Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-11-04


we've 20 churches with an estimated membe rship
OF 400; ministers, elders, aud unordsned
preachers. The end of the next decade showed
the following statistics 81 churches, % ordsncd,
aud y unordained Minister'S membership 1000.
All the first mini,t, rs had been members of the
Baptist denomination. aud they still claimed to be.
Tue name o Freewill Baptists came from their
I enemies As ttey declared that the u7H of man
wa, tree they we've derisycly called Free wiers."
Other nancs were given. such AS New Lights
Open COMMUNISTS" &c. 1t was not until 1893
| ihat this ntmc, "Freewiii Baptist, Is found 10 any
record OF historic PAPER. l. stands 10 represent
b. daN principles that are honoted aud IA theology
that is sound and pure
I S.vrtal Tunes in the summer and autumn of
/ 1888 Rev Silas Curtis, who WAS then preaching
Al Wat,lvllt portion Of The timc and residing
| in Monmouth visited three or four Free will Bsp-
| list ia nlc~ Augusta, and 10 Dec, 1888, he at
tended a thee days meeting at the old town
| house here. About this time u small church was
organized, consisting of seven members-Naihan
| Whitney. David Doe, A-a Greenleaf, Henry Chad
wick and wife, Ira Spauldng and wife. Feb. 2
| 1884, Elder Curus preached ON the sabbath, in
thls city, and SUI pied quite regularly from that
time to the last OF May, when he moved to Au-
gu-ta, aud became pastor OF the church, the place
| Uf worship being the old town house, which
stood on the site now occupied by the mansion of
| [ apt Joseph Anthony, on Winthrop street; it WAS
| afterwards. known a. "Waveily Hail." and is now
the printing office OF = o. Nlckeiy, Esq. In that
| place the church continued to worship more than
| a
| siorl OF the same building. Ia January. 1896,
| Tue place OF worship WAS removed To the old
| court house, when was on the site of the present
| jail. The building l. now known a. Concert Hall
| Biock. In the spring of 1888 the court
house was occupied for few months Duting
| the five Years of Elder Curts' pastoratc, the
| church euoyed many interesting aud refreshing
seasons 90 persons were added 10 the church, "a
OF whom ne oaptlsed. Elder Curtis bid he church
farewell III 1888. The chuich continued its meet
T..s II mil
ing, snd then lost its Visibility.
| la November, 1850 Ed. John Stevens was in.
duc,d to come here, with the view to the eslab-
ishuient OF permanent interest. lie came at
| the solicitation Of Bro. John NJ. Plammer and
| Bro, Alvin Fogg, aud few others He entered
| the field at salary of $3.50. Darby Hall was
obtained IA place OF meeting. AT the first sun
day school exercise there were nine all told The
church was blessed, and souls won to Christ.
some thought there Was no call for a FIeewlll
Baptist church here. la April, 1851, the
Feewill Baptist church in llsllowell, was changed
| IN name to the Augusta and Halloweil church,
and had their place of worship here. Thus the
present church had its beginning. The follow
ny are the names OF the members Of the church
residing ia Augusta, at that time Abner Coombs,
Joshua Coombs, Alvin Fogg, VIM. Beale, John
kttredge, John NJ Plummer, Adnah Plummer,
leander Is. Lawton, Geo W. Gould, Francis
lyfoid Abgai ID. Coombs, Belinda Fogg, Abb
gan Coomos, Mary Ann smith, Mary Beale Mrs.
Nul,ug, Harriet Pummer, Susan Plunmer,
lorinds w. Gould, Amanda NJ. Lyford. The
church held the name o. the Augusta and Hall
DWELL church" till May, 1892 when on the organ-
lation OF tue r. W. Is. church at Haoweil, II took
the name of the AagaStd church. Elder Jot
stevens continued his abors with the church here
until May, 1852. lie died IN Bddeiord, Aptil ),
1873, IN the 11lh year of his age. Ou the lst OF
JuN, 1882 Rev. u. B. Cheney became pastor of
the church. The mbelshiP was small and II
had but little hnapCa ability. They had no
nudIug, anu could not OF themselves erect one.
There were six Protestant denominations in the
place. all well established and lutuental Mr.
