USA > Vermont > History of the Baptists in Vermont > Part 12
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In 1901, Rev. S. H. Meyers came to the little church, backed by the State Convention with an annual appropriation of about one hundred and fifty dollars, and gave seven years of patient, wise ministry, under which the church doubled its membership. Since 1908, the pastors of the church in Vergennes, H. T. Slocum and Geo. Pomfrey, have taken the Panton church under their care.
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MONKTON
This church began its work in 1794, under the care of Elder Joseph Call, of Cambridge. The constituent members were Ephraim Page, Ezbon Fuller, Ashbel Fuller, Isaac Sawyer, Ebene- zer Stearns, Lydia Fuller, Hannah Brant, who were baptized by Elder Call, and Rachel Sterns, who had previously been baptized. Of these original nembers, Isaac Sawyer was a recognized leader. He was first appointed church clerk and also chosen to lead the devotional meetings in the absence of the pastor. In 1797, he was appointed deacon, the next year licensed to preach, and in 1799, was ordained pastor,-the first regular pastor of the church, and the first ordained settled minister in the town. The church in- creased with a gradual increase during the pastorate, which con- tinued for fourteen years. During this period two churches were constituted of members dismissed from this church for that pur- pose, the church in Charlotte, nineteen members, in May 1807, and the church in Hinesburg, eighteen members. In 1810, Elisha Collins and John Stearns were licensed to preach.
A meeting-house was erected in 1811. The next year Sawyer resigned and removed to Fairfield, Vt. Nathaniel Kendrick was the next pastor, and during the two years of his labor the church passed through sad scenes on account of a prevalent sickness of great mortality. Ephraim Butler was pastor, 1818-1821; Peter Chase, 1821-1824; H. J. Hall, 1828-1830. P. E. Fish was licensed in 1830, A. Lawrence in 1833 and M. M. Dean in 1834, A. Kings- bury in 1837. These licentiates supplied frequently as circum- stances required. M. D. Miller was ordained pastor. M. M. Dean was also ordained in this church. From 1843 till 1852, the church nearly lost its visibility, having no pastor and holding no church meetings. In 1852, however, Zenas Jones came for their encouragement, and the following year Elder E. Smith gave his whole time to the church, and the church put on strength and doubled its membership, and repaired its house of worship. In 1867, Elder I. P. Kellogg became pastor and for ten years shep- herded the little flock. Then for several years the church was again practically pastorless most of the time, till 1885, when I. P.
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Kellogg again became pastor, retaining that relation for fifteen years, resigning in 1901. After his resignation the church was supplied two or three years by Pastors Kinzie, of Bristol, and Safford, of Hinesburgh. Since 1904, the name of the church has disappeared from the minutes and the church is reckoned extinct after a life of one hundred and ten years.
SHOREHAM
The Shoreham Baptist church was recognized June 2, 1794, and consisted of fifteen members to which others were soon added. Abel Woods was chosen its first pastor and ordained February 26, 1795. The first deacon was Eli Smith, who was chosen to stand on trial until the church should get satisfied. Four years later he was confirmed in his office. During the winter of 1795, there was special interest and sixteen were "brought into liberty." In 1810, there was another revival and frequent additions. Elder Woods closed his labors as pastor that year and was succeeded by Ephriam Sawyer, 1810-1814, and by Elder John Spaulding, 1815. In 1817, the church in Ticonderoga was set off, and not far from this time a branch church was formed at Pitts Creek, which appears to have been the source of the church at Crown Point. Elder Spaulding was dismissed in 1819 and was succeeded by Elder Ravlin, in 1810, Elder Henry Chamberlain in 1823, and Elder Storers in 1832, who appears to have been their last settled minis- ter. The whole number of members that were connected with this church during its existence was not far from three hundred and fifteen. Many of these were noble men and would have been an ornament in any society. They were men of character leaning decidedly to firmness, but without the dogmatic element. For several years Deacon Eli Smith and Brother Hopkins Rowley bore a large share of the burdens of public duties. The place of meeting was at first in private dwellings and afterwards in a school- house. It does not appear that they ever had a meeting-house. The members generally lived between the center of the town and the lake, and the meetings would be on one side of them if held at the center. Had the church adopted the policy of a central
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location, it is possible that it might have maintained its existence. But like many other churches it did not feel that it could remove the meetings so far from them, and the result was that they did not exert so wide an influence in the town as it appears they might. The first clerk, Timothy Page, died in 1810, and left the reputation of a great man in Israel. Deacon Eli Smith, the first deacon, was also an able man; Rev. Eli B. Smith was the son of Joseph Smith. He joined the church in 1817, graduated at Middlebury College in 1827 or 1828, was successively pastor at Buffalo and Poultney, Vt .; was called to the professorship of theology in the New Hamıp- ton Institution and died in Colchester, Vt. Professor Smith was a man of great administrative ability, a sound theologian, a clear and vigorous writer. He left his impression on the generation in which he lived. Elder Abel Woods, who served them seventeen years, was annoyed by a controversy over the ministerial lands, which were rightfully his as the first settled minister, but which the town sought to divide between other denominations, and finally to take from Mr. Woods altogether, but were defeated.
