Worcester County, Massachusetts - Chapter 90, 1889

Ecclesi.4Stical

First Congregational Church. - The records of the First Congregational Church previous to thi settlement of the Rev. Zephaniah Swift Moore, in 1798, are lost, with the exception of a few detached pages. The exact date of organization is unknown. The town was incorporated in 1714, and the farms purchased by the settlers began to be occupied soon afterward. It is not probable that church privileges in .some form, and church organization were long neglected. A meeting-house had been built in 1719. It stood on the Common, nearly in front of the present church. It was a small and very plain, rude structure. It had a door in front and one on each end. It was clap-boarded, but not painted. l! was without a porch, belfry, gallery or pews. The windows were small and lighted with diamond-shaped glass. It was sealed to " the great girt," but probably not overhead. Like all the churches of the time, it was without heating apparatus of any kind. Later, individuals built in it their own pews on the "pew ground" or "pew spots." There were comfortless " body " seats, the women sitting on the west side and the men on the east. Galleries were added about 1728. Repairs and modifications were made from time to time, by the addition of pews, placing seats in the galleries, adding in 1743 twelve feet on the back side, putting on a new " ruff," moving the pulpit to the back side, re-coveriug the house with " the old clap-boards taken off the back side," putting up steps, and in 1754 a sounding-board. lu this house the people from all parts of the town came together to worship God. In it they held their town-meetings and all other public gatherings, and it was here that they earnestly, courageously, eloquently and with statesmandike ability and forethought enunciated the principles of liberty on which our republic was founded.

The first town action with reference to the settlement of a pastor appears to have been taken November 28, 1720, when it was voted that Mr. David Parsons be our Gospel minister. Two days later a call was sent him by a committee. In this letter they write, " Rev'd Sir, we with one heart and consent Do call and Invite you to be our Jlinister in the Work of the (inspel amongst us, if you see Cause to accept and see your way clear to remove; but alas if we reflect back upon ourselves, we can't but see we are utterly unworthy of so great a Blessing; but if you have such a Blessing to bestow on us, as we hope you will be, we desire forever to praise his name for his (xoodness to us ward.' He was to " have the fortyacre lot next the Meeting House," and "rights," "as other forty-acre lots," and a salary of sixty pounds, and sixty pounds settlement. As he hesitated to accept on these terms, thirty individuals agreed to add to the amount, so that the salary should be seventyfive pounds, and the settlement one hundred pounds.

Rev. David Parsons was born in Northampton in 1680, graduated from Harvard College in 1705, pastor of the church in Maiden twelve years, where he had a church quarrel and lawsuit with the town ; installed at Leicester in 1721, dismissed March 6, 1735, and died in Leicester, where he was buried October 12, 1743. Whitney, in his " History of Worcester County," gives the date of his installation as, " by the best accounts now to be had, September 15, 1721," but the town records indicate that he was already pastor early in the year. The town, " reduced to low circumstances by reason of the Indian War," soon found it difficult to comply with the conditions of settlement, and petitioned the Legislature for aid, which was granted to the amount of ten pounds. But the salary continued to be in arrears and Mr. Parsons appealed to the Legislature, and the town was notified to show cause. This was the beginning of a quarrel which lasted for sixteen years. Within six years the town, which had regarded itself "unworthy of so great a blessing," voted "that the town be willing that Mr. Parsons should remove, and remain out of this town." The town strenuously endeavored for years "to be relieved from Mr. Parsons' bondage," but in those da\'S such an endeavor was attended with insurmountable ditliculties. Memorials were made by the parties to the Legislature, complaints to the Quarter Sessions and appeals to the General Court. Those who were conscientiously opposed to Mr. Parsons were released by act of the Legislature from his support upon six months' notice, on condition of providing "an able orthodox minister, generally to dispense the Word of God among them," or attendance and taxation in some neighboring congregation. The ( leneral Court passed an act releasing the town from Mr. Parsons' support, but the act was vetoed by Governor Belcher. "Six Worcester gentlemen came as mediators," but were unsuccessful. There were dift'erences among the people and changes of town action in relation to the subject. Succes.sive councils were called, one of which sat four days in Watertown, and adjourned to Boston, where it was continued four days longer. The result of this council reproves Mr. Parsons for "any rashness in his words, and hastiness in his actions," aud shows that he had been arbitrary, had called the meetings of his opposers a " Mob," had assumed jiower not belonging to "a pastor according to the constitution of these churches; " that he, with "rash and injurious "expressions, had ordered the deacon "out of his seat," and had recognized the minority, composed of his friends, as the church, and I'eceived members into the church without due authority. But they judged, "as a former council did," that he liad been "shamefully treated with respect to his support," and deprived of his "just and full title to lands in Leicester." The communion service had been withheld from his use and that of the church. "They had opposed his going into the ])ulpit on the Lord's Day," and "set up another in opposition to him," and had withdrawn from public worship to " private assembling.'' "The like was never done in this land before." He was at length dismissed by a mutual council. This controversy with the town, however, continued and he provided that his grave should not be with that of his people, but in his own grounds. The stone stood for many years near the Paxton Road; it for a time was lost, but at length was found in the house upon the place, used as the Hoor of the oven. It has now found a resting-place in the church building, together with that of Mrs. Parsons.

