History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911, Part 53

Author: Lovejoy, Mary Evelyn Wood, 1847-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Burlington, Vt., Free press printing company
Number of Pages: 1280

USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Royalton > History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911 > Part 53

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The church was re-dedicated Dec. 15th of that year. Rev. James Ramage, the pastor, read an historical address, in which

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he stated that nineteen of the twenty-two charter members were then living, and fourteen of them were still members. At the present time all are dead except M. S. Adams, Mrs. Arlotta Dur- kee, Miss Laura Foster, now Mrs. W. V. Soper, and Miss Emily Lamb, now Mrs. Henry E. Kinsman of Hartford, Conn. Mr. Ramage stated that at that date 115 had united with the church, 54 by profession of faith. The first meeting in the vestry after the repairs was on Aug. 4, and the first one in the audience room was on Oct. 20, 1889.

In 1899 some further repairs were made on the church. The society had reported in 1894 that the church debt had been paid, and in 1908 the officers of the church felt that the building should be still further improved. The repairs were confined mostly to the audience room. A new pulpit platform was put in, the room newly ceiled, painted, and carpeted. The whole expense amounted to about $1,000. Miss Delia Cloud was chairman of the repair committee and secured a large part of this sum by subscription.

Six memorial windows replaced the old ones in the audience room in 1905. The one in memory of Miss Frances C. Pierce was put in by Miss Ellen E. Pierce; the one in memory of Dea. John B. Durkee, by Mrs. Arlotta D. Durkee; the one in memory of Mrs. Dorcas E. West, by Mr. Charles West; those in memory of William Harrison Martin and Ellen Garrett Martin, by their daughters; the one in memory of Dea. Martin Skinner Adams and Mrs. Ellen Abbott Adams, by Dea. Adams; the one in mem- ory of Mrs. Elvira C. Cloud, by Miss Delia Cloud and Charles E. Cloud.

In 1893 the church celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. During this time there had been added to it 133 members, 63 of them by profession of faith. At this anniversary a debt of $560 was reported, of which the Ladies' Social Circle pledged $200, and Mrs. M. J. Sargent volunteered to get the rest by subscrip- tion. From the organization of the church to Jan. 4, 1899, 142 members had been admitted, and since then there have been 59 admissions, making the whole number of different members for a period of forty-two years, 201. The average membership has not been far from seventy. The resident membership in 1904 was fifty-nine. The average Sabbath attendance in 1896 was seventy-nine.

The service of the deacons has been as follows: John B. Durkee from Feb. 1, 1868, to his death, Mar. 16, 1904; Frederick B. Adams from Feb. 1, 1868, to his death, April 26, 1878; Mar- tin S. Adams from Mar. 2, 1878, to present time; re-elected Jan. 1, 1909, for five years; Oren A. Burbank from Mar. 2, 1878, to his death, Oct. 8, 1908; Fred D. Freeman from Jan. 6, 1905, to

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his death, May 16, 1908; Anson P. Skinner from Jan. 1, 1909, to present time, elected for five years; Joel N. Phelps from Jan. 1, 1909, to present time, elected for five years.

In 1889 the deacons were elected for an indefinite time, and were to be the committee of the church. At the annual meeting of 1909 the church was practically without a deacon, as Dea. Durkee and Dea. Freeman had died, and the term of office of Dea. M. S. Adams expired with the end of the year. Three dea- cons were then elected, Dea. Adams being re-elected. By the new constitution the deacons are to hold office for five years.

The Sunday School in connection with the church was or- ganized Jan. 5, 1868, by Frederick B. Adams in the schoolhouse, before the church was organized. Twenty-three pupils were pres- ent under six teachers. Dea. Frederick Adams was superintend- ent two and one-half years, Dea. John B. Durkee two years, R. D. Crain one and one-half years, Dea. M. S. Adams fifteen years, Rev. James Ramage three months. Following them have been Will M. Sargent, Miss Minnie Metcalf, C. P. Tarbell, Mrs. S. M. Pike, Mrs. Burton Tenney, Mrs. E. F. Moody, Charles Seymour, and Earle Wilson. In 1891 the number of pupils was 120, with eleven teachers, and an average attendance of fifty-seven. That year the Sunday School raised $50 towards furnishing the vestry, and the church debt. The average attendance for the first twenty-five years was fifty-two. In 1892 a Home Department was established. In 1896 Miss Charl Hackett was elected super- intendent of this department. It is not continued. In 1908 the New Movement plan was inaugurated, and the older classes are organized, and have their proper officers. About once a year each class entertains other classes as guests, when an appropriate program is rendered. The adult woman's class with C. P. Tar- bell as teacher has been active in raising funds for the church debt and other purposes. It put a new furnace into the par- sonage in 1908, and the next year contributed $100 to the treas- ury of the church. This year it has assumed the responsibility of raising $100 for the pastor's salary. Meetings have been held a part of the past year monthly at the homes of those who were unable to be present on Sunday. The Philathea class under Miss Delia Cloud aided in putting the furnace into the parsonage, and is doing considerable charity work. A Cradle Roll class was formed about 1903. Mrs. A. R. Fielders was its superintendent for a time, but at present it is under the care of Mrs. Perley Belknap. The primary class in charge of Mrs. Fred Seymour is the pride of the school.