The first intimations of salary are contained in a record that refers to the obligation of the church to pay a man they had hired to work for Elder Woods. Afterwards the salary was twenty-five dollars a year, then forty dollars and finally sixty dollars. The records of the church are very full and accurate until 1826, but after this little is recorded till 1832, when the record closes. About the year 1815, members began to take letters to other churches, and the tide of emigration that had formerly favored the church turned against it until it was a common thing to dis- miss several members nearly every month. It is said the church ceased to exist. It might be said it moved away, some of it to heaven, but a large number to other parts of the earth, first. It proved the parent of at least two other churches, and its members removing to other places materially assisted many more.
An unhappy division marred the peace of this church a few of the last years of its existence. One of the deacons was dissatis- fied in some way and so became a leader of a party that insisted on removing the meetings to the center of the town. A council that considered the matter gave a decision both wise and clear. They
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decided that the attempt of the minority to remove the meeting was wrong, since majorities should govern, but also that the majority ought to remove the meeting to the center of the town. The meeting was removed to the academy hill a portion of the time, but the division had become so serious that it materially weakened the church.
BRISTOL
The early history of the Bristol church has been more fully written than that of many others and is perserved in the minutes of the Addison Association for 1854. It reads like the record of April days, sunshine and showers in quick alternation, now and then a June-like day followed by a storm, but all the while the plants of God were growing. The earliest days were beautiful. Elder Joseph Call and two of his friends, Silas Smith and Thomas Tuttle, came down one day from Cambridge, and a small company assembled to hear him preach. Among his hearers were nine who had already found Christ, and after the sermon they confessed him, gave satisfactory evidence of conversion, and were baptized by Elder Call. Their names were Timothy Allen, Phineas Rugg, Daniel Dean, Johnson Allen, Asa Smith, Anna Day, Margaret Smith, Polly Rugg, Esther Allen. Three days later, August 10, 1794, these, with Elizabeth Day and Elizabeth Sutton, covenanted together as a church and chose Timothy Allen, deacon, and Asa Smith, scribe. Several others desired baptism at the next coven- ant meeting, September 18, and the church sent Daniel Dean through the wilderness to Pittsford to secure the services of Elder Joseph Rich, who came and administered the ordinance. The church adopted very brief and simple rules, providing for monthly covenant meetings, attendance of all members, orderly proceedings under a moderator's government, etc. The seventh article was, "No member shall go out of doors on any unnecessary occasion."