More than a year intervened before the settlement of the next pastor. In December a fast was appointed " in order to make choice of a minister." The Rev. David Goddard was the choice of the people. He was born in Framingham, September 2(), 1706; graduated at Harvard in 1731; ordained June 30, 1736; and died .January 19, 1754, at Framingham of " the great sickness," in that region, of wliich in the town of HoUiston, tifty-four out of a population of four hundred died in six weeks. He was a man of devoted i)iety, morbidly conscientious, sympathized with the people in their tinancial straits, and was in full sympathy with the great religious movements of his time. In the afternoon of October 15, 1740, Rev. George Whitefield preached in Leicester, and in January, 1742, Rev. Jonathan Edwards, of Northampton, spent several weeks here in evangelistic labor. In connection with this work there were evidently some extravagances. Dr. Hall, of Sutton, while preaching here, was disturbed by " a woman somewhat troublesome," "frequent in fainting fits." Mr. Parsons, however, like Mr. Edwards, was judicious and cautious, and discountenanced all excesses ; and his ministry was fruitful iu spiritual results.

The Eev. Joseph Roberts, the third pastor, was born in Boston in 1720, and graduated from Harvard College in 1741. He was ordained October 23, 1754. His avaricious disposition soon occasioned dissatisfaction, and he was dismissed by council, December 14, 1762. He removed to Weston, where he was an active patriot, and was a member of the State Constitutional Convention in 1779. Engaging in business, he lost, and refusing to pay the debts of the company, was in prison, as a debtor, three years. He became a misanthrope and a miser, and lived like a beggar. He died April 30,1811, at the age of ninety-one. After hia death bags of money were found in his house, the bags so rotten as to burst when lifted.

His successor was Rev. Benjamin Conklin, who was born in Southold, L. I. ; graduated from Princeton in 1755 and installed November 23, 1763. He was dismissed, on account of failing health, June 80, 1794, and died iu Leicester, January 30, 1798. Dr. Moore, in the church records, gives his age as sixtysix years and six weeks. The inscription on his grave-stone is, " aged 65 years." He was a prominent adviser and actor in the Revolutionary struggle, a member of the Committee of Correspondence, and suppo.sed to have been at one time a chaplain in the army. He was respected and beloved by his people, and the record of his patriotism, in the sti'uggle with England and in the Shays' insurrection, adds lustre to the annals of the town. It is related of him that when asked if he would preach in the pulpit of a distinguished Unitarian minister, his answer was, " Yes, I would preach on Mars Hill if I could get a chance."

Rev. Zephaniah Swift Moore, D.D., was ordained January 10, 1798. He was born in Palmer, November 20, 1770; graduated from Dartmouth College in 1793 ; and was dismissed October 8, 1811 ; made prefessor of languages in Dai-tmouth College in 1811 ; president of Williams College in 1815; and of Amherst in 1821. He left a permanent influence ui>on the church and the town. He was a man of marked intellectual power and literary culture. His style was clear, simple and persuasive. When he was called to Dartmouth College, his people regarded his appointment as little less than robbery. When he left town they accompanied him in carriages, and the children stood, with uncovered heads, in long lines on each side of the way while he passed.

Professor William Tyler, D.D., of Amherst College, describes him as " a man of medium size, but commanding presence, weighing some two hundred and forty pounds, yet without any appearance of obesity, neat in his dress, retaining the use of short breeches and long hose, which were particularly becoming to his person. In his manners there was a union of suavity with dignity, rare anywhere, especially in persons bred in the country, which marked him as a gentleman of the old school, one of nature's noblemen, and which, while it attracted the love of his pupils, invariably commanded also their respect." Rev. Dr. Thomas Snell, of North Brookfiekl, in his funeral sermon characterizes him as " by nature a great man, by grace a good man, and by the providence of God a useful man, a correct thinker and a lucid writer, a sound theologian, instructive preacher and greatly beloved pastor, a wise counselor and sympathizing friend, and a friend and father especially to all the youog men of the infant college in which he was at the same time a winning teacher and a firm presiding officer."

