Barnstable County, Massachusetts - Chapter 10: The Society of Friends, 1890 (part 2 of 2)

The first ten names on this subscription list appear to be those of residents in Sandwich ; and the remaining fourteen, beginning with Richard Landers, residents of Falmouth. Accordingly Falmouth Friends subscribed thirty-six pounds toward the building of their own meeting house, and Sandwich Friends eight pounds. Considering the much larger value of money in those days than its purchasing power now, and the hard work to obtain it by farming, the subscription was a generous one. Sandwich monthly meeting had a few years before liberally responded to a call to help build meeting houses in Salem and in Boston.

* If this Isaac Robinson was the son of the original settler, he was then at least seventy-eight years of age ; if the grandson, he was fifty-one.

"ing to completion. We read that at the monthly meeting held at Falmonth, 6th mo., 1722, Ebenezer Wing was appointed to gather the money contributed by Sandwich Friends toward building a meeting Jiouse in Falmouth, and bring whatever he received to the next "monthly meeting ; and at the next monthly meeting held at Sandwich in 7th mo., he turned in £9, Is., 6d., which he had collected. And the first meeting recorded as held in Falmouth meeting house was 2d day, the 6th month, 1725.

Whether Benjamin Swift, whose name appears among the subscribers, was then a member, or his wife, who was a member, was subscribed for in his name, is not clear. But Daniel Swift, a beloved and Friend who died in 1879, desired the writer to preserve for future memory, along with some of the information above given ; that Benjamin Swift, being formerly a staunch Congregationalist, persisted in regularly attending his own meeting in Falmouth village, even when on extraordinary occasions his wife was anxious to have him go. to meeting with her. At length one First-day morning, having in- \formed him that two ministers from abroad were to be at Friends* meeting, she went her usual way. But while sitting in the meeting, -she was surprised to see her husband hitching his horse at a fence, -coming up toward the house, and taking his seat among the rest. He never attended the meeting at town afterward, but went regularly with his wife, and in due time joined the Friends. Benjamin Swift served the monthly meeting's clerk, the first from Falmouth, in the years 1745-47. His grave was the first in the new, or present burial ground, and is to be seen beside his good wife's at the northwest comer of the -original portion.

In 1731 a stable, sixteen feet square, was ordered to be built, to accommodate the horses of Friends coming to meetings. How long that building stood has not been learned. But one of apparently larger size gave place to the present commodious sheds, which were -completed in 1861. Stephen Dillingham offered to give the meeting one hundred dollars toward the proposed sheds, or if the meeting would raise $175 by subscriptions, he would build the sheds. The latter offer was accepted. And Stephen Dillingham, in rendering to the Preparative meeting a report of his care, concluded by saying in substance : " I have done the best I could for the meeting's benefit. The sheds are finished, and offered to Friends ; and I hope they will be of use to many, long after I am laid away." He died in 1872. Many marks and memories remain in West Falmouth, as reminders of his enterprise, public spirit, and sagacity in business. He was for 40 years postmaster. None but Friends (Gilbert R. Boyce, and now James E. Giflford) have succeeded him in the West Falmouth post-

In 1742 the monthly meeting complains of "a cowardly spirit about training "; that is, some members not having courage to maintain their testimony against war, by refusing to train.

In 1755 the women Friends of Falmouth requested a preparative meeting. The holding of a women's meeting for religious business separate from that of men Friends, and co-ordinate with it, has continued (developing in many women valuable traits of judgment), till within two or three years; when preparative meetings have been driven by the smallness of numbers attending, to avail themselves of the yearly meeting's permission to hold joint sessions.

The original "hopper-roof" meeting house on the hill-side knoll, which as a shelter for Friends in their often silent worship had stood for fifty years, was now in the year 1771 believed to have had its day.

A new edifice, larger and more convenient, began to be built, facing the new public road below ; and by the year 1775 the house appears to have been completed. An addition to it was made in the year 1794. This second meeting house stood for nearly seventy years, or until 1841, when it was decided to replace it by a new edifice.