The church had no settled pastor for many years. They were visited at intervals by such pious, helpful men as Roswell Mears. Henry Chamberlain, Ephraim and Isaac Sawyer, who baptized and administered the Lord's Supper. Their numbers increased
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by baptisms and emigration. When no minister was present the brethren sustained their own meetings under "leaders" who were regularly appointed by the church. This custom was continued for a long period and aided materially in preserving its visibility. About 1805, among the new comers was one Asa Palmer, who was received on letters of recommendation from seven churches, of which he had been a member. They appointed him deacon. He was ambitious to preach, but the church "after discussion, voted that his improvement was not edifying doctrinally." Soon after he withdrew from his office as deacon, became estranged from his brethren, brought charges against the church for employing an unconverted man to lead the singing, and for reading sermons written by collegians to the neglect of the exhortations of the brethren, etc., and finally withdrew from the church, joined the Quakers and became an active leader among them, greatly dis- turbing the church. In 1807, Deacon Timothy Allen embraced the doctrines of the Universalists and was cut off, and the church was plunged in gloom for a time. But in 1810, came a brighter day. Several sisters who could not go up through the "Notch" from the "Flats" began holding meetings for conference in their homes. They read the scriptures and exhorted but "did not know as sisters could pray in public," to use the language of one of them. Soon after inquirers were directed to this almost unknown prayer meeting for spiritual guidance, and there a work of grace began that spread through the town and bore fruit, that long remained. Robert Holley, Amos Eastman, Michael Dayfoot, and associates,- firm supporters of Universalism,-came forward, and a score of others, and were baptized by Elders Sawyer, Green and Babcock. Timothy Allen then returned with bitter tears of repentance. These were times of joy and hope. But within a short time the church was troubled with causes for disciplinary action. In 1811, they first began to raise money by subscription for preaching. Twenty-eight men subscribed the sum of thirty-five dollars. This they paid out to several ministers, in sums from one shilling to one dollar as the cases demanded. Two methods of raising funds were tried, neither of them fully successful. The subscription method proved inadequate, and the assessment method irritating. The
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natural result was financial stringency and a fluctuating ministry.
Amos Stearns, a man of piety and promise, came to Bristol from Monkton and united with the church. He preached so accept- ably that he was licensed and brought the church into harmonious union. In 1818, a ministers' meeting was to be held in Bridport, and a committee was sent with the request to have Mr. Stearns examined by them and to ask their advice as to his fitness for ordination. They advised ordination and their advice was followed. Previous to ordination, however, the church appointed a committee to meet a committee of the town and arrange all questions concerning the Glebe lands. They voted in church meeting "that Brother Stearns be ordained in such a way as to hold the Ministerial Right and deed the same to the town for the use of schools forever; and leave it to the generosity of the town to give Mr. Stearns what they see fit as compensation for securing the land to the town." This proposal they sent by a committee to a town meeting held for the purpose. They thus magnanimously disposed of a claim that had been a fruitful source of discord in the State. The town voted to give Mr. Stearns six years' use of the land and a hundred dollars in money; a part of which he invested in a meeting-house. At the time of Mr. Stearns' settlement, the church numbered forty-four. The whole number who had been members during the twenty-four years of its history were one hundred and eight. Forty-one had left, six had died, sixteen had been excluded. The church united, in the year 1819, with the Congregationalists and Universalists in building a meeting-house. It was called the White House. Each denomination was to occupy it in proportion to the amount of stock set to their credit. During 1820, the pastor preached half the time in the White Meeting-House and one-fourth on the East Hill.
In 1824, Elder David Hendee was employed and continued pastor till 1831. The discovery was made that he had been a Mason, and although he avoided all association with the obnoxious fraternity, yet he did not denounce it with sufficient energy to satisfy many, and he was brought before a council, and although this exonerated the pastor of blame, and somewhat censured both parties in the church, yet its disapproval of Masonry was positive,
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and the pastorate soon ended. W. W. Moore was ordained in June, 1834, and the church seemed to have entered upon an era of prosperity, but Mr. Moore thought it best to go at the end of a year, and shipped his goods to northern New York. The church prevailed upon him to remain and his goods were brought back. A meeting was held soon after for sixteen days and fifty came forward for baptism during a single month. Mr. Moore was re- tained three years. The last year was less successful than the first and it is recorded that "The result was that the closing busi- ness arrangements were discordant, and the farewell sermon distasteful." A. Kingsbury followed Mr. Moore and served two years.
In 1842, Elder E. Hurlbut was secured as pastor and began work under favorable circumstances, many coming forward for baptism. Then came the Millerite excitement. Mr. Miller had lectured here and his sentiments had taken root. The minister favored the first period prophesied, and withdrew. The church became divided and violently discordant. The Comeouters, as they were called, were specially offensive in their denunciation of their brethren, who differed with them. Finally nineteen were excluded. Richard Amsden was pastor from 1845 to 1847, when Elder C. W. Dodge was secured, who soon afterward siekened and died, deeply lamented by all.