Rev. John Nelson, D.D., was the sixth pastor of the church. He was born in Hopkinton, Mass., May 9, 1786. He was graduated from Williams College in 1807, and studied theology with Rev. Samuel Austin, D.D., of Worcester. He remained pastor of the church till his death, December 0, 1871, a period of fifty-nine year.s, nine months and two days.

It is said that there were twelve hundred sleighs on and around the Common on the day of ordinaticm, and that there were three thousand people assembled, only a portion of whom could, of course, enter the church. It was during the ministry of Dr. Nelson that the church had its principal growth, there being at the time of his settlement only sixty-five members. He was an interesting and animated preacher, a favorite in the surrounding churches, and honored and beloved by his own people. He received the degree of D.D. from Williams College, in 1848, was a trustee of th,tt college from 182(j to 18.'53, and of Amherst College from 1889 to 1848. He was a trustee of Leicester Academy from 1812 to his death, in 1871, and president fom 1884. He was for many years a corporate member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. He was chaplain of the local regiment of militia sixteen years from 1812. He was often appointed to preach on public occasions, and was per-ionally identified with the great moral and religious movements of his time. " Dr. Nelson descended from a strong, intelligent and pious ancestry. He early became a Christian, and united with the church. He was profoundly reverential and consecrated in spirit. He was preeminently judicious and considerate in action, and singularly broad and catholic in bis moral and religious judgments. Forgetful of self, he was always thoughtful of the happiness of others. Nurtured in a genial and happy home, inured to labor and hardship in his struggles for an education, brought while in college into the atmosphere of a great religious awakening and intense missionary zeal, and actively associated with the great moral and religious movements of his time, he was trained and fitted for the ministry which he accomplished. His qualities were of the enduring kind. He loved his people and he loved his work. He was pastor of the church for nearly sixty years, and his loving, pure and gentle spirit won for him the lasting respect aud affection of his people, and of all who knew him." '

The fiftieth anniversary of his settlement and marriage was celebrated May 6, 18(52. His sermon was from Job 82 : 7 : "I said days should speak ; and multitude of years should teach wisdom." Governor Washburn presided at the after-dinner exercises, and addresses were made by several clergymen. Kev. George Blagden, D.D., presided at the golden wedding. The occasion was as interesting ai it was rare.

In consequence of failing health it became necessary for Dr. Nelson to have assistance in the pastoral office, and on the 4th of March, 1851, the Rev. Andrew C. Dennison was ordained, as his assistant. He was born in Hampton, Conn., June 27, 1822 ; was graduated from Yale College in 1847, and from Union Theological Seminary in 1850. He was dismissed in March, 185(3, and afterward settled at West Chester and Portland, Conn. He is now pastor of the Congregational Church in Middlefield, Conn.

Rev. Amos H. Coolidge, the present pastor of the church, was born in Sherborn, Mass., August 17, 1827, graduated from Amherst College in 1858 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1856. He was ordained April 21, 1857. The day was made memorable by one of the most remarkable snow-storms of modern times. Eighteen inches of snow fell, and the furious winds blew it into drifts which made the roads impassable. Only about one hundred persons attended the services, and but a small fraction of the council was present. The sermon was by Rev. Prof Austin Phelps, D.D., of Andover Theological Seminary.

The second meeting-house was built in 1784, a little in the rear of the old site. The pulpit was in front octagonal. It had over it asounding-board, and just below, the "deacons' seat." There were galleries on three sides of the house, which, with the pulpit and deacons' seat, were painted to resemble shaded marble. The pews were square, and each seat was hung upon hinges. In prayer-time they were turned up and their united fall as the congregation resumed their seats justified the fears of the Philadelphian, unused to such an amen, in his movement to escape from the house. A belfry and steeple were added afterward, and in 1826 the building was moved back to the location of the present church building. In 1829 the interior was entirely renovated. A bell and a clock, made by George Holbrook, of Brookfield, were placed on it January 13, 1803. The bell was re-cast in 1810 and again in 1834, and about the year 1884 Joshua Clapp, Esq., presented the town with a clock. The first organ was jjurchased in 1827, the second in 1844 and the third in 1867. The house was first warmed by fires about the year 1821.

For more than sixty years the singing was purely congregational. The hymns were read by the deacon, and then sung line by line by the congregation. In 1780 a choir, by permission, occupied the front seat in the gallery. There was a short trial of sound between the deacon and the choir, in which the choir gained the permanent advantage, not, however, without greatly scandalizing some of the members, and causing them to leave the house.