Cheney Understood well the task he had under
taken. Tie had inviting calls from other
fields but decided to come here. In November
following, society was organized under The
name ef the 'Fiist Fteewll Baptist Society OF
the city OF Augusta. Darby hall was USED Tor me
place OF worship I'LL after Or. Cheney commenced
ms pastorate here. Afterwards they worshlpped
in the old Court House. Inc first great object TO
which D.. Chcney directed his special attention
WAS to procure meaus for the erection OF a house
of worship. Funds were rsised; the estimates
procured for house to cost -4l00, ucludiug lot,
and 1t was decided to locate the house at the north
end Of State street. The lot cost $1,000. 1t was
proposed TO 90 luto no extravaganza but to build
a pialn, neat aud commodious house, seating 400
pei sons. On the llth of May, 1888, the frame of
he house was raised. Al the raising e " miu-
utcs were spent IN prayer aud reading a por-
ton OF scriptures. BY the hrst OF November the
house was ready fot dedication. Many persons
ards the huiidiug OF the church, Iaugrg IN sums
from $500 down to % cents. The eye, OF the whole
denomination were turned towards the Freewll
Baptist interest IN this city. 1t was deemed Of
yer, great importance to have n church al the
capital OF Name. No less than II ministers were
present at the dedication services. The sermon
was preached by Rev. Sllas Curtis 10 the evening
Rev. y. b. Cheney was installed As pastor. The
meeting house was free from debt, having cost
something more than e060O.
DR.. Cheaevs pastorate continued until the lst
of Juv 1876 iu.t four Years, when he was elect
ed Principal of the Name State Seminary al
Lewiston. A cali was extended to Rev &. w,
Bean, woo had been supplying the church for
some time, and be became pastor Of the church
Aug. 81 1886. The church revived aud
sinners converted. Inc pa-torste of Mr.. Bean
wa. continued ill the 10Th of June, 1860, a
period OF nearly five wears. Eighty pc sons were
a lded TO the church by letter and hapt, m during
the pastorate of D.. Cheney; and % were addtd
to the church during MIR. Beans psstorate. AT
the resigns alton of Mir. Bean, Rev. Hiram Witch
err was called, aud commenced his la
bors the first sabbath in July 1860, and continued
pastor ono year. With the exception of occa-
,ional service, the house Was closed for almost
year om June. 81, t,w brt tnren and sisters
tanning the payer meetings. But IN May, 81 the
house again opened and preaching sustained.
In June If that year, wnlie a student at New
HAMPTON, n. H., the present pastor (Rev. Mr..
Penney) received an invitation to visit the city
He preached here on the Sh of June and the
sabbath following. ii preaching resulted in
'cal" tere, which he accepted, and entered upon
IN ministry the first Sahbsth IN August, 1862, his
salary the first year beiLg $500. The first three
wears was during the war, that absorbed almost
every other interest. There were seasons of dts
couragement-, hut in the summer Of 60, ten were
received by baptism aud several by letter; in "a,
two; ia '65, ten, and others by letter. In the
81 ring of &C, repairs were made on the house of
| worship at expense of some Sl7OO. There was
steady increase in the permanent congregation.
Ia the spring Of '61 revival in the Coombs and
Jewett neighhorhoods resulted in the conversion
OF p, and the retaining of many backsliders, 20
| that during the year iS added to the church
| by baptism, and Is by letter. The audience room
was enlargtu and svestry provided land the remod
ell,d house was dedicated on the third Sabbath
| IN June. This left burden of debt on the Soci-
| ETY. which now stands at 5000. 10 '6S four were
| added TO the church by baptism, aud two by let
ter; 10 80 five by baptism. seven by letter. in IO
| - By bapu IN, ny letter, Il, II by baptism,
| bv letter; y, by baptism. The year 1873
| opened ~ one of the most discOuraging yet ex
| pereuced, but the year 1874 one of special
| blessing. A series OF meetings were i'd, in
| winch the Rev. Mr., Earle assisted. A revival
| commenced which lasted a year. As result, SO
were received by baptism, and . by letter. Ire
year following also fruit al in lis results The
| whole membership of the church now is 33S, of
whom nonresident. The whole number