USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Woodstock > The valley of the Kedron; the story of the South parish, Woodstock, Vermont > Part 13
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Jabez Cottle and Elisha Ransom early settlers in the South Parish were both Elders in the Baptist Church and could perform nearly all the functions of ordained minis- ters. A Rev. Joel Butler preached a short time for the Baptists. In 1787 Daniel Hubbard and Thomas Baldwin held meetings for this denomination. Elias Smith tells of these men and also of an exhorter, named Joshua Smith who labored in the neighborhood for a brief period before 1790.
Rev. Elijah Norton lived in the South Parish some years. His name appears on the Day Books of the Ransom Store many times. He married the widow of Oliver Farns- worth who had died in November 1785. They lived on the land which she had received as her widow's right in the Farnsworth property and her children lived with them. The Rev. Elijah Norton is charged with all sorts of ar- ticles at the store and is credited with honey, butter, cheese, and a variety of farm products. Did he preach for the Congregationalists? Silence answers not.
The records of the Congregational Church at the Green say that the Congregational Church at South Woodstock was established about 1782. Beside supplies it had two local ministers:
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Churches in the South Parish
JOHN RANSOM, Born Lyme, Conn. Feb. 23, 1748, Or- dained May 4, 1795; served Bridgewater, Whiting, Pittsfield, Hubbardton, Woodstock (South). It is not known where he died.
ANDREW SMITH, Served in S. Woodstock and Bridge- water and Died in Woodstock in 1813.
In these records the church is referred to as The South Church in Woodstock. There are several references to it. In 1802 a joint committee from the two churches was ap- pointed to secure a minister. "Each church to be at equal expense and enjoy equal privileges." In 1805 the "north church" sent a delegation to South Woodstock to attend the "ordaining" of Mr. Andrew Smith.
In 1839 when a Committee was organized to proceed with the building of the Universalist Church, they used some of the timbers of the old Congregational Church. Jason Kendall, Amos Ralph and Richard Hayes were ap- pointed to sell the land on which the Church stood. A search of the town records has failed to reveal the pur- chases. The Congregational Church stood near where the present school building is located in the South Village.
Deacons and Elders flourished in the South Parish in those early days. The Deacons were, Abraham Kendall, Abel Pain, Elisha Ransom, Andrew Smith, Asabel Hoi- sington, Wm. Wood, Joseph Cottle, Phinehas Thomas, Charles McKenzie and a man named Dutton and one with the name of Wilcocks. The Elders were, Jacob Holt, Uriah Smith, Elias Smith. Cottle and Ransom have been mentioned already. Seth Sterling was a Methodist Elder consecrated to this office by Bishop Asbury at a meeting in
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Barnard, Vt. in 1807. John Ransom was an ordained Bap- tist Minister who preached for a time in Bridgewater.
At a town meeting in 1793, Plyman Church was or- dered to build a pound near the South Meeting house. It was built just above the ancient tomb whose restored walls still remain, and in which is now kept the dynamite for road construction.
The Memoirs written by Daniel Ransom, son of Rich- ard Ransom, Jr. gives the following valuable information: "In 1792 the inhabitants of the South Parish built a meet- ing house after quite a wrangle, as father said, as to the place of ground where it should be located. Some wanted it up west of the village, a mile or so near a settlement of some of the families of Cottles. (This is the Fletcher neighborhood.) That region was then called Cottle Town, but it was finally built in the village near where father afterwards built his white house (the present Paul Ken- dall house). It was 48 by 62 feet, with a porch on each end for an entry, and for stairs to go into the gallery. It was two stories high and had a high steep roof, and at first it had no windows. It looked like a barn and the boys often called it God's Barn. It had a gallery on three sides and a very high pulpit on the fourth side with a sounding board over it and a Deacons' Seat at its base. I remember that Deacon Charles Mckenzie used to sit there while his family were in his pew. I never saw a tything man there with his long pole but he had been at an earlier time. The pews were large, square, arranged on the sides of the house from the pulpit, around each way to the front door and separated from twelve pews of the same side in the body of the house by an aisle and these twelve pews were again
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Churches in the South Parish
separated in the middle by the Broad Aisle running from the double front door to the Deacons' Seat and pulpit. The pulpit had a very steep crooked stairs to get up into it.