Bible-reading formed no part of the service here in the last century'. The first Bible thus used was published by Isaiah Thomas, and was presented to the society by Col. William Henshaw. It was read for the first time by Dr. Moore, May 4, 1800. The first action with reference to "apian of Sunday-school" was taken May 3, 1819, and at first the schools were held in school-houses in different parts of the town. It is believed that before the year 1887 there had been but three regularly elected superintendent.s. The first was Deacon Joshua Murdock. Deacon Christopher C. Denny was elected in 1848, and Hon. Charles A. Denny April (>, 18(52. He resigned after twenty-five years' service.

The parish was at first identified with the town, and its business transacted in the regular town-meeting till 1794. After this time those voters who had not withdrawn to other societies met after the regular town-meeting, on the same day, until February 9, 1833, when "The First Parish of Leic-ester " was organized.

Friend.s' Meetin(t.' - Until about eighteen years after the incorporation of Leicester the people of the entire original township worshipped together on Strawberry Hill. A Society of Friends was then organized. It belonged to the " Yearly Meeting of Friends for New England," a body composed of several " Quarterly Meetings," each made up of minor " Monthly Meetings," which, in turn, embraced subordinate "Preparative Meetings," containing one or more "Meetings for Worship." The Meeting here was not only a Meeting for Worship, but a Preparative Meeting. " The Leicester Preparative Meeting" was at first a subordinate of the Smithfield, R. I., Monthly Meeting, but after the division of that Meeting in 1783, it became subordinate to the Uxbridge Monthly Meeting.

In 1732 Ralph Earle, his three sons - William, Robert and Benjamin - Thomas Smith, Daniel Hill, Nathaniel Potter and .loseph Potter declared themselves to the clerk of the town to be Friends and asked, on account of conscientious scruples, to be released from

1 For most of the facta relating to the "Friends' Meeting," the writer is indebted to Dr. Pliny Earle. The history of tlie Bapti!*t Chiircli was written by Rev. H. E. Estes, D.D., and that of the Second Unitarian Church by Rev. S. May. The writer is indebted also to Rev. D. F. Mc- Grath, the parish priest, for the facts relating to the Roman Catholic Church.

paying " any part of the tax for the Seport of the minister or ministers established by the Laws of the province." At the Smithfield Monthly Meeting, held January 29, 1739, according to the records, "Friends at Leicester make report to this meeting that they have agreed upon a Place for Building a Meeting- House at the Burying Place between Ralph Earle's and Nathaniel Potter's; and this meeting doth appoint Benjamin Earle, Nathaniel Potter, Thoinas Smith and John Wells, all of said Leicester, to take Deed of the same; and Benjamin Earle, Thomas Smith and Nathaniel Potter are appointed to undertake for Building said House." The .same meeting afterward contributed "four Pounds" toward its construction. The lot on which the house was built was a part of the farm which Robert Earle received from Ralph Earle, his father, with a small tract from the farm of Nathaniel Potter, located by the brook, and added in order that the horses of the worshippers, let loose to feed during the service, might have water. The land was conveyed to Samuel Thayer, of Mendon, Mass., on the 13th of August, 1739, and by him to the persons appointed by the Monthly Meeting on the 27th of December of the same year. It was "to go entire and without any division unto ye survivor asd survivors of them, and to the heirs and assigns of ye survivors or survivor of them forever." The U.xbridge Monthly Meetings were held here three times in the year, and for a time the Smithfield November Quarterly Meeting. Washburn describes the house built at this time as "a low, one-story building, twenty by twenty-two feet." It was sold, removed and converted into a dwelling-house in 1791, and has since been destroyed.

The second meeting-house was Ijuilt in 1791. It remained many years after the meetings were discontinued. Its location was secluded and singularly attractive. It was surrounded and shaded by ancient forest trees, and stood amid the graves of the worshippers of successive generations, some of them buried without reference to family relationship, and with graves marked simply by rough head-stones. It was of two stories, the upper floor being upon three sides a gallery, connected with the lower by an oblong opening in the centre. On a part of the lower floor were elevated seats for ministers, elders and overseers. The men were separated from the women by a partition, the upper part of which was hung on hinges so jls to open and form one audience-room. The object of this partition was to separate the sexes at the business meetings, the women as well as the men holding a meeting of their own, the two I being theoretically upon an equality. The house was taken down about twelve years ago.

In 1826, according to Washburn's history, the society had al)Out one hundred and twenty members. This number was probably never exceeded. The last minister of the Gospel, recognized by the Yearly Meeting, who was a member of the Leicester Meeting, was Avis Swift, wife of Josiah Keene. She resided in Leicester from about 1812 to 1820. She was born in Nantucliet, and was " a woman of much religious experience, of superior intellectual powers and of a large intelligence, and was greatly beloved by all who had the privilege of her acquaintance." She afterward lived in Lynn, where she died. In consequence of the removal of members from town, the society became reduced in numbers and the meetings were discontinued in 1853.