The church for a number of years was a protegé of the Ver- mont Domestic Missionary Society, and could not be expected to contribute much, if anything, to the cause of missions. In 1877

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it ai be ch its

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it voted to take a collection the first Sabbath of each month in aid of the Congregational Union and of the V. D. M. S. The benevolent contributions in 1889 amounted to $120.87. The church strove to do some missionary work at home, and opened its vestry two evenings in the week as a reading room for young men, during the months of November and December. In 1890 the benevolences aggregated $250, including $50 given by Mrs. Susan Jones. The church members also boarded fifteen fresh air children. On the twenty-fifth anniversary the total benevolences amounted to $2,441.57, including gifts from individual members. The church had received from the V. D. M. S. $3,228 and paid in $521. In the seventeen years since that time the collections for missionary purposes amounted to something less than $700. The contributions for the past few years have come from the Sunday School and the Christian Endeavor Society. The Sunday School, during the last decade, has contributed $226.13 to missions, the bulk of it going to the American Board of Foreign Missions, and some to the Vermont Bible Society.

The Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor was or- ganized in 1885, and re-organized in 1889. During most of the time since its organization it has had an active existence. In 1896 it took upon itself the charge of the Sunday evening meet- ings, and has ever since continued thus to relieve the pastor. It put the electric lights into the church, and took the initiative in having memorial windows placed in the body of the church. It assisted in furnishing the vestry kitchen, and maintained a tele- phone in the parsonage for three years. In 1908 it contributed $70 towards the repairs of the church. Its present officers are Miss Ala Day, pres .; Miss Nellie Adams, vice-pres .; Mrs. Leon Skinner, rec. sec .; Miss Minnie Metcalf, cor. sec .; Miss Ethel Lewis, treas.

A Ladies' Aid Society has existed since the church was first formed, and has been an efficient adjunct to its social life, and a medium for charitable deeds. In 1892 it raised $150 to apply on the church debt, and has turned into the church treasury no inconsiderable sum. In the last eight years it has received $1,852.21, nearly all of which has been devoted to meeting the expenses of the church. It assumed the debt remaining after the repairs of 1908, and has still $115 of that debt to meet. Miss Delia Cloud has been its capable president for many years. Mrs. A. R. Fielders is its present treasurer, and Mrs. Sherman Good- win its secretary.

The church has been democratic from its beginning. Its constitution was amended in 1891, making it more liberal. When the society and church were merged in 1899, a constitution and by-laws were adopted. Article 2 reads as follows :

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"This church is Congregational in policy, being answerable to no other ecclesiastical body; its government being vested in the body of believers who compose it. It also recognizes the obligation and privi- lege of the Communion of churches, and cordially extends to other churches holding a common faith, and as cordially receives from them that fellowship, advice and assistance which the law of Christ requires."

There has been little call for discipline in the church. Ac- cording to the present constitution the occasions for discipline "are wrongs done to individual members of the church. The duty of visiting the offender and seeking his restoration, devolves first on the member who is cognizant of the offence. - - - - Charges if made, shall be in writing with the signature of the persons preferring them and a copy of the same together with the names of the witnesses relied upon for proof, shall be given to the offender at least two weeks before the time of trial. In case of difficulty the advice and aid of a Council may be sought." There is no record showing that a council was ever necessary in the whole history of the church.

Rev. Henry Martin Goddard.

Rev. James Ramage.

Rev. Sidney K. B. Perkins. Rev. Sherman Goodwin. SOUTH ROYALTON CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

REV. NATHANIEL SPRAGUE, First Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Royalton.

ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCHI, Royalton Village.

CHAPTER XXXI.