The present, or third meeting house, under a contract made with Moses Swift, was built on the site of the second. The builder receiving the material of the former house to dispose of as his own, Zeno Kelly of South Yarmouth, persuaded that Moses Swift had an unfavorable bargain on his hands, endeavored to relieve him by buying the frame of the second meeting house ; which he transported on a vessel to South Yarmouth, where it lay under temporary cover on a wharf by Bass river for about a year, when it was utilized by being erected as the frame-work of David Kelley's present barn. There the heavy oak beams are still to be seen, staunch and sound, attesting the solid growth of the West Falmouth oaks of 1771. In 1842 the building committee acknowledge the receipt of $202, - contributed for the new meeting house, and in the Seventh month of that year report that it is finished. Still well preserved, it bids fair to be longer-lived than either of its predecessors ; but whether longer-lived than the meeting itself, will depend on the life of the people in the principles for which it was built.

Sandwich quarterly meeting began to hold its mid-summer session at Falmouth in 1779, where it continued to be held annually till 1792, when it was transferred to Nantucket and held there up to 1850. Thence it was returned to Falmouth, where it is still held every Seventh month by representatives and visitors from the Friends included in Barnstable, Bristol and Plymouth counties; - an occurrence still of interest, and formerly regarded in the neighborhood as an annual event of remarkable account.

Here as elsewhere Friends found it difficult, while their children were mingling indiscriminately with others in the public, or district school, to train them according to the principles and testimonies which Friends had received to hold. At length, in 1831, the Friends in West Falmouth built by subscription a school house on the east side of the road opposite the northern portion of the burial-ground. The first school therein was held in the winter of 1831-2, the building not yet being plastered. Asa Wing, of Sandwich, is said to have been employed as the first teacher^ and his name is held in honored imemory by pupils, who still survive him. It was regarded as a fine school, and it gave general satisfaction in the neighborhood. The prosperity of the schools held in that building at length waned with the decreasing interest of Friends in its original purpose; and especially while for several years the teachers employed also in the district school of the neighborhood were usually members of the. society. At length the Friends' school house was removed by Edward G.Dillingham*, and made the body of the Lindley M. Wing house, where it now stands.

G. Dillingham removed from West Falmouth to Acaahnet in 1855. His gift in the ministry being acknowledged by the society, he is still often seen and welcomed in his native place ministering the word - likewise in Sandwich and Yarmouth. As his frequent companion, the late Josiah Holmes, jr., of New Bedford, has long had familiar place in these meetings, and at funerals of members.

and less in the chief seats. The influence of some of these in their silent spheres, has been of the deepest and most far-reaching. As regards the prominent and well-remembered names, we forbear to begin the mention of them, knowing there is not room to do equal justice to all.

If, however, we may allude to the use made of members in public life, - James T. Dillingham was chosen m 1857 to serve as representative in the Massachusetts legislature, being the first of the three members of the Friends' Society in Falmouth who (since Isaac Robinson - probably the junior - and a Friend, who was deputy in 1691) have been elected to the general court. He served a few months, when he moved to Wisconsin, pursued a successful business career, and died in 1889. James E. Gifford served in the legislature in the years 1880 and 1881. By his efforts an act was passed in 1880 having the effect of giving to widows of intestate husbands leaving no children, real estate that maybe left, up to $5,000 in value; - an act highly commended by enlightened judges as in the direction of needed reform toward justice for women. Thus the Friends' principle of co-ordinating rather than subordinating woman in her church relations, having shown its tendency in public legislation, was learned in West Falmouth to some purpose. Meltiah Gifford (the younger) served in the legislature as representative in 1884, but died in the same year, much lamented in appreciation of his extended public usefulness in the town and especially in the services of the Society. He and James E. Gifford (the latter, for several years past, moderator of the town meetings) appear thus far the last of a series of selectmen in Falmouth who professed with Friends. Until recently it was the policy of managers in the town's affairs to have usually one Friend among the selectmen. In that oflBce we recognize also the names of Thomas Bowerman, Richard Landers, Stephen Bowerman, Paul Swift, Prince Gifford, William Gifford, Daniel Swift, Barnabas Bowerman (who served twelve years), and Prince G. Moore (who served fourteen years), long respected not only as a veteran in the town's government, but as an example of uprightness and good judgment.

The list of preachers recorded as ministers in the Friends' meeting in Falmouth could not be traced back by the present writer farther than the year 1815, - though doubtless unrecorded ministers, or speakers in the meeting, have exercised their gifts from an early period. The names found, with dates of acknowledgment by the meeting, are as follows: Browning Swift, 1816; Susan Swift, 1818; Joshua Swift, 1827; William Gifford, 1827; John R. Davis, 1804 (he came from New Bedford monthly meeting); Huldah Gifford, 1829; Newell Hoxie (originally of Sandwich) 1846; Elizabeth Gifford, 1849;

The only clerks of the women's monthly meeting, from Falmouth, since 1849, have been: Hepza Swift, 1849-'50 and 1852-1854; and Huldah Gifford, 1869-1876.