The Quakers, as the Friends are generally called, were averse to public life. They could not conscientiously take or administer an oath, and they were originally disposed to separate themselves as mucli as practicable from " the world's people." This disposition diminished with the lapse of years. Dr. Pliny Earle, to whom we are indebted for most of the facts of this history, truthfully says that " during the first quarter of the current century a no inconsiderable part of the most intelligent and highly cultivated society in the town was to be found among them.'' Early in the last century they in theory and practice renounced slavery. They were in this respect evidently in harmony with the sentiment of the people of the town, which found, as we have seen, an early and emphatic public expression. The Friends, however, were first to adopt the anti-slavery principle as one of the canons of their organization, and remained true to that principle in all the struggle.

In 1827, May 15th, a boarding and day school for young ladies was opened at the house of Pliny Earle, situated at the junction of Mulberry and Earle Streets, and continued till 1839. It was known as the " Mulberry Grove School," and was taught by Sarah Earle and her sisters Lucy and Eliza ; the farm-house near being used for the recitation rooms. Sarah Earle was principal till her marriage, in 1832, when she was succeeded by Eliza. The French language and painting were taught; but it was professedly an English school, and the instruction was characterized by great thoroughness. The public examinations were in the Friends' meeting-house. At one of them Governor Emory Washburn, being present, remarked that he had often heard of the excellence of the school, but "the half had not been told."

Greexville Baptist Church. - Some of the first settlers in Leicester were Baptists, and among them Dr. Thomas Green. He was dismissed from the First Baptist Church in Boston to aid in forming a church in Sutton in 1785. At least eight other persons residing in Leicester, - Thomai Richardson, Daniel Penny, Elisha Nevers, Martha Green, Joshua Nichols Abialhar Vinton, Bathsheba Nevers and Lydia Vinton - had been baptized in Sutton and Leicester by a Baptist minister, named John Converse, three years before. On the 28th of September, 1737, Dr. Green and Benjamin Marsh were ordained associate pastors of the church in Sutton, "and September 28, 1738, by mutual agreement, the brethren in Leicester be-

Dr. Thomas Green was a man of great ability, prominence and influence. He was largely engaged in business and remarkably successful. He was a physician, eminent in his profession, with a practice that extended into neighboring States, and with many medical students under his instruction. And he was quite as distinguished and successful in his work of the ministry. After his death it was said of him in an English periodical that he had baptized not less than one thousand persons. The Rev_ Isaac Backus, the historian of the Baptists in New England, visited him in 1756, held a meeting with his people, and the next day wrote the following words in his journal : "Oct. 19th. I can but admire how the doctor is able to get along as he does, having a great deal of farming business to manage, multitudes of sick to take care of, several apprentices to instinct in the art of physic, and a church to care for and watch over ; yet in the midst of all he seems to keep religion uppermost - to have his mind bent upon divine things - and to be very bold in Christian conversation with all .sorts of people."

His successor. Dr. Foster, was ordained October 23, 1776. In January of that year he had married Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of Dr. Green. He was a graduate of Yale College, and distinguished for his learning, faithfulness and successful work. Under his ministry the church was much enlarged and strengthened. He was the author of two learned works published while he preached in Leicester, and in recognition of the ability shown in another work published later, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Brown University in 1792. After having been pastor of the First Baptist Church in New York ten years, he died there of yellow fever in 1798, at the age of forty-eight years.

Under the ministry of the Rev. John Green the church enjoyed much prosperity. In those ten years the additions were ninety-six, and the membership was increased to eighty, the largest in its history, though at one time in Dr. Forbes' ministry the number of members was seventy-six. The membership is now fifty-four.

When the church has been without a settled minister it has often had valuable stated supplies from ministers living in Worcester or elsewhere: Nathan

Benjamin M. Hill was a distinguished man, not yet ordained when he preached in Leicester, but afterwards pastor in New Haven, Ct., and Troy, N.Y., nearly twenty year.«, then corresponding secretary of the American Baptist Home Mission Society twentythree years, and widely known and honored as the Kev. Dr. Hill, who died in 1881.

In 1747 the church had a house of worship alreadv built and occupied, which, with its grounds and the cemetery adjoining, two acres in extent, was the gift of Dr. Green, of whom, after his decease, the historian, Isaac Backus, said, " He was the main support of his society in temporals and spirituals all his days." That house was repaired in 1779 at a cost of three hundred and fifty pounds, and again it was repaired and enlarged in 1824 ; then, after it had been occupied more than a hundred and ten years, it was replaced by a new and atiractive house, with organ, bell and clock, which was dedicated in 1860 and is now occupied.