The front of the gallery had two rows of bench seats around it, with some large pews higher up next to the outside walls so that one could look over those in the Singers Seats and see the preacher in his high pulpit. The seats in all of the pews were on three sides and one third of the people in the body of the house sat with their backs to the preacher. There were no chimneys, so there could be no fires, but some of the women carried tin foot stoves with a dish of live coals of fire in them to keep their feet warm.
I have heard it said that the preachers usually made their sermons hot enough to warm the members, but on one extremely cold day, Uncle Joseph Sterling, after a long sermon, requested the preacher to make his prayer shorter than usual for the people were freezing. In the year 1824 my brother Richard got up a subscription and purchased a stove and pipes and ran the pipes along the aisles and out of the back windows which warmed the Church a little but when the wind blew from the north the smoke came back into the house. The roof of this old meeting house leaked badly and in 1839 the people got tired of it and took it down." This exceedingly interest- ing document from which the above is quoted, was loaned to me by Prof. Wm. Ransom of Tufts College, a grandson of the writer.
I own an old map of the town of Woodstock "Drawn by a Committee from the Institute in 1832." This shows the location of the Church in the South Parish. The
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Woodstock Institute was organized at the Court House in 1831 for the purpose of studying scientific, literary, me- chanical and agricultural subjects. They named the streets at the Green and made this interesting map.
In 1807 a group of Methodists built a Church in the South Parish and laid out a graveyard which is still called the Methodist Graveyard and burials take place there, but the Church disappeared long ago. It was simply con- structed and resembled a school house rather than a Church. The men who bought the land on which the Church and graveyard were located, were John Ransom, Jonathan Crooker, Benjamin Mack, Elisha Lord and Seth Sterling. A dozen Congregationalists jumped their fold and joined the Methodists when the Church was started. After many trials and tribulations, the Society dissolved and the building finally burned and that ended the South Parish Methodist Church. Elder Ashur Smith and Elder Evans of Enfield, N. H. preached for them, also Elder Bishop.
So many Elders and Preachers of various affiliations evi- dently stirred the doctrinal broth vigorously, and the re- sult was a great ferment, which is written in the town records of 1800 and duly attested by the town clerk, Oliver Williams.
"Whereas different and various opinions prevail in this Parish with respect to modes of worship and the Support of the Gospel, we therefore whose names are hereunto subscribed, Do hereby engage each for himself and with one another to Conform to the following regulations and form ourselves into a Congregational Society upon the plan herein contained (Viz.), ist that the Clerk of the Society shall warn a meeting
Once a Ransom store, then the Green Vestry
30 .
W
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of the Society in the month of February annually for the choosing of all necessary officers without further notice and all other meetings at or by the discretion of a prudential committee, or at the request of at least five votable members of the said Society.
2nd that the major of the whole body shall rule the minor in all civil matters and lest there should be a question arise whether the building of a meeting house for public worship of God should be called a civil matter, we agree that the major part of the whole shall establish a plan, the Mode or Manner of building together with all contracts for such to support the Gospel by an equal tax.
grd that No Church member shall be controlled in Ecclesias- tical matters in contrast with the Church to which he or they belong (Viz) in the Church or Settling a minister in accord as matters that the Church shall judge to belong to them as an Ecclesiastical body shall be judged and controlled by sd Church Except the building of a meeting house and Making collections for the Support of the Gospel as above said.
4th that whenever any member shall incline to be dismissed from this Society by applying and giving reasons to sd Society shall be Discharged from any further obligation with sd So- ciety.
5th that if ever it should so happen that the Church with the rest of the Society should be so disagreed in Doctrine mode and manner in the worship of God that the sd Society Exclu- sive of the Church will not conform to the Church of sd Society shall set a price on the house that they may build which together either to give or take but insist on separation when separate.
6th that all meetings for doing business in sd Society shall be legally warned agreeable to the direction of the Law in this State for Town Meetings.
Churches in the South Parish
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7th that whenever this Society shall see fit to Disolve this Covenant and adopt any other mode for promoting the wor- ship of God sd Society being legally warned for the above purpose, the major part of the whole have power to desolve the same."
The following names were signed to this marvelous document.
