The Portland daily press., 1898-01-20

by himself and proving him to have been
g considerable and loving husband and a
kind and just father. He died in 1881
Our new chapel is adorned with a beauti-
full memorial window commemorative his
early and honorable ministerial services
In this parish it is the gift of one of his
descendants the Hon. James II. Hamblen
successful and highly respected mer-
chant of the city of Portland.
Altar the usual interval for the trial of
candidates for the position vacated by Mr..
Lom bard, Rev. Josiah Thatcher,
graduate of Princeton College. New Jer-
say, accepted an almost unanimous call
and was ordained October aS, 1867. he
was our second minister his passionate
continued until April aS, 1881. After
serving the church and parish with ths
usual experiences of minister for nearly
fourteen years he retired like his predecss-
S0r, laid aside the title of Reverend
for that of Honorable and after filing
the offices of Senator and Representative
to she Legislature OF Massachusetts for
many years, and of Judge OF the Court
of Common Pleas for fifteen years. he
died in the harness December 25th, 1899,
honored and beloved by all. His remains
were laid at rest in his own tomb in the
old cemetery. For some time he was a
successful farmer; he lived and died in
the large house which is situated oppo-
site and to the westward of the Congre-
gational churon and which has always
been known as the Thatcher house.
The third ordained minister over the
Congregational Parish of Gorham Yves
Rev. Caleb .JewetG, nativ5 of New bury
port, and graduate Of Dartmouth COL
lege. The whole town was then a ter
ritorial parish. and the selection of a Dag
tor at this time depended upon q major
ity vote of the legal voters of the town.
After the dismissal of Rev. Mr.. Thatcher
there was much disagreement and discus
sion in regard to the financial conditions
under which his successor should be set
tied and thus it was only after six years
delay that Mr.. Jewett was Ordained pas
tor, Nov. 5, 1888. He occupied the pulpit
nearly seventeen years; and the period of
his ministerial services was characterized
by events of unusual turbulence and
oftentimes by conflicts of disrsputable
nature. He was dismissed Septembe g.
1900. He accepted the conditions pro-
soribed by the town with these words.
s. / Caleb l.. Jewett, resign my ministerial
office and consider it my Jubilee. Null
tum Gaudeo, Gaudeo Multum. So I
subscribe myself as one worn out in the
service of God and yours Mr.. Jewett
died IN Gorham, April 81. 1902 very much
respected; his funeral services took place
at his last residence nearly opposite the
Crystal Spring Hotel.'' He was
ordained minister when the present Con-
Rregational meeting house was built, ard
supplied tina pulpit for three years.
In the year 1854, when Rev. Mr.. Lom-
bard was dismissed from the ministry of
this parish, the town of GoIham was in
corporated by the State of Massachusetts
being the twentieth town legally formed
in the District of Maine. The estimated
population Of the place was at that time
three hundred and forty. The fear of
danger from Indian Expectations had
subsidized, the number of Inhabitants was
increasing, new roads and bridges were
being built and new lines of business
opened all of which added much to the
progress and valuation of our town. A
new orthodox Congregational meeting
house, the second one, was erected in 1894
near the present location of this church.
10 was a large, one story building, and
met all the requirements OF the first
parish of our town at that period. In
t792 its capacity was increased by a neoes-
sary enlargement of thirty fest. Five
years afterwards, in 1897, the population
of Gorham had reached the number Of
twenty-five hundred, and this second
meeting house was nsuffioient to meet the
religious demands OF the parish; there
fore for equitable considerations it was