The Sunday-school was commenced in 1821. At first it was held in the afternoon " after meetings." For several years its numbers were few, sometimes ten, sometimes twenty-five and, like most Sundayschools of that time, it was suspended during the winter. But, in 1829 and 1830, it received a sudden and surprising impulse. In ihe latter year its number of scholars was increased to eighty, and in 1834 it rose to one hundred and sixty. Since then the school has numbered about one hundred - sometimes more, sometimes less.

On Friday, tlie 28th of September, 1888, the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the church, commemorative services were held, in which the Green family, descendants of the first pastor, took part ; and an interesting feature of the exercises was the presentation of a fine brass tablet, which had been placed upon the wall by the H^ n. Andrew H. Green, of New York, in memory ot his distinguished ancestor. Dr. Thomas Green.

Second Congregational Society. - "In the autumn and winter of 1832-33," says Washburn, in his "History of Leicester," "several families in the town formed a Unitarian Religious Society." In April,

1833, sixteen gentlemen - among whom were Waldo Flint, Isaac Southgate, Joseph D. Sargent, John Whittemore, Dwight Bisco, Lyman Waite, Silas Gleason and Edward Flints - applied to be incorporated as " The Second Congregational Society in Leicester," and received incorporation on the 13th of said month. From that time forward regular services of worship were held in the old Town Hall, and in June,

1834, the society gave a unanimous call to Rev. Samuel May, of Boston, to become their minister, which he accepted. On the 12th of August following their new meeting-house was dedicated, when Rev. James Walker, of Charlestown, preached the sermon ; and, on the following day, Mr. May was ordained by an ecclesiastical council, of which Rev. Dr. Aaron Bancroft, of Worcester, was moderator. The sermon of ordination was by Rev. F. W. P. Greenwood, of King's Chapel, Boston ; the ordaining prayer by Dr. Bancroft; the charge by Rev. Dr. Charles Lowell, of Boston, and the right hand of fellowship by Rev. Samuel J. May, then of Brooklyn, Conn. A church of twelve members had already been gathered. The sermons of Rev. Messrs. Walker and Greenwood were printed in a neat pamphlet. Mr. May continued minister for twelve years, and in the summer of 1846 resigned the office. Since his time the changes in the ministry have been many ; but the society has been sustained by an honorable devotedness on the part of its members, and the list of its ministers includes the names of men of eminent ability. Those whose terms were of two years or more duration were as follows : Rev. Frederick Hinckley, 1847-48; Rev. James Thompson, D.D., who had just closed a long and prosperous ministry in Barre, 1849-51 ; Rev. Wm. Coe, of Worcester, 1851-54; Rev. Joseph Angier, of Milton, 1855 and 1856 ; Rev. F. Macintyre, of Grafton, 1858-59; Rev. James Thurston, 1862-64; Rev. J. J. Putnam, of Worcester, 1864-65. In 1866 considerable changes were made in the interior of the meeting-house, on the completion of which Rev. Everett Finley became minister, February, 1867, and continued until his death, which occurred early in 1869. His body lies buried in Leicester, in Pine Grove Cemetery. In July, 1869, Rev. David H. Montgomery became minister, and so continued eight years. Rev. S. B. Weston followed. During his ministry a question arose as to the application of the trust fund left to the society by Isaac Southgate, Esq., which being, by mutual agreement, referred to arbitration, it was decided unanimously that the fund was not available in Mr. Weston's case. Mr. Weston received the decision with honorable good feeling, resigning his office in 1881. It was not until 1883 that the society were prepared to settle a minister; but in September of that year Rev. Lewis G. Wilson was ordained by an ecclesiastical council, of which Rev. Dr. A. A. Livermore, of Meadville, Penn., was moderator. Mr. Wilson continued two years. Rev. Rodney F. Johonnot was ordained in September, 188G, and bis ministry continued until September, 1888.

Christ Chuech, Rochdale. - The fiftieth anniversary of Christ Church in Rochdale was celebrated July 4, 1873. The sermon of the rector. Rev. B. P. Cooley, preached on that occasion, gives the history of the church to that date. " Divine service, according to the Liturgy of the Protestant Episcopal Church, was performed for the first time in Leicester, Mass., and for the first time, it is believed, in Worcester County, on the sixth day of July, 1823." The church owed its origin to Mrs. Ann Wilby, an English lady who came to Leicester in 1822. She was buried under her pew in the church in 1820. Her family, with that of Mr. James Anderton, were the only Episcopalians in town. Services were for some time held in the hall of Hezekiah Stone's tavern.