AMASSA RANSOM
JAMES HAMMOND
JOSEPH STERLIN
NATHAN FLETCHER
WM. WYLLIS
SANFORD AVERY
THOMAS HOADLEY
JOHN DRUMMOND
ELISHA PERKINS
ZEBEDEE HACKETT
JAMES GAY EPH™ CARY
EDWARD CHURCH
NATH WALDRON
EZRA PERRY
JOHN WALDRON
NEHEMIAH MACK
WILLIAM PERKINS
JASON SMITH
HEZEKIAH FIELD
HEZEKIAH MACK
DAVID MACK
RICHARD RANSOM
LYNDE RANSOM
PHINEHAS THOMAS
JOHN HAYES
JOHN RANSOM
JOHN CUMMINGS
DAVID PERRY
CRISPUS SHAW
WILLIAM PADDOCK ELIJAH FIELD
BERNARD HANDY
GEORGE RANSOM
STEPHEN BAILEY
WARREN COTTLE
WILLIAM COWDREY
NATHANIEL WOOD
STEPHEN PADDOCK WILLIAM ELLIS
JOSEPH PERRY
NATHAN AVERY
ROBERT KNOWLTON
DAVID PEIRCE
JOSHUA STERLIN
NATHANIEL WOOD JR.
JAMES HOLMES
BENJAMIN MACK
BENJAMIN SHAW
BENJAMIN RUSS
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THOMAS WHITE
JOHN DARLING
RICHARD RANSOM JR.
NEHEMIAH MACK JR.
NATHAN COOK
STEPHEN FARNSWORTH
ANDREW SMITH
JONATHAN FARNSWORTH
JOHN HAMMOND
WILLIAM WOOD
TILEMAN COTTLE
DAN NILES
BENJAMIN SMITH
There is no further record of this group. No Church was ever built by them. They must have died in the hour of being born, strangled by their rope of rules and regula- tions.
When the Christian Church was organized in the North Parish, it found some adherents in the South Parish but no Church was ever organized by them there. They may have had some informal tie-up.
When the Ransoms built their brick store in 1822, which still stands near the Kedron Tavern, they made their old store on the hill into a Vestry. It was painted green and was known in the Community as the Green Vestry. It was used for various public meetings. Reference has been made to this in another chapter.
On March 19, 1839, a group of citizens of South Wood- stock met at the schoolhouse and decided to build a Chapel for public worship. The original compact with the signatures has been carefully preserved. A photostatic copy of it appears in connection with this chapter. I have had access to this valuable record, also to the Memoir by Daniel Ransom who was a member of the official committee and of the building committee, and to the records of the Universalist Society. At a meeting on April 13, 1839, the building committees were appointed to proceed with the
The Universalist Chapel
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erection of the Chapel. It was placed in a part of Dr. Drew's garden, between his house and the house of Dr. Willard Bowman.
The Committee to superintend the building and let the contracts consisted of Jason Kendall, Gaius Perkins, Ira Kendall, Oliver Kendall, Isaac Parker and Daniel Ransom. The contractors and builders were Galo B. Ralph for the excavation and stone foundation, Marshall Mason drew the plans of the front of the Chapel, for the belfry, the front of the gallery and the pulpit, and with his assistants, did the erecting of these portions. Our town history says Marshall Mason was an excellent carpenter but he was more than that, he was an architect. He was a brother of Benjamin Mason the artist and built the house at the Green in which the artist lived.
John Lake and Hiram Holt did the joiner work and put up the pews. Otis Wood laid the siding and shingles, John N. Carey and Alfred Bell put on the lath and plaster. Richard Hayes did the painting. The Chapel is 42 x 68 feet and when built contained fifty-two subscribers' pews and two more used by the people of the town farm. Each pew would seat five persons with comfort. The gallery at the end over the lobby was for the singers only. The pul- pit was low and made of mahogany furnished by Marshall Mason. Three thousand dollars was raised by subscribers for the pews and when the house was finished and dedi- cated on December 12, 1839, one hundred and fifty dollars remained, an equal amount was raised by subscription and a bell weighing one thousand pounds was bought and placed in the belfry. It was warranted for one year. At the end of fourteen months it cracked and had to be returned
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Churches in the South Parish
to the Boston foundry for recasting; a reasonable compen- sation was paid for this work.
"The Chapel has a handsome front with Doric columns, a tower and belfry whose dome is supported by Doric columns, crowned with a carved and gilt acorns." This description of the Chapel and the names of the committees is taken from Daniel Ransom's little book. Where is the gilded acorn now that once adorned the belfry? And where are those Doric columns? The present supports of the belfry are plain tree trunks. He does not mention the beautiful windows with their eighty panes of handmade glass in each one all so bubbly and fascinating.