In the autumn of 1888, while on a visit from Worcester to his native place, Daniel Wheeler Swift, one of the sons of the late Daniel Swift of beloved memory, took very practical interest in improving the condition of the burial ground about the meeting house. By a subscription of three hundred dollars he set about starting a fund of one thousand dollars, the annual income of which is to be applied to keeping the grave yard in a neat condition. Considerably more than the one thousand dollars asked for was contributed by residents of the neighborhood - some of them not members of the meeting - and by several residing in different parts of the country, who have remembered with affection the scenes of their youth and the graves of their departed. The excess contributed has been applied to the leveling and renovating of the entire surface of the ground, removing most of the rough boulders used as head-stones, and distingfuishing the graves by neater marks. The present year will probably complete this part of the work.

John H. Dillingham. - The publishers feel justified in giving place in this history of the West Falmouth Society, to some account of one of its sons, whose annual sojourn and interest in his native homestead and meeting still identifies him with the neighborhood.

-Descent in the DiUingham name, which comes from Old Englrsh dealing and ham (for hamlet or village) and was applied to a market-town in Cambridge county, Eag., is thus traced: Edward DUliagham, an original settler of Sandwich, had children Henry, John (who moved to Yarmouth, or Harwich), and Oseah (who married Stephen Wing, son of John who moved to Yarmouth). Henry had a son Edward, one of whose eight children Edward, jr., had six. One of these, Ignatius, who married Deborah Gifford, had eight children, the youngest of whom, Joseph, married Esther Rogers of Marsfield, whose children were Stephen, Reuben, Deborah, Mary, Elizabeth, Abram, and Edward G. Abram, the father of John, died 7th mo., 7, 1879. It is believed all the above were members of the Society of Friends, and apparently Ignatius" father Edward moved from Sandwich to Falmouth.

Centre Sandwich, N. H.) was born 6th mo., 1st, 1839. Of his three brothers, all younger, two died :n childhood, and Moses B. next younger, died at home, aged 22, while a student of Exeter Academy, where he had nearly fitted for college. Life on a small farm, varied by three months' attendance of the district school in winter and three in summer, brought John to the age of 12, when he commenced daily walks to Lawrence Academ}' in the village, four miles from home, continuing at this school in the spring and fall terms till the age of 19, when by the encouragement and training of his teacher, the Principal, George E. Clarke, he entered Harvard College in Cambridge, from which he graduated in 1862. He had taught school one winter, when at the age of 16, at Shumet Pond, and the next two winters inWest Falmouth, and the next at South Pocasset, - -the two latter winters having leave of absence from college for the purpose. In the autumn after graduating he accepted an offer to teach in the boarding-school for boys conducted by Charles A. Miles at Brattleboro, Vt., and continued there 2^ years. In the summer of 1865 he accepted the position of tutor in Latin and Greek, also of Librarian, in Haverford College, Pennsylvania. The superintendent retiring near the middle of the year, the new tutor was induced to accept the care of the students in the household - all boarding in the college. This charge continued for ten years. His department of instruction was early changed to a professorship in " Moral and Political Science." In 1871 he was married to Mary Pim, of Cain, in Chester county valley. In 1875 he left the college-building with his family for another house on the premises, continuing only in duties of instruction, until, in 1878 he accepted the place of Principal in the Friends' School for Boys in Philadelphia, a name under which he still serves as senior teacher in the same institution. In 1886, the school having been removed to its new building at 140 N. 16th street, and al.so the Friends' library to a new building on the same ground, the service of Librarian and Custodian of Friends' records was added to his school duties. His interest in the truths of the gospel as committed to the Society of Friends is in part represented by service as overseer since 1874, as clerk of the monthly meeting 1882-86, as elder from 1883 till 11th mo., 1889, when he was acknowledged as a minister. His children are four daughters, Anne Pim, Lydia Beede, Mary Edge, and Edith Comfort Dillingham. His interest in his native town, the place of his family's residence in the summer with his surviving mother, continues not only unabated but heightened.