OTHER RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS.

THE BAPTIST CHURCH.

A record of this church is still in existence, but the first and last pages are missing, so that it is impossible to tell exactly when the church was organized, and when it ceased to exist. It was probably organized about 1790. Its origin was not due to dissensions in the Congregational church, for not one of its members was enrolled in that church. It was the outgrowth, apparently, of a felt need of an organization, where those who believed that baptism by sprinkling was no baptism at all, and that they could not join in the administration of the Lord's Supper with those so baptized, could have church fellowship and the benefit of all church ordinances.

The first recorded date is that of an adjourned meeting, Oct. 27, at Sharon, probably in 1790, at the "Scoole house a little South of Mr Simeon hows." They voted "to try to make out £16.17.0 for the chhes youce by Subscription according to Equal- ity." In order that it might be according to "Equality," each gave in a list of his possessions. Most of this list is missing. A few of the names which are still preserved are given, as they furnish some information regarding the progress made in the cultivation of the land, which has not been found so early else- where. The first grand list was taken in June, 1791, in which John Hibbard's name does not appear, and the returns do not all agree with this record. Elder John Hibbard (Junior) had 88 acres of land, 22 acres improved, 1 cow, 1 yearling, 2 calves, 2 hogs, 1 horse, 11 sheep, 60 bushels of wheat and corn. He was in debt six pounds, and had nothing due him. He had nine in the family. Dea. John Billings had 130 acres, 30 acres improved, 1 yoke of oxen, 4 cows, 3 yearlings, 3 hogs, 14 sheep, 1 horse, 10 calves, 1 colt, 50 bushels of wheat, 10 bush. of rye, 70 bush. of corn, 25 bush. of oats, 6 bush. of peas. He owed twenty-five pounds more than was due him. There were eleven in his fam- ily. He subscribed four pounds. John Hibbard, Sen., owed as much as was due him. He had 1 horse, 1 cow, 8 sheep, about 400 weight of tobacco, and subscribed two pounds. Other mem-

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bers named were Dea. (Israel?) Waller, Daniel Leonard, David Ames, Jonathan - Abraham W (aterman ?).

At their next meeting, Nov. 11, they chose John Hibbard, clerk, and voted to raise five pounds "toard the (past) ors Seport that is to say-twenty Bushells of whate." The assessment was laid upon four only, Dea. Billings, Abraham Waterman, Brother (Samuel) Peake and John Hibbard, "this Being all Dun in love & giving thanks to God."

Open and close communion was their next topic of discus- sion, and a warm subject it proved to be, the controversy over it waging long, and sometimes with a good deal of acrimony. Two more meetings in 1790 and one in 1791 were held at the home of Elder Hibbard. Samuel Benedict appears as a new member.

From the town records it is learned that Benjamin Ordway had joined the Baptist Society in Tunbridge this year, and John Parks had joined the "baptist Society in ye west part of Roy- alton." On July 24, 1791, they record that they send by re- quest "our Beloved Elder John Hibbard and Dea. Bi (llings) and our Brother Abraham Waterman to Randolph to aid in forming a church there."

The name by which the church was designated is seen from a record of October 26, 1791, when "the chh of Baptized Breth- erin of Royalton meet at the house of Brother Abner Perkins in Barnard." "The chh. then Renewed Covenant and Sum was added to" it. The next February they met at the house of Dea. Billings. Elder Hibbard does not appear to have been there, and as his name is not found on the grand list of that year, it is very probable that he was not in town. Elder Call was chosen moderator. They resolved that "Brother Abner Perkins" be desired to improve the gift that God had given him, that the church might know what his gift was, and might be benefitted thereby. They voted that the Lord's Supper be administered once in six weeks, half the time in Royalton and half in Sharon.

The name of the church in October, 1792, was "the Baptist Church of Royalton and Sharon." Robert Low became a mem- ber in 1792, and at a meeting at the house of Jonathan Howe in Sharon, Feb. 24, 1793, he was recommended "to the Grace of God as a Preacher of the Gospel of Christ." In April following for the first time, it would seem, they met at the meeting-house in Sharon. A new Society had evidently been organized in the north part of Sharon, as the articles and covenant of the "Bap- tized Bretherin" living there were examined and approved, and the church received into fellowship. The new church heard the articles of faith of the Royalton church, and approved the same. They met again at the house of Jonathan Howe in Sharon, Aug. 31, 1793, and voted to send Elder John Hibbard, Dea. John Bil-

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lings, Dea. Samuel Peake, John Hibbard, Sen., to attend the Woodstock Association to be held at Lebanon, N. H., the last Wednesday in September.

