Hurd, Duane Hamilton. History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire. Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis. 1886.
The First Congregational church – The Unitarian denomination has a society under this name at Fitzwilliam village, holding meetings about three months during the summer season, in the town hall. They have no regular pastor.
The First Congregational church of Keene was organized October 18, 1738, with a membership of nineteen males. Rev. John Bacon, the proprietors clerk, was ordained October 18th, and settled over the church. Mr. Bacon graduated at Harvard in 1731. The church, originally built near the south end of Main street, was moved, in 1741, to a site near the present General Wilsons house, and was destroyed with the other buildings in 1747. Mr. Bacon was dismissed upon the evacuation of the town. In 1753, on the return of the settlers, the church was built on the common, and was occupied … Read more
The First Congregational church of Hinsdale was organized in 1763. Rev. Bunker Gay, who served the parish forty-seven years, was its first pastor. The first house of worship was built of wood about 1760, and the present one also of wood, in 1835 or ’36. Its present membership is 150. The church property is now valued at $10,000, and the parsonage is valued at $3,000. The house will seat 550 people. The Sunday-school has an average attendance of 120. Rev. Henry R. Hamilton is the present parish clergyman.
The first baptism in town was administered in September, 1768, by Rev. Thomas Fessenden, of Walpole. In 1770 the town “chose nine men to conduct religious worship,” one of the number being appointed to procure a minister. Its 1773 a committee was chosen to select a site for building a house of worship, and the same year Rev. James Treadway was employed to supply the town with preaching, and was subsequently given a call to settle with them in the ministry, but declined because no church had been organized. In 1776 a vote was passed by the town to build … Read more
The First Congregational (Unitarian) society, located at Dublin village, was originally organized, with forty members, in 1772, Rev. Joseph Farrar, being the first pastor. Their first church building, erected in that year, was succeeded by a second in 1818, and that in turn by the present, built in 1852. The latter is a fine wooden structure, capable of comfortably seating 400 persons, cost about $6,500.00, and is now valued, including grounds, etc., at about $9,500.00. The society now has forty-five members, with Rev. Hasket D. Catlin, pastor. The society has also a flourishing Sabbath school, with sixty-five members.
The First Baptist church, located at Fitzwilliam, was organized in 1815, with six or eight members, by Rev. Nathaniel Bowes, of Richmond, Rev. Arnot Allen being the first pastor. The church building, erected in 1842, will seat 250 persons, cost $1,800.00, and is valued, including grounds, etc., at $5,000.00. The society now has sixty-two members, and a Sabbath-school with ninety scholars, with Rev. Andrew Dunn, pastor.
The Evangelical Congregational church of Harrisville was organized September 22, 1840, by a council composed of clergymen and delegates from the following towns: Swanzey, Troy, Antrim. New Ipswich. and Warwick, Mass., with thirty-one members, the first pastor being Rev. Otis C. Whiton. Their church building was erected in 1840-43, a brick structure capable of seating 350 persons, cost $4,000.00, and is now valued, including grounds, at $5,000.00. The society has fifty-one members, with Rev. George H. Dunlap, pastor. There have been added to the original thirty-one members 189 others, making a total of 220, of which 169 have been removed … Read more
The Congregational church of Chesterfield was organized in 1771, and the Rev. Abraham Wood, a graduate of Harvard, was ordained its first pastor for the following year. The ministry of Mr. Wood continued until his death in 1823. A few months previous to Mr. Wood’s death, Rev. John Walker, a graduate of Dartmouth, was installed as colleague pastor. Mr. Walker remained six years, and was succeeded by Rev. Elisha Smith, who was also a graduate of Dartmouth, and who remained here four years, when he was succeded by Rev. Josiah Ballard, a graduate of Harvard, and who remained for a … Read more
The Congregational church of Jaffrey village.-The grant from the Masonian proprietors stipulated that a meeting-house be built within six years from the date of the charter. There is nothing in the early records of the town, however, to show that anything was done towards this object previous to 1774, when it was voted that such a structure be built. Neglect to build a meeting-house was not the only instance in which the settlers failed to fulfill the requirements of their charter. From the reports of the settlers to the grantors, testifying of the condition of the colony, we find that … Read more
The Baptist Church. – Baptists from Middleborough, Mass., located in the east part of Westmoreland, where they constituted a church in 1771. This family spread into the west part of Keene. Here a church of the same faith was recognized by on ecclesiastical council, on the 9th day of September, 1816, consisting of thirteen members. It was gathered under the ministry of Rev. Charles Cummings. The church was received into the Dublin Baptist Association, in October of that year. A small meetinG.house, with square pews and a gallery, was built that autumn, situated in that part of the town known … Read more
The Baptist church and society, located at Pottersville, was organized by Elder Ballou and his son, Maturin, at the house of John Muzzey, December 7, 1785, with thirty members, the Rev. Maturin Ballou being the first pastor. In 1829 the church was re-organized and now has about seventy members. The church building was originally built in 1997, was re-modeled in 1830, and was removed and again re-modeled in 1844. It will seat 175 persons and is valued at $2,500.00. The Sabbath-school has sixty scholars, with C. Albert Seaver, superintendent.
