Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-04-07
THE VERMONT PH0ENIX BRATTLEBORO FRIDAY, APRIL

months received and accepted an invita-
ton to become the minister of the So
ciety. His ordination took place June
IA, among those taking part in the SER
vice being Or. Hill of Worcester, Dr.
Kendall of Plymouth, Mass, and Dr.
Abbott of Peterboro, N. II.
Mr. Browns pastorate extended until
October 1S45, period of nearly IA years
and during that time he was active in
every good work, whether relating to
the parish over which he was minister
or to the community at large, in whose
service he always took such rare de-
light"
Rev. Mr.. Osgood maintained the or
- nization of a Sunday school at the be-
ginning of Mr.. Browns charge and of
the forma ton of a society for the men
and one for the women during his pastor
ate. The silver used a the communion
services was given by Mrs. Freme, who
had become a resident of Brattleboro
and an interested member of the Unitar-
ian society. The congregation in those
years numbered from 40 to $50, but IT
included several families of the Univer-
saist faith who ceased to be present
after their own church was established.
Among the prominent families in the
parish at that period Mr. Osgood men
toned the names of Blake, Bliss, Bradley,
Chase, Clarke, Chaplin, Dickinson, Frost,
Han, Higginson, Hunt, Hyde, Lawrence,
Newman. Pratt, Root, Ryther, Seymour,
Wells Whitney and White
Apparently a year and half passed
by with only supplies from Sunday to
Sunday before Mr.. Harrington Mcintyre,
n student at the Cambridge divinity
school received and accepted n call to
take the place left vacant by Mr.. Browns
resignation. He was ordained April Is,
lS47, yet for some reason, unknown to
myself, his pastorate ended within the
same year. The year previous to his
settlement however. q small niDn
costing $3.50, (<nown as the Salem organ)
had been purchased by the society to
take the place of the bass viol of former
days, so that the Sunday services during
his brief ministry were enriched to this
extent"
Mr. Mcintyre was followed in 1S4S by
Rev. Meish l. Motto whose pastorate
extended only to the following year He
was the minister at the time OF Mrs.
Freme's tragic death in May, 1S49, when
her house was destroyed by fire, and his
address at her funeral service has been
preserved in print. The name of Mrs.
Freme has been perpetuated by the
Freme circle, which was organized the
same year, 1S49, to raise money to re-
place the silver communion set lost in the
fire. The Freme circle has been of ma
terial and lasting benefit to almost every
department of church life down to the
present time. From 1Si9 to 1852 there
seems to have been no minister regularly
settled over the parish. one of the min
listers who occupied the pulpit three
months in the spring and early summer
of 1852 was Rev. George Osgood of Kens-
ington, n. H., younger brother of Mr.
Osgood's father He came as a supply,
doubtless through his acquaintance with
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a class
mate in the Cambride divinity school.
In the summer of 1852 Rev. Scion W.
Bush of Burlington became the minister
and remained here five years He is
said to have been the first occupant of
the parsonage, which had been added to
the material resources of the society
through the efforts of the Freme circle
The fifth minister, following Mr. Bush in
1858 was Rev. Francis C. Williams or
North Andover. Mass. At the outbreak
of the Civil war Mr.. Williams was ap-
pointed chaplain of a Vermont regiment
and served from December 1861, to June
1854 meanwhile severing his connection
with the society This separation oc-
CURED in 1862 and in 1864 Rev. Frederick
rockingham was called to the pastorate
performing the duties very acceptably
until 1867. For the next four years the
pulpit was maintained by temporary sup
plies, the parish work requiring the
services of a minister being performed
either by pastors of churches within the
town by such as might be called in
from a greater distance
ION June l, 1871, Rev. William Lincoln
jenkins was settled over the society as
its seventh pastor, his ministry extend
ing until April l, 1879, being next in
length to that of Mr.. Brown and of un-
wonted interest to the people under his
care. 1t was during his pastorate (as
many of you remember) that steps were
taken to replace the old meeting house
by the substantial and beautiful edifice
of stone, within whose walls we are as
sembed today. Mr. Jenkins labored most
/ -fI Y,g1x~
seconded by the hearty and self-sacrifc-
ing efforts of his parishiOners, young and
old; and by the year 1874 preparations
We're made for the erection of a new
building. Lemue r. Sargent, Richards
Bradley and George II. Clark served as
building committee and the new church
with its many memorials to the departed,
who had done good service in days gone
| by, was dedicated Oct. 49, 1875. Four
! years afterwards Mr. Jenkins's pastorate
| came to a close, and he was succeeded
| during the same year by Rev. John b.
! Green, who came hither from Montreal,
| where he had been officiating as pastor
| of the Unitarian church."
| Mr.. Green was minister from 1879 to
! 1882. The more formal statement of re-
! ligious belief handed down from the min
istry of Mr.. Wells and Mr.. Brown he
changed and simpified. Rev. Samuel
| McChord Crothers succeeded Mr. Green
|
| ending oct 8, 1856. "As we all know so
well, Mr.. Crothers was originally a
preacher of another faith and his pas
torate in the Brattleboro church was the
| first under Unitarian auspices His four
years of unpretending usefulness here
| speak for themselves, and have proved
but the stepping stone to a larger and
a higher place in the profession to which
he is SO warmly attached"
Two years passed before the society
had another settled minister, laymen
among them Miles, Chaplin and Draper,
conducting the services In 1888 Rev.
Frank l.. Phalen was called to the pas
torate and served until he accepted an
invitation to Concord, N. H., in 1892
His work, like that of Mr. Crothers,
speaks for itself. He spoke in outlying
hamlets and held a place on the pruden-
tial committee of the public schools. The
number of worshippers increased during
his ministry. The 18th pastor was Rev.
e. Bradford Leavitt, who graduated from
| the divinity school in Cambridge in
| June, 1898, was at once called to Brat
tleboro and served as pastor here from
July of that year until Dec. 81, 1896.
He was youthful brilliant with a mind
| trained nv kaaO scientific tinD