For a time deep depression paralyzed the members, meetings were forsaken and hope seemed abandoned. But in June, 1852, A. A. Sawin was employed, hopes revived, and confidence was restored. The church reported eighty-four members in 1854, at its semi-centennial.
P. C. Himes was pastor, 1857-1858; N. J. Pinkham, 1859-1884; T. H. Archibald, 1866-1873; L. B. Hibbard, 1875; S. Small, 1879; W. D. Hall, 1877-1887; I. W. Coombs, 1882-1884; P. B. Strong, 1885-1886; S. E. Miller, 1888; G. A. Smith, 1889; B. F. Kellogg, 1891-1894; W. A. Kinzie, 1895-1902; S. P. Perry, 1903-1906; I. E. Usher, 1908-1910; E. M. Holman, 1911. Under these pastors the church prospered and gradually gained in strength and mem- bers, attaining in 1902, its highest mark, one hundred and fifty-one.
Membership in 1912, one hundred and forty.
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ADDISON
The name of the Addison church has been on the roll of Ver- mont Baptist churches since 1797. The birth of the church at that time was largely due to the house to house evangelism of Elders Henry Chamberlain and Ephraim Sawyer, the intimate friends, who burnt forest refuse and made potash near Lemon Fair Bridge, Cornwall. Elder Phelps, and probably others, did pioneer work. October 25, 1797, twelve Baptists covenanted to- gether, in the house of Noah Wilson. Their names will be precious to any of their descendants. They were James Doran, Seth Abbott, John White, Leathan Clark and Sisters Keziah Seegar, Eunice Clarke, Sarah Abbott, Comfort White, Chloe Squire, Polly Wilson, Mehitabel Morley, and Betsy Spencer. These signed a short covenant, one clause of which confessed faith in what is called "the Calvinistic doctrine of sovereign grace." Some dis- satisfaction was felt over the word "Calvinistic" and it was changed to "Apostolic." Another article which was afterward added is worthy of mention; it was as follows: "If any member shall have a difficulty with any minister or member in relation to their principles or practice, if they tell it to any other person before they have tried in a Gospel manner to reclaim them, if the church cannot reclaim them (i. e., the one who has the difficulty and told of it), they ought to be expelled as disturbers of the peace of the church."
The original members were descendants of Puritan stock of Massachusetts, or of the Dutch that settled near New York, and are said to have been intellectually, physically, morally strong men. Samuel Rogers was their first pastor, and as the first settled minis- ter in town, became proprietor of the Ministerial Rights in land, which, when he left the place, he deeded to the Congregational church and to the Baptist, one-half to each. In discipline this early church was thorough, kind and successful. On several occasions it labored with and cut off the prominent members. The sins of men of property could not go unrebuked. The trials of the church in its efforts to maintain correct discipline were the cause of some very dark days, but often they were followed by days of bright- ness. It is a matter of record that almost every revival was pre-
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ceded by a season of darkness. The years 1805, 1806, and 1807 were years of trial and discouragement, but the cloud passed, and one hundred and twenty-three were added to the church. Painful disciplinary action preceded the revivals of 1811 and 1817, when more than a hundred were added; and the same fact is true of other later revivals.
In 1811, the church began to plan for the erection of a meeting- house, but there were three eligible sites proposed, the people divided into factions over these, and the meeting-house was not built till 1817, and the ill feeling engendered over the enterprise was long in healing.
The church was almost unanimous in its positive opposition to the principles of Freemasonry, and a violent excitement was aroused, about 1828, over the fact that a member of a lodge had gained church membership, notwithstanding the moderator's cautious call, "if anyone has anything against the candidate let him manifest it now or forever keep silent in relation to it." The outcome was that all Masons left the church of their own accord or were compelled to leave.
The Advent excitement in this church was equally fierce. Mr. Miller lectured in the place and won followers, who became schismatics, and after patient labor twenty-seven were excluded in 1827. These trials retarded the growth of the church.
In 1816, its membership was reported as sixty-six. Abel Woods was then pastor. The next year, under phenomenal spiritual influence, it sprung to one hundred and seventy-four. The years following were comparatively barren, till 1826, when fourteen were added. This hardly checked the decline till 1831. when four successive revival years brought the membership to one hundred and eighty-seven, its highest mark. In the years 1842, 1850 and 1851 there were additions, but the decline con- tinued till the unhappy year 1856, when thirty-four were dismissed, and the membership became sixty. Since then the number of members has fluctuated between fifty and eighty. During the last five years the tide of prosperity and power has been on the rise and the total membership, in 1912, was eighty-five.