In the tax-lists for 1760, ’61, and ’62, we find the name of John Alexander in the first; John Alexander, William McNee, and James Taggart, in the second; and the following in the third: John Alexander, William McNee, James Taggart, William Taggart, Henry Strongman, Samuel Twitchell, Levi Partridge, William Greenwood and Joseph Twitchell, Jr. From 1763 the population increased with considerable rapidity, new settlers coming in from Sherborn, Natick, Medfield, Holliston, Framingham, Temple, Amherst and -elsewhere. There is no means of ascertaining what the population was previous to 1773, except to approximate it from the tax list of 179′, when … Read more
St. James Episcopal church.-The history of St. James church, of Keene, dates from the year 1858. Previous to this time, however, services had been held as opportunity offered by various clergymen. About the year 1816 the Rev. Mr. Leonard, rector of St. Pauls church, Windsor, Vt., visited Keene, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Dunham and other parishioners, and held several services in the village. Soon after their visit the regular services of the church were conducted for several weeks, probably by the Rev. James Morse, of Newburyport, Mass., in the old court-house, then standing on the site of what is … Read more
The following Jaffrey soldiers in the Revolution are mentioned in the state report : Ephraim Adams, Samuel Adams, Thomas Adams, George Atridge, Daniel Avery, Joseph Bates, Jonathan Blodgett, John Briant, Alpheus Brigham, Asaph Brigham, Joseph Brooks, Simeon Burt, Joseph Cutter, Moses Cutter, Nathan Cutter, James Cutter, John Davidson, Matthew Davis, Jonathan Dean, Benjamin Dole, John Dole, Hugh Dunlap, Daniel Emery, Daniel Emery, Jr., James French, Jr. Robert Gilmore, John. Gilmore, Dudley Griffin, Jacob Gould, Jr., John Hale, Lieut. John Harper, Daniel Harper, Ebenezer Hathorn, James Haywood, Ebenezer Ingalls, Benjamin Jaquith, John Matthews, William McAlister, Samuel Ober, William Osgood, Benjamin Prescott, … Read more
Rev. Bunker Gay, born in Dedham, Mass., was educated at Harvard college, and was ordained a clergyman in the Congregational church. He came to Hinsdale in 1763, and was the first settled pastor of the Congregational church in the town. His church was located near the residence of Mr. Ivory S. Ide, and his parish embraced the whole town and Vernon, which was then included in Hinsdale. When Vermont became a state, and Vernon a sepa- rate town, that territory was taken from his parish, and left his church weak in members and property. He continued the nominal pastor during … Read more
During the Revolutionary war, the new town performed well her share in the struggle for liberty. The names of her soldiers in that war are as follows: John Swan Thomas Morse Richard Gilchrist John Morse Thomas Green Henry Strongman William Greenwood Eli Greenwood Reuben Morse Richard Strongman Ithamer Johnson Ezra Morse James Chamberlain Nathaniel Bates Samuel Twitchell Lieut. Robert Muzzey Hart Balch James Mills Joshua Greenwood, 1st Jonathan Morse Micah Morse Micah Morse, 2d Jabez Puffer Thomas Hardy John Stone Benjamin Mason In the war of 1812-’15, only one man, George Washington Phillips, enlisted from the town, and died in … Read more
During the late war Fitzwilliam furnished 168 men for the service, 162 of whom were volunteers or substitutes for enrolled men not drafted. Of the thirty drafted men, twenty-two were excused for disability, one emigrated to Canada, one was excused as alien, four served, and two furnished substitutes, Of the total number furnished, forty-four were killed or died of disease while in the service. The total amount of money furnished by the town was $29, 933.37, of which $1,500.00 was reimbursed by the state, and $886.00 by the United States, leaving a net expense of $27,547.37.
During the war of the Revolution Gilsum had no Tories to report. Col. Ashley’s seventh company, numbering fifty-seven men, almost all of whom belonged in Gilsum and Surry, marched to the relief of Ticonderoga, in June, 1777. In another regiment, under Col. Moses Nichols, the ninth company, comprising forty men, was about half from Gilsum and Surry. This company joined the Continental army at Saratoga, and was in the battle of Bennington, where three of their number, Michael Metcalf, Joshua Fuller and William Wood were killed. In the war of 1812, no demand for soldiers was made from Gilsum till … Read more
As early in the Revolutionary contest as 1775, at least six of Marlboro’s scanty population joined the continental army, viz.: Moses Tucker, Timothy Rogers, Robert Worsley, Daniel Collins, Lieutenant James Brewer and Pearson Newell. In a report made by the selectmen on the 3d of October of that year, however, the number is given at sixteen, “out of which number two are dead.” Among the others who went to the war were the following: William Barker, Richard Atwell, Daniel Lawrence, Benjamin Goodenow, Abel Woodward, Peter Tozer, Daniel Goodenow, Jonah Harrington, Colvin Goodenow, Frederick Freeman, Reuben McAlister, Adine Goodenow, Jabez McBride, … Read more
During the period of the Revolution, Keene performed her part faithfully. In 1773 the foot company of Keene numbered 126, under command of Col.. Josiah Willard. The alarm list, numbering forty-five, seems to have been made up of the older men, including many of the original settlers; the selectmen of Keene, David Nims. Eliphalet Briggs, Jr., and Benjamin Hall, reported the following census for Keene : Unmarried men, from sixteen to sixty 65. Married men, from sixteen to sixty 96 Boys, sixteen years and under : 140• Men, sixty years and upwards : 1, Females, unmarried 217 Females, married 105. … Read more