In the year 1793 Elder Hibbard gave certificates to Jonathan Bowen, David Waller, Lieut. Samuel Curtis, Nathaniel Reed, Experience Trescott, Samuel Lyman, David Smith, and William Anderson, stating that in sentiment or judgment they were Bap- tists, but the church records do not name them as members.

The first Ministerial Act passed in March, 1778, considered every adult person to agree in religious sentiment with the major part of the inhabitants, unless he brought to the town or parish clerk a certificate from a minister, deacon or elder, or moderator of the church to which he claimed to belong, setting forth that he was of their persuasion. This certificate released him from taxa- tion for church support, to which the major part was subject.

About 1793 the church dropped Sharon from its name, but continued to hold meetings there. They met at the house of Silas Leonard in Sharon, Jan. 6, 1794, and radically departed from church precedents. They voted that a store be kept for the benefit of the church, "of all and every necessary artical that the Bretherin or any other Person shall see fitt to Put into Said Store for the Good and Benefit of Said Chh." Silas Leonard, Dea. John Billings, and Dea. Samuel Peake were chosen store keepers to receive whatever was brought in. It is a pity that the motive for this action is not recorded. It is quite evident that their store was not kept like ordinary stores, as no provision was made for buying, only for receiving contributions. It may be that some were dissatisfied with prices paid for produce, and thought that they could exchange goods with each other with less cost, than when they came through a middleman. Some trouble had been or was brewing, for the spirit of love had departed, when one brother called another "the ofscouring of the world."

Their next meeting was at James Towns' in Sharon, and the following one at Dea. Billings', when Ebenezer Woodward was received into the church. Isaac Wheeler had united before, but soon became disaffected. They had services in April, 1794, at Capt. Ebenezer Parkhurst's, and in June at "Esquire" Timothy Shepard's. Edward Spear and Elijah Huntington were mem- bers at this time.

In October Elder Hibbard had a call to preach one-third of the time in Strafford. He had been authorized to preach and baptize in 1793. The church did not decide what to do regard- ing the Strafford call until Feb. 23, 1795. They then say they "will endeavor to free Elder John Hibbard from his worley bizones the one half of his time as long as it is thought his Duty to Continue Preaching with us half the time," and they agreed

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to hire a hand for him half the time. Elder Hibbard could not have received any munificent sum for his services, judging by the subscription of this date, which amounted to three pounds and seventeen shillings.

The next year, Mar. 9, 1795, Joseph Wheat was received from the Athens church, and the church agreed to "encourage said Brother Whate in the improvement of his Gift," which the church had discovered that he possessed.

The same heterodoxy that the Congregational church had been wrestling with, now was a subject of discipline in the Bap- tist church. David Smith had become a Universalist, and upon trial the clerk says, "He Seamed to be much puzzled to Git along with his Eyedeas." No more could the church get along with them, and after two months they declared they could not fellow- ship one who believed in the same "Doctrine that the Sarpant Preached to our first Parance in the Garden-thou shalt not sure- ly die," and he was excommunicated.

Small as was the remuneration of Elder Hibbard, one sister thought he became a minister for what there was in it, and not having learned to bridle her tongue, she said as much, and this little indiscretion led to numerous church meetings, to a council, to a division among the members, to initiatory steps for another church, to mutual recriminations, confessions, forgiveness, and finally, peace. One of these sessions lasted till nearly break of day. The council called to settle the question, whether the opin- ion expressed by the fault-finding sister was a matter for dis- cipline or not, was composed of Dea. Daniel Davison and Tim- othy Grow from Hartland, John Griswell and Capt. Dean from Hartford, Elder Low and Dea. Bartlett from Norwich, and Orion Day from Sharon. The council decided it was a matter of dis- cipline. At their next meeting at Elder Hibbard's they appar- ently were loathe to act on the finding of the council, and voted not to accept its decision.

They met at Dea. Peake's in Bethel, Feb. 1, 1796. The meet- ings which follow for some time were given over to the discussion of open communion. Elder Hibbard was strictly in favor of close communion, but Dea. Peake, Cyrus Tracy, and Dea. Bil- lings were opposed to it. They agreed that baptism was dipping or immersion. At a Sharon meeting Aug. 8, 1796, at James Town's, Brother Doubleday, Silas Leonard, David Ames, Phebe Lord, Sister Ames, and Sister Doubleday said they could not fellowship an open communicant, but still they would not with- draw from him. Elder Hibbard succeeded in winning all to his views except Mr. and Mrs. Silas Leonard. At their communion the next day a paper was prepared by the close communicants, stating how they could receive the others at the table. About

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one-half refused to commune on those conditions, and a serious division was threatened.