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During the first fifty-seven years of its history this church had been served by twenty ministers, the pastorates averaging less than two years each. The names of these pastors John Rogers, John Hayward, Nathaniel Kendrick, E. Starkweather, Abel Woods, John S. Carter, Seth Ewers, Aristarchus Willey, L. Austin, Alanson Covell, Elias Hurlbut, Wm. Stoors, Burton Carpenter, H. F. Davis, Robert Bryant, Israel Keach, C. E. Miles, M. D. Miller, P. C. Himes, J. Q. U. A. Ware.
Since 1867, there have been at least twelve pastors: E. Good- speed, E. D. Craft, L. Wheelock, R. Nott, E. Bullard, now missionary in India, T. H. Archibald, T. F. Ogden, John Pearson, Guy C. Lamson, H. H. White, G. L. Powell and C. T. Reekie.
WHITING
The Whiting Baptist church was constituted of members of the church in Orwell, and accordingly traces its origin under God to those two well-known servants of God, Ephraim Sawyer and Henry Chamberlain, who carried their Bibles with them to their work as constantly as they did their axes, read and chopped alter- nately, and spent time in meditation and prayer as far as practic- able. Often an hour or two before sunset they met the people, during the summer and autumn seasons, for religious services, and out of these came the churches. The Whiting church was set off and recognized February 25, 1799, with ten members: Ezra Allen, Josiah Stone, Ashael Fields, Elisha Fields, Thomas McNeil, Elijah Kirkham, Jr., Joanna Wiswell, Sarah Stone, Rachel Beach, Sarah Ketcham. The first settled pastor was David Rathbun, whose pastorate began April 26, 1799. October 4, 1799, the church voted to bear Elder Rathbun's extra expense for liquor for himself and family, and to have it averaged on the members of the church. What other provision was made for the supply of his needs and comfort we do not know. This record is well worth preserving as a help in noting the progress in moral reform, specially in the temperance movement.
In the first sixty years of its history the church had the follow- ing named pastors: David Rathbun, Samuel Churchill, John
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Stearns, I. W. Sawyer, Isaac Wescott, W. G. Johnson, Volney Clark, Barna Allen and Stephen Wright; nine in number.
Up to 1858, the greatest number of members in the church at any one time was in 1840, when it numbered one hundred and twenty-five. The greatest number added by baptism, in any one year, was twenty-six, in 1836. There had been eleven revivals, averaging one in every five years. There had been added to the church up to that time by baptism, two hundred and twenty-four; by letter eighty-four; exclusions had been twenty-eight; dropped, three; died, forty-eight. The total membership was forty-eight. J. Q. A. Ware was pastor from 1859 to 1864, R. L. Smith from 1866 to 1878, the membership averaging about sixty during this period. During the last two decades of the nineteenth century, W. H. Mawhew, Jos. Freeman, G. C. Shirk and R. L. Verry served short pastorates, and L. Kenney one of seven years. J. W. Ilsley followed with a two years' pastorate; H. H. White, three. T. A. Howard became pastor in 1903. The State Convention has generously assisted in maintaining the church. In 1911, the Baptist church federated with the Congregational church, with T. A. Howard as pastor, the services being held six months in one meeting-house, and six months in the other. The membership reported in 1912 was twenty-eight.
WALTHAM
A Baptist church was organized in Waltham at a schoolhouse in the west district May 7, 1802, and recognized by a council, March 10, 1803; ordained Jesse Smith its first pastor, June 30, 1803, and dismissed him to another church the following December. Elder Samuel Rogers followed, 1804, and remained till March, 1806. Elder John Howard then commenced a pastorate of eleven years, which proved to the church years of blessing. June 27, 1827, Elias Hurlbut, a licentiate of the church, was or- dained pastor and labored six years with good success. Elder J. K. Wright was pastor from January, 1831, to January, 1839, much to the prosperity and satisfaction of the church. Elder Increase Jones followed him with a four years' pastorate, at the close of
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