The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1893-11-09
For the Reporter.
Sequel to early Settlers in Ca
naan.' No. =.

congregational Church.-Nhcn Han
sons History was written there were
church aud town records cXtant, but
they are not to be found now, and that
history is almost our sole reliance. Ii
was probably by II separate vote of the
church and the town (Which was also
the parish.) that the Congregational
form of church government was adopted
in l790. Strange As ii may seem, the
following protested against the change
and asked to have their protest record.
ed
John White aud Sol. Clark, Elders
Peter Haywood, Esq. and Peter, Jun,
Isaac Smith. Samuel Whitman and John
! Weston. 1t was while the church was
without Pastor | believe that Rev.
Ezekiel Emerson of Georgetown %
preached for whilr. Several years
after my father hid Il note against a
man of that name, hui whether it was
the minister know not or if the note
WAS eyer paid. In lob, Rev. Jonathan
Calef was called and WAS installed the
next year when the congregational
church was formed. In LIS, Rev, Ran
dali held a series OF meetings with. sltc-
cess. | suppos 3, as il wa c died tn X III
dali Rclormation That his services
were approved is testified by the fact
that children were named for him.
Mr., Calrf was an educated man of fine
ability, and preached fine moral ESSAYS,
but not enough experimental religion
to suit the taste uf the times. He was
dismissed in lsOl and settled in the
town of Lyman. York County. His
first wife died in l799 aged 30. She was
the daughter of Rev. Moscs IIemcnway,
Who wrote a book of Essays on the
Trinity. Rev. Calrts second wife was II
Miss Atwood of Fairfield. II was about
the time that he left that my father
drew up Platform for a Religious Soci-
ETY. to supplement church work. like the
Christian Associations. Perhaps it was
also intended to prepare the way for the
reorganization of the church which was
Effected in 1901 with a membership Is
follows: Deacons solomon Clark and
William Steward, Phineas Steward, .Ir.,
solomon Steward, Jr,, Peter Haywood,
.Jr., Samuel Weston. Eli Weston, Solo
mon White, George Bigelow. John Hunt,
Elizabeth Steward. wife of solomon.
Jr., Polly Weston, Mary, my mother
sally Weston, (Sarah, wife of Joseph
Rebecca Jewell, wife of MaXinilianj
Mary White (wfe of John .Jr.) She
afterwards joined the Baptist church.
OF John Hunt know nothing what
ever. Solomon Clark and Peter Hey
wood Jr., were the only ones of the Pro-
testers who came into the ne organ
ization at first, but John White joined
afterwards and on the death of Deacon
Clark succeeded him in that office.
John Weston also joined soon after.
The church was without pastor sew
eral years but was visited frequently by
Rev. lothian Sewall of Chesterfield, and
Rev. John Sawyer of Exeter or vicinity
Home Missionaries, both of whom lived
to preach after they were 80 years old.
John Gaylord, an Englshman became
pastor in 1908. When the church be-
came dissatisfied with his ministry and
voted his dismissal, he claimed that he
practised in New England. After much
trouble and two or three councils he
was dismissed after a pastoratc of four
years. lie was afterwards Immersed
and joined the Baptist church; several
years later he went to Florida, and was
sent by the L. :. government to Eng
land to engage inborers to work on
fortifications in that territory. He
came back with some laborers and died
in Florida. That first church was rather
unfortunate in its first ministers. In
1911. Rev Fifcld Holt came aud preach
ed in Bloomfield half of the time, on
alternate sundays, being employed the
other half by the Home Missionary So
ccty. in towns destitute of Il minister.
From this time on there are church re-
cords and carry the history no far
thcr. Mr.. Holt did in 1870 OF Erysip
elias in his face
Baptist Church.-In l19G the persons
whose names follow drcl lrcd themselves
Baptists and were exempt from paying
Il minister tax on proof that they helped
to support a minister not of the Con-
gregational order. Robert Hood, John
Hood. Samuel Narnum, solomon Wild
den, Joseph Mills, William Carson,
Ephraim Carson, Levi Powers. Nathan
lei Burrll. All of these except the four
last lived on the east side of the river.
In November 1903, the church was
organized with these fifteen members:
Daniel Smith, who was the first deacon,
David Lancaster. Humphrey Burrill,
Nathaniel Burrill, Eleazer Spauding,
James Webb, Christopher Webb, Isaac
Lawrence, Mary Burrill Rachel Burrill,
Rebecca Webb, Mary Smith, Sarah
Spaulding, Sarah Lancaster, Merbah
Ireland Mr.. Lancaster and Mr.. Spaul-
ding lived in Norridgewock There
were many Emcrys and Stewards in the
town at that time, and it is noticeable
that neither of those names appears in
this catalogue. Fifteen years later
these two families probably constituted
Il majority of the church. have little
Knowledge of the first ministers of the
church. Hanson mentions Elder Wagg
and one other, who, he says were no ad-
vantage to the church Like Peter and
John they were "unlearned men.
Many gave general Applicant IN to the
special promise of the Savior to his dis
ciples, that sit should be given them in
that hour what they should say Writ
ten sermons were an abOmination to
them. There was no settled minister
for many years and preaching was not
regular every Sunday, even after the
meeting house was built. An account
of the erection of that ediiice. its loca-
ton and removal was given so recently
in the RElOHLER ii need not be rcpca,
ed. think it was in 1925, or Il little
earlier, that regular services with an
educated ministry were instituted. The
church had some seasons Of special re-
vival but | can fix no date. As late as
1910, this church and the Congregational
united in protracted meeting which re-
suited in several additions to both
churches.
EsEN WESTON.