The separation of the Sharon from the Royalton church took place at a meeting held at Jonathan Howe's in Sharon, Feb. 20, 1797. The Sharon brethren took the articles of the Royalton church for theirs, and received the free consent of the Royalton brethren to be in a church by themselves, on condition that they accept the articles.

When they met next at Dea. Billings', Zebulon Hibbard and Russell Ellis were admitted from Randolph. Eight renewed cov- enant. The church was considerably reduced by the withdrawal of Sharon members, and by dissensions among themselves. They were not yet weary of discord, but renewed the trouble regard- ing the offending sister, before mentioned, by voting that they were wrong in not accepting the action of the Council.

It is no wonder, that one member in sending in his excuse for non-attendance upon their meetings should say, that his mind is "cold, Dead and lifeless, as to Speritual religion." He gave as a further excuse that he was far from the meetings, and that "nothing sarting has bin known as to these meetings when they meet and when they did not," and that he could not give fellow- ship to matters that came up in their meetings. He charged the church in not accepting the advice of the Council, and then again accepting it, with being guilty of "double-minded con- duct." He takes his turn at admonitions, and says that the diffi- culty with the offending sister was settled two years before, and should not be brought up again, and he fears the church has turned aside into "vaine ganglings and giving heed unto fables and endless genealogies."

As a sample of the argument of the fathers of the church, an extract from a letter of admonition that was sent out is given : "You seame to think, that Because he (Dea. Billings) said that he would not commune with an unbaptized person to the ofense of his bretherin; that it ought not to be a ofence to the Bretherin. What if a person Should Say: I wont steal if its an ofense to my Bretherin; lye or cheat or Git Drunk; if it will give an ofence to my Bretherin; otherwise I could do any or all of them; we conclude that this would surprise; and you would think such a Brother ought to be Delt with in the chh-now it is not in our opinion one Graine Plainer forbid to Do, these abominations than it is Comanded to be Baptized before we come to the Lord's table, for the command is; Believe and be Bap- tized - - - - renounce your eyedeas or Else prove them to be right from the bible; if you can prove that you are right; that will prove that we are rong; and if we are Rong we want to know it."

The church learned in December that Elder Hibbard had a call to preach at Wilbraham. He went there in February, but does not appear to have had more than a temporary engagement. A Council convened in June to see if they could settle the dis-

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puted questions. From Woodstock there came Elder Ransom, Dea. Cattle, and "Brother Ralph"; from Hartland, Dea. Daniel Davison and Timothy Grow; from Hartford, Dea. Elisha Fow- ler and Labond Hall; from Sharon, Elder Joseph Wheat; from Brookfield, - Hovey ; from Chelsea, Jedediah Griswell. The Council voted in the affirmative on the question, whether the case of the offending sister was a matter of discipline or not, and on the question, whether a brother holding that he could occasion- ally commune with an unbaptized person, should be called to account. It will have to be borne in mind, that "unbaptized" to them meant Christians who had been sprinkled only.

It seemed for a time that there would be a hopeless division in the church, as each side held to its own views, and the minority began to have Sabbath meetings by themselves, but, finally, in October they had a general love feast, each part made conces- sions, and "those that were present ware hapely renighted and concluded to walk together in fellowship." The ghost of open communion was not quite laid, however, as on Nov. 11, 1798, when the Lord's Supper was administered, two of the minority did not partake.

Each of the services thus far had been held in private houses with one exception. The next gathering was Nov. 23, 1798, at the red schoolhouse. This was probably "Sever's schoolhouse" in the west part of the town. In December they met at Ebene- zer Woodard's in the east part of the town, and voted that the brethren in the two parts should not be divided. They received Thomas Ainsworth and wife, Eunice Battis ( ?) and Eunice Woodworth into the church.

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History of Royalton, Vermont, with family genealogies, 1769-1911, Part 53

Author: Lovejoy, Mary Evelyn Wood, 1847- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Burlington, Vt., Free press printing company Number of Pages: 1280

Author: Lovejoy, Mary Evelyn Wood, 1847-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Burlington, Vt., Free press printing company
Number of Pages: 1280