thirty years it was the home of the Methodists. Then they yielded to the trend of population and in 1872, during the pastorate of Rev. J. H. Wallace, moved to Morrisville. Services were held in the Town Hall for a time, then they purchased the Christian Church and occupied it for two years, but sold it back because they could not secure a clear title to it. Plans were already under way for a house of worship of their own. In June, 1874, a com-
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mittee was appointed by the Quarterly Conference to build a chapel on the present lot and the following November it was completed and served for more than a decade. In January, 1888, a meeting was called to consider building again, and under the direction of Rev. W. F. Puffer this was done. Mr. A. F. Whitney was one of the foremost workers, and offered to build and complete a church ready for use for $3,000 and to give $300 towards it. Others
The gave freely, and the project was pushed forward. chapel was moved back to serve as a vestry and the present edifice was built. On November 22, 1888, the dedication
was held. Rev. E. W. Culver was presiding elder, and the dedicatory sermon was by Rev. C. B. Pitblado of Hartford, Conn. The exercises closed with pledges sufficient to cover all indebtedness.
The new edifice made possible the entertainment of the State Conference, which opened its forty-fifth session here on April 18, 1889, with Bishop Ninde of Topeka, Kans., presiding. Again, seventeen years later, the local church was host to the state body, when on April 17, 1906, the sixty-second annual conference assembled, with Bishop Hamilton of San Francisco, Calif., presiding. It was dur- ing this gathering that news came of the disastrous San Francisco earthquake. In addition to the regular meet- ings of the Conference the local Board of Trade, of which D. H. Lamberton, editor of "The Morrisville Messenger," was president, tendered a banquet to the bishop and other invited guests to the number of 100.
Twice since this church was built it has been neces- sary to enlarge it in order to accommodate growing num- bers. During the pastorate of Rev. W. T. Best, in 1912, the choir loft was added and in the pastorate of Rev. Wm. J. MacFarlane, in 1928, a large addition was built on to the vestry, and it was newly equipped throughout, making very fine convenient Sunday School rooms.
One of the unique contributions of this church was its support of the local camp-meetings, which were held here for many years, the story of which is told elsewhere.
THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
The fourth religious body to formally organize here was the Universalist Church, which has continuous records of its annual business meetings since 1828. Tradition
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says that Ebenezer Shaw was the first Universalist in town, and that he took the lead in calling a meeting which convened in a barn at the Corners. If its beginnings were thus humble, the men who organized it possessed clear reasoning powers, and were actuated by lofty purposes as the following constitution which they drew up at that time shows :
"That religion is the most important subject that can engage the mind in the present state of existence is abundantly evident both from reason and revelation. It teaches us to contemplate God as our Creator, our Father, and bountiful Benefactor. That His designs of mercy are unlimited and although as children we have gone astray like the Prodigal and abused His Goodness, yet His arm is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear but in accents of mercy is call- ing to us in the language of Scripture 'Look unto me all the ends of the earth and be ye saved for I am God and there is none else'. 'I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in Righteousness that unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear, Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength'. To accomplish this glorious design the only begotten Son of God, left the bright abode of immortal glory, and condescended to take upon him human nature, to suffer and die as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the world. That this atonement was as extensive as Creation is evident from testimony incontrovertible. 'For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive'. That he came 'to seek and to save that which was lost. That he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world'. That Repent- ance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are prerequisites to Salvation is also evident from the preach- ing of Christ and His Apostles. 'Without Repentance
there is no remission of Sins'. 'Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And He shall send Jesus who before was preached unto you Whom the Heaven must receive until the time of the Restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all the Holy Prophets since the world began. And without Faith it is impossible to please God'.
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"To the end that sinners may be converted from the error of their ways and come to the knowledge of the truth, it is necessary that the Gospel should be preached in its purity-unshackled by metaphysical Subtelties, or Sophistical reasoning. That Holiness and Happiness in contrast with sin and its attendant misery should be brought to view, and that the unbounded love of God, His goodness and His mercy, clearly exhibited as an induce- ment for them to forsake the way of the transgressor which is hard, and walk in Wisdom's which are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.
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