At the dedication December 12, 1839, the Rev. Russell Streeter, the Universalist Minister, preached the sermon. Rev. Jasper Hazen, Minister of the Christian Church at the Green assisted in the service as did a Methodist Min- ister now unknown. The first officers of the Chapel Society were, Parker Morse president, Daniel Ransom clerk, and Benjamin T. Bigelow treasurer. The Prudential Commit- tee consisted of Jason Kendall, Amos Ralph, Elbridge Hovey, Richard Hayes and Samuel S. Ellis. The members of the Society represented various Religious beliefs and some with no theological leanings. The Universalists definitely out-numbered all the others and have done so throughout the years. Forty-five of them enrolled at the meeting of the organization. Twelve Baptists added their names, Six Individuals and five persons "not set anywhere." One of the first duties of the Prudential Committee in 1839 was to assign to each group, the number of Sundays it could have for preaching services. This Chapel Society was broad enough to recognize the beliefs of the minority
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The Valley of the Kedron
groups and the rights of those who professed no creed. There is no question but that the large Liberal group was an important factor in this fair and generous decision for they knew the meaning of discrimination because of their beliefs. The Committee gave the Universalists three Sun- days each month for one year. This arrangement was theirs so long as the Sundays were parcelled out. The Baptists had one Sunday each month. The Individuals had the fifth Sundays and the "Not Set Any Where" one. The next year the Baptists had only three Sundays in the year and pres- ently they had only one, for James Fletcher is left alone, he dies and leaves an energetic wife who holds aloft the Baptist banner over the one Sunday in the year.
A few Methodists appear and they have one Sunday for a couple of years and they fade away. A small group of Unitarians declare themselves. They are important people, wielding much influence in the South Parish and are the owners of several pews, so they get six Sundays in the year. The Individuals have the fifth Sundays. The last record of these divisions appears in 1858. The Universalists have an average of more than three Sundays a month, the Baptist woman has a cold Sunday in January, and the Individuals have all the rest.
The "Not Set Any Where" consisted at first of F. Dens- more and Nathan Kittredge, F. D. soon joined the Indi- viduals and Nathan held his place alone for several years, whether death or inclination removed him at last, no record tells. We admire his stubborn independence. Mrs. S. S. Ellis was one of the Individuals in 1840, the only woman. Later she was joined by Mrs. Lovejoy who by a second
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1932
Universalist Chapel Society
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Churches in the South Parish
marriage became Mrs. Green and these two women had one Sunday at their disposal.
The Universalists, Unitarians and Individuals were peo- ple of intellect, integrity and independent thinking. Their names are found on every document in South Woodstock which meant the maintenance of cultural affairs, The Lit- erary Fraternity, The Social Library, the Liberal Institute, later called The Perkins Green Mountain Academy. They had both vision and conviction and did worth while things.
At a business meeting of the Chapel Society in 1840, the auditors who had examined all the financial statements of the various committees, made a detailed report. It is inter- esting to note that the men who worked on the Chapel were paid one dollar a day and their board. A woman's organization called the South Woodstock Sewing Society fitted the Chapel out with curtains, cushions, rugs and lamps, worth $70.00, and a group of young men gave the pulpit bible valued at $10.00. At this meeting, the Pruden- tial Committee was authorized to sell the land on which the Congregational Church had stood.
There are frequent reports of repairs, the money for them being raised by a tax on the pews. This was also the method used to get money for current expenses. No names of women appear in the Universalist lists until 1858 which seems passing strange. The old injunction that women should keep silence in the Church was pretty strong even in those days. The women who signed their names this year, were Mrs. Lemuel Benjamin, Mrs. Huldah E. Lake, Mrs. Rebecca Brown, and Mrs. Mary Bailey.
On February 6th 1843, a distinct Universalist Society was organized by the Rev. Russell Streeter who had been
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The Valley of the Kedron
preaching at the Green and the South Village for some time. This organization has been maintained to the present time. As the years sped by, the Universalists were left in control of the property, they kept up the repairs, they hired the ministers. When H. L. Canfield became the Minister of the two Parishes in 1902, a reorganization of the South Parish Society took place, to bring it into harmony with the rules of the Universalist General Convention. On May 1st 1917, after proper legal advice and authority, "The members of the Chapel Society of South Woodstock, met agreeable to call and voted to convey its real estate to the Universalist Convention of Vermont and the Province of Quebec, and take a lease of the same from the said Con- vention, A. F. Wood was appointed to execute the same in behalf of the Society." Because of this legal transaction, the Chapel in the South Parish belongs to the Vermont Uni- versalist State Convention. The South Woodstock Univer- salist Society have full use of the property and have the right to let other groups use it as has been the custom since it was built.
