The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-04-21
The First Church In Bradford.
By Hon. HHNRY o. Mopurynn.

-
voted man. just when he came to town Ia |
not known, but he officiated at the funeral |
Of Captain Samuel McDuffee in June, 1881, |
and remained until 1875 or 1876, when a |
man by the name Of Rice came to take his |
place. The religious services in those years |
were held at the homes Of the members of
the church and sometimes in the barns.
In 1876, Deacon Thomas Rowell came
from Amesbury, Mass, and settled on the
farm now known as the Thomas johnson
place, and became very active and influ-
entail member OF the Baptist church, and
one Of its first deacons The membership
of the church continued to increase and q
permanent and suitable building for the
meetings Of the society was greatly needed.
Consequently warning OF which the fol-
lowing is copy was posted:
"These are to certify all persons con-
cerned that there Is meeting appointed by
the Baptist Society Of Bradford on the first
Monday in April next. at one OF the clock
In the afternoon, at the dwelling house OF
Thomas Rowell OF said town, to consult on
the following, viz: First, to chose mod
orator to govern said meetings; secondly,
to see what encouragement will be given
to Mr.. Rice or others to preach with us the
year ensuing; thirdly to see what place we
can have or shall be best to meet in for the
future, or the present season; fourthly, to
see II it will be best to prepare to build q
Westinghouse the year ensuing, or consult
| in the matter.
Bradford, March 20, 1889.
Simeon Hovey in behalf
Thomas Rowell ! Of said society.
N. b. Those that attend said meeting
and acquiesce or act in said meeting will be
considered as belonging to said society"
At the meeting thus called the society
year 1790) a Westinghouse " was built on
the upper plain, just north Of the cemetery
and near the McDuffee ferry. The MEM
bers of this society lived in the towns of
In
and in Newbury and Bradford vt. The
membership is not known but there were
about thirty taxable male members in town
in 1892 and il we only reckon very few
men from the other towns and the usual
proportion Of women (Which in these days
| Is about double) we must conclude that it
was quite large and hourishing church.
The " Westinghouse was a comfortable
and commodious building, but must have
remained unfinished inside, for time, at
least, for it is said that Elder Rice, on one
occasion, stopped in the midst of his sermon
and remarked /" 1 greatly fear that many
in this congregation are more interested in
the posts and rafters Of this building than
in their own immortal souls"
The next preacher was Rev. Isaiah Stone,
who married Miss Mercy Sawyer, an aunt
of the late Deacon John II. Sawyer. He
was man Of ability and rare tact and good
Judgment. This story is told of him One
Sunday morning, on his way to church, he
came upon two young men who were play.
ing cards by the roadside. He spoke kindly
good game, and said: Come, now, and &c
to church. They went without hesitation
and from that day were constant attend
ants at the meetings" At one time, wher
Moses Muzzy was lad, he was sent to in
form Elder Stone (who was out of town
that Mr.. Fenton was dead (his body having
been found on the banks of the Connecticut
river) and request him to come and preacl
the funeral sermon. On the way home the
minister said to Moses, " wish you would
give me text suitable for the occasion ;
The boy with establishment replied "Why
l supposed preacher was always ready
This answer was sufficient, for Moses had
unwittingly furnished the perplexed mar
with text and he preached from the words
Be ye also ready"
Elder Stone, after preaching ten or twelve
years, was followed by Elder Daniel Batch
elder, who lived on the farm where Rob
ert Renfrew now lives. Some Of our Older
people will remember him. He was sue
ceeded by Elder Isaac Hall, who lived in
Newbury. The next pastor was John Rand
father OF Franklin Rand, who was for many
years connected with Zion's Herald, and
was one of the leading members of Meth
odism in New England. This John RAND
was the sixth and last preacher in charge Of
this church Of which we have any record
About the year 1922 the church society dis
banded and the " meeting house." after re
naming unoccupied for few years, was
taken down. The members from Other
towns joined churches nearer home, some
united with the Methodist church which
was organized in 1898, and others wor
shipped at Goshen, in the west part of the
town, where Baptist preaching was main
tanned until the Christian " church wal
formed and church building erected il
1888 and dedicated in June, 1884.
In the meantime, and before the Baptis
society was dissolved, church edifice haC
been built near the Baptist church by tn,
town, and in 1874 Rev. Gardner Kellogg
a Congregational clergyman, was hired ant
paid from the town treasury. He remained
until 1909, but there is nothing to show tina
any Congregational church was organized
until the year 1910. 1t has been thought, by
some, however, that there was an orgsniza
ton prior to that time.
When the town was lotted, three hun
dred acres OF land were reserved for tn,
benefit of the first settled minister or min
listers. Rev. Gardner Kellogg and hi
friends claimed the whole amount. as h,
was the first and only one supported by the
town; but as the first preacher was Bap
fist, and there was Baptist church, thu
town voted to deed one hundred acres to
committee for the Baptist Society, and tw,
hundred acres to Rev. Gardner Kellogg
Both deeds were given by the seleCtmen
Aug. 4, 1896. The one hundred acres wer,
sold, the money loaned, and the interest ha
been used for the support of preaching a
Goshen and at Bradford Center to the pres
emit time.
The names Of some of the members OF tn,
Baptist Church are given in the town rec
ords, as it was necessary for them to certify
to the fact that they helped to support thu
Baptist church, in order to be relieved o
the tax imposed by law for the support o
Congregational preaching. The following
are copies of three of the many certificates
found In the town records
CERTIFICATES.
"This may certify to whom it may come
that Thomas Rowell, Jonathan Glines
Stephen Rawlings, Joshua Barron, Lemue
Fuller, Caleb Page, Reuben Martin, Phin.
ehas Underwood, Ichabod Collins, Simeon
Hovey, Ebenezer Olmstead, Joseph Wood
Robert Miller, Patrick Kennedy, have
joined the Baptist church at Bradford, and
are under my pastoral care and assist in
supporting the gospel amongst themselves
Attest. STEPHEN ROYCE, Elder.
Dated at Landau, 18th OF September, 1892"
II do not agree in religious opinion with
majority of the inhabitants Of this town.
WILLIAM TRoTTER.
Bradford, Dec. 16, 1905"
81 do not agree in religious opinion with