Norwich bulletin., 1915-05-25
LORENZO DOW HOUSE
IN TOWN OF MONTVILLE.
For Some Years Was Home of the Ee-
centric Preacher.

In the town of Montville there is a
substantial old farmhouse pointed out
to strangers as the Lorenzo Dow
house. 1t was for some years the home
of the famous preacher, Lorenzo Dow,
whose disregard for conventionalities
and use of peculiar methods in preach
ing the gospel made him famous all
over this country and on the other side
Of the ocean.
Dow was a native of Coventry, born
in 1777, the son Of Ephraim Dow.
Lorenzo showed a religious turn of
mind and became a member of the
Methodist church at an early age. In
his story of his life Dow says that he
went to the Methodist meetings first
because he had heard things about the
sect that he didn't like and he pro-
posed to investigate for himself. He
was surprised to find the worshippers
like other men and women, and soon
after became connected with the
church.
When he was Fl Dow entered the
ministry and held pastorates in Massa-
chusetts. He wasn't the kind of a man
who could brook restrictions, and his
peculiarities were too pronounced to
be condoned by church officials, so he
was dropped from the roll of regular
workers and then began his great tour
of preaching which was entirely I'M
ny 0CClSSldSI1GdI duLnOI1IJ
For 63 years he wandered about the
country, preaching when occasion Of
fered and expressing himself in such
vigorous terms that he soon gained a,
reputation that attracted hearers from
far and near. He not only covered a
great part of this country, but also
preached in England, Ireland, Scotland
and in Canada.
Lorenzo Dow and his first wife gave
the land on which the first church was
built in Mississippi and the house of
worship was on the site of jefferson
college, in the archives of which insti-
tuition the deed of gift is still pre-
served.
In spite of the fact that Dow spent
most of his time away from home, he
found a woman who met his ideas of
what wife should be and married
her after a very brief and a very bust
nesslike courtship. Her name was
Peggy and she lived until 1920.
His second wife was Lucy Dolbeare,
whom he met at a religious meeting,
and her gifts as an exhOrter so i'm
pressed him that he shook hands with
her after the meeting and asked her
to marry him. She accepted the prop
oSition and a few days later they were
united. His wife owned the farm
property in Montville and Dow settled
down there. He was more homestead
ed in his later years, but the desire to
preach was still strong and every Sun
day nearly he spoke in Montville or
some of the neighboring towns.
Dow settled in Montville about 1922
and soon after sought a mill privilege
on the Oxoboxo brook, where he con-
Quoted a grist mill. Owners of prop
erty further down the stream objected
to his holding back the water, and
there was litigation which was expen-
sive for him and he went out of bust
ness. 1t is related of him that after
the court had decided that he was
holding back water illegally that he
opened his dam and flooded the val
ley below him, giving his critics more
water than they needed for a while.
Norwich was the place where he did
most of his trading. When he came
here on a shopping tour it was his
custom to have two or three Jokes of
oxen hitcEed up and with a negro
driver in charge of the team to ride in
state to the city from his Moutville
farm.
BOWS career came to an end in
Alexandria, Va, Feb. 2, 1884, when he
was Sc years of age. His wife remain
ed on the Montville farm for several
years, securing quite a revenue from
the sale of her husbands writings
When she died her body was laid at
rest in a private burying ground across
the road from the farmhouse and the
grave is still there, protected from in
trusion by an iron fence.