The names of only two ministers appear on the records, Russell Streeter and H. L. Canfield. It is well known that the Rev. J. S. Lee preached here when Principal of the Academy, so did Moses Marston, D. M. Reed, both of the Tillotsons, Eli Ballou and the Rev. M. Thornton, Prof. Wm. Shipman and other ministers who were connected with the School. The Rev. J. S. Simmons who preceded Dr. Canfield as minister, preached in both Parishes. During my husband's pastorate we were both made members of the South Parish Chapel Society. Our names are on the records.
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The Valley of the Kedron
preaching at the Green and the South Village for some time. This organization has been maintained to the present time. As the years sped by, the Universalists were left in control of the property, they kept up the repairs, they hired the ministers. When H. L. Canfield became the Minister of the two Parishes in 1902, a reorganization of the South Parish Society took place, to bring it into harmony with the rules of the Universalist General Convention. On May Ist 1917, after proper legal advice and authority, "The members of the Chapel Society of South Woodstock, met agreeable to call and voted to convey its real estate to the Universalist Convention of Vermont and the Province of Quebec, and take a lease of the same from the said Con- vention, A. F. Wood was appointed to execute the same in behalf of the Society." Because of this legal transaction, the Chapel in the South Parish belongs to the Vermont Uni- versalist State Convention. The South Woodstock Univer- salist Society have full use of the property and have the right to let other groups use it as has been the custom since it was built.
The names of only two ministers appear on the records, Russell Streeter and H. L. Canfield. It is well known that the Rev. J. S. Lee preached here when Principal of the Academy, so did Moses Marston, D. M. Reed, both of the Tillotsons, Eli Ballou and the Rev. M. Thornton, Prof. Wm. Shipman and other ministers who were connected with the School. The Rev. J. S. Simmons who preceded Dr. Canfield as minister, preached in both Parishes. During my husband's pastorate we were both made members of the South Parish Chapel Society. Our names are on the records.
We the undersigned inhabitants of the south village in hoodelope and its recinity is hereby voluntarily asociate and agree to forma society by the name of the Chapel society in the the parish of Modellek for the purpose of building and furnishing Mitting House according to the first section of an act entitled "an act for the support of the gospel" paper October 26h 1798 And we will be governed by the following rules and such other toutes as we on a majority of us, may from time to time ordain not contrary to these rules
I first The house shall be built of Moodian on the site beton 9 H then Ol DOMDom and shall contain fifty peurs or dips and the plan of Which the members and prices shall be placed. and divided into capes de hereinafter specified)
Rule second the prices and do fois of jews shall be as follows big "The first class to be of six pois at seventy five dollars each_ secondelaty eight pews of seventy dollars third elat six parts of sixty five dollars fourth cafe the power of sixty dollars fifth stay it news of fifty five dollars sixth alo to eight powers of fifty. seventh cafe four hours of forty five dollars eighth clay to 4 four hours
lowwash etap two press of thirty five dollars ross
Sule wind Therefore, we the subscribe s hurely agree to pay there are Sumo of money ofit fired to our respective names to Sains Perkins Jawan Kendall Beny G. Bigelow-Isaac Clarker, ara Kendall and
for a few in the contemplated greeting house a howidue, ibeds in the day now designated by me
Rule fourth Back denomination or pect of proprietors shall be entitled to occupy said house their proportional part of the times in propostiand to the value of the pews they may own.
Rale fifth Whenever the above mand gentlemen? en share think proper they shall give notice of the time and placeyou will meet and make detections of picos as follows ting the pews shall be but Its at auction and the person bieding and paying the largest sum of money a un and above his or her subscriptions that to be entitled to select ou for which they subscribed, and the same mas fod shall be ad the for the me & and so on untill all subscribers are supplies was hi per. - antille all the peas are sold the money fald me about toge
Oule sigthe One per share be entitled to the water on bury shall be solite to an boter and absents may not by for Rute seventy why about hoved Shall be commoners and comes progres made therensing summer of this shall be void Ribe Eighth. There being a chance to build fortun shine on the dice sites lands any person wanting a which mayby paying for building the same be entitled to have one- shot there be more than the above number wanted the right shall be decided by buiding and laying in the same manner as the news and the manau so hard to be laid out in purchasing mare ground to build sheds ant
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