The church building was erected in 1824, first occupied on Easter Sunday, April 18, and consecrated May 26 by Right Rev. Alexander V. GriswoUI, D.D. Rev. Joseph Muenscher, D.D., became minister of the parish March 14, 1824. He resigned the cure March 10, 1827. He was also the village schoolteacher. He was born in Trovidence, R. I., December 21, 1798, and graduated from Brown University in 1821, and Andover Theological Seminary in 1825. His marriage to Ruth, daughter of Joseph Washburn, was the first solemnized in a church, according to the Episcopal form, in Worcester County. Among the positions afterwards held by him was that of Professor of Sacred Literature, and later, Instructor in Hebrew in the Episcopal Theological Seminary, Gambier, Ohio. He was succeeded by Rev. William Horton, D.D. Rev. Lot Jones became rector in June, 1827. He was afterwards rector of the Church of the Epiphany in New York. He died in Philadelphia in 1865, while in attendance upon the General Convention, in consequence of a fall upon the steps of St. Luke's Church. Rev. C. Millett became minister in 1833. He was afterwards rector of the parish in Beloit, Wis. In August, 1834, Rev. Henry Blackaller became rector. He resigned in the spring of 1838. He died June 21, 1862, at the ,ge of sixty-nine. Rev. Eleazer A. Greenleaf immediately succeeded him, remaining one year. Rev. John T. Sabine was minister one year, beginning in

1840, and remained one year. He was succeeded for one year by Rev. Fernando C. Putnam. From 1842 to 1844 the church had no rector, but was under the missionary charge of Rev. Orange Clark, D.D., who also ministered to the churches in Hopkintou and Montague. This was a period of great depression, but the church was " saved from utter ruin by the occasional missionary services of Dr. Clark and a few staunch churchmen on the spot." Rev. James L. Scott became minister in October, 1845, being ordained to the deaconate and priesthood here, after acting as lay reader for nearly fourteen months. He retired in April, 1849. Rev. J. Hill Rowse was rector from June 10, 1849, until his death, July, 1870. During his absence of three years as chaplain in the army. Rev. William B. Colburn and Rev. R. S. Paine officiated.

Rev. B. F. Cooley, his successor, resigned October 1, 1875. Rev. S. R. Bailey followed in the autumn of the same year, and retired October 1, 1879. Rev. Thomas W. Nickerson came to the church February 8, 1880, and is still its minister, his rectorship being

Rev. Mr. Rowse was chaplain in the Foster General Hospital, in Newbern, N. C. He was in that city in September, 1864, when it was visited with yellow fever. Says Captain J. W. Denny, then in command of the Twenty-fifth Regiment, " We met Chaplain Rowse, a faithful, earnest chaplain among the soldiers; he looked worn out. He said he had buried thirteen soldiers that forenoon, and as many waited his oflices. We said to him, ' Chaplain, you are not able to do this work ; you look worn out, and ought to leave immediately in order to save your own life.' ' No,' replied the chaplain, ' I am sick and weary. Some one may be called upon to bury me next, but I must not leave these soldiers; if I must die, I will die at my post of duty."" He had the fever, but recovered.

Methodist Episcopal Church. - In the fall of 1842 a series of meetings, continuing eight weeks, was held in the town hall, under direction of Rev. Horace Moulton, of Oxford. In these services he was assisted by his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Moulton, a woman of great religious fervor and zeal.

As the result of these efforts, a Methodist Episcopal Church was organized October 15, 1844. The first minister of this church was Rev. William C. Clark.

In 1845, in consequence of differences of opinion with reference to the Episcopal mode of church administration, and the duty of the church in relation to slavery and temperance, the church was divided, and a Wesleyan Methodist Church was organized. The Methodist Episcopal Church then removed to Cherry Valley, and a house of worship was erected for it in 184b. The funds for building were subscribed by persons of difl'erent denominations, who recognized the need of religious services in Cherry Valley, and the control of the church was committed to trustees. It was stipulated in the compact that it was to be " a house of religious worship for the use of the ministers and members of, and the friends of, the Methodist Episcopal Church in said Leicester, according to the rules and discipline of said Church in the United States of America, except the First Calvinistic Congregational Church of said Leicester, or the Episcopalians of Cherry Valley, shall wish to occupy every other Sunday night for a third religious service, in which case they shall have the right."

The appointments for the ministry of this church have been - Revs. George Dunbar, J. T. Pettel, George F. Pool, T. W. Lewis, D. Z. Kilgore, W. B. Olds, Daniel Atkins, G. E. Chapman, J. W. P. Jordan, Albert Gould, from 1859 to '60; W. F. Lacomb, from 1861 to '62, who enlisted as a member of

In 1867 a Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in the Centre, worshipping in theWesleyan Methodist Church. This church continued to hold services and receive ministers appointed by the Conference for a few years, when it was merged in the Methodi.-it Episcopal Church at Cherry Valley, the appointee of that church preaching at the Centre Sunday afternoons. The ministers have been Revs. Mr. Chase, Frederick M. Miller, L. P. Causey, Samuel F. Fuller, Eratus Burlingham and H. D. Weston.

Wesleyan Methodist Church. - After the separation in 1845, those who objected to the Episcopacy, and the position of the Methodist Episcopal Church on the subject of slavery and temperance, organized themselves into a Wesleyan Methodist Cliurch, March 1, 1845. The pastor, Rev. Wm. C. Clark, remained with this church, and, indeed, was the active agent in securing its organization. His successors were Rev. Messrs. Christopher C. Mason David Mason, Simeon E. Pike, J. A. Gibson, Thomas Williams and Benjamin N. Bullock.

Roman Catholic Church. - The first Roman Catholic Church in town was St. Polycarp's, and was erected in 1854, half a mile east of Strawberry Hill. The cornerstone of the present church, St. Joseph's, was laid on the same site, September 1, 1867, Rev. Robert W. Brady, president of Holy Cross College, officiating. The church was dedicated January 2, 1870, Right Rev. John J. Williams, present Archbishop of Boston, officiating, The old church was taken down and moved to Rochdale during 1869, and was dedicated as St. Aloysius' Church. November 21st of the same year. Right Rev. John J. Williams officiating There was no resident pastor of the parish until August 1, 1880. The two churches were attended by the Jesuit Fathers from Holy Cross College, Worcester, in the following order: January, 1854, Rev. Peter Kroes ; August, 1856, Rev. J. C. Moore, S. J. ; August, 1857, Rev. P. M. Jolehi, S. J. ; January, 1858, Rev. Eugene Veterneli ; October, 1859, Rev. A. F. Ciampi, S. J.; August, 1861, Rev. J. B. Galney, S. J.; January, 1864, Rev. J. B. O'Hagan, S. J.; August, 1864, Rev. Charles Kelly, S. J.; Auguit, 1867, Rev. P. V. McDermott, S. J.; June, 1869, Rev. J, B. O'Hagan, S. J.; September, 1870, Rev. A. J. Ciampi, S. J.; January, 1871, Rev. Albert Peters, S. J. ; August, 1872, Rev. W. F. Hamilton, S.J. ; August, 1873, Rev. P. J. Blenkinsop, 8. J. These clergymen were generally educated in Europe, as they were Jesuit Fathers and professors at the college. Some of them were men of eminent scholarship.

Rev. D. F. McGrath became the priest of the parish August 1, 1880. He was born in Milford, Mass., August 15, 1848 ; graduated from Holy Cross College in 1870, and from Grand Seminary, in Montreal, in 1873. When he came to the parish it was incumbered with a debt of six thousand five hundred dollars, which was increased to fourteen thou.sand five hundred dollars in remodeling and repairing the church, building a fine parsonage and by accompanying expenses. This was the amount of indebtedness January 1, 18S4. By February 1, 1888, this debt was entirely paid, and all the parish property, including eighteen acres of land, is held free of indebtedness.

According to a census taken in January, 1888, by Father McGrath and his assistant. Father Kenney, there were in town three hundred and twelve Roman Catholic families, with a total of one thousand five hundred and thirty-six persons attached to St. Joseph's and St. Aloysius' Parishes.

St. Thomas Church. - In the year 1873 the Rev. B. F. Cooley, rector of Christ Church, Rochdale, commenced service in the Methodist Church in Cherry Valley, on Sunday afternoons. These services were continued for several years by him and his successor. Rev. S. R. Bailey. The first service and also later services on week-days were held in the house of Mr. Cheney Barton, in which the Rev. H. Blackaller had held .similar services more than thirtyfive years before. The church was afterward made a mission of St. Matthew's Church, Worcester, which relation its'ill holds, although it has been self-supporting since 1886.

Rev. E. Osgood took charge, probably in the autumn of 1878, and continued until early in the year 1881. The Rev. Julius Waterberry was in charge from 1881 to 1882. He was a beautiful singer, a man of culture, of wide information, and pleasing and refined manners. He died in Boston, on Good Friday, 1882, and his memory is cherished with affijction by the members of his charge. It was while he was connected with the church that " Shamrock Hall " began to be used as the place of worship.

The church was built in 1884, and consecrated February 14, 1885, by Bishop W. R. Huntington, D.D., of Grace Church, New York. Since that time a pipe-organ has been placed in the church. The church contains five memorial windows, one of them in memory of Rev. Julius H. Waterberry.