Chap. 9. 



RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. 



187 



BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS. 



BAPTIST CONVENTION. 



The Woodstock association was organ- 

 ized at Woodstock in 1763. Many of the 

 churches, originally connected with this 

 body, were in the state of New Hamp- 

 ehire. But this association is now prin- 

 cipally confined to Windsor county in this 

 state. They report, at their last session 

 in 1841, twenty-three churches, and two 

 thousand eight hundred communicants. 



The Vermont association was organized 

 at Manchester in 1785. This association, 

 being the first that was composed of 

 churches chiefly witliin the limits of the 

 etate, received the name of the Vermont 

 association. At its last anniversary in 

 1841, there were thirteen churches, and 

 one thousand and one hundred communi- 

 cants, included for the most part in Rut- 

 land county. 



The Richmond, known now by the 

 name of the Fairfield association, was 

 formed in the town of Richmond in 179.5. 

 In 1812, there were three churches in the 

 Province of Lower Canada belonging to 

 this body, with ojie of which the associa- 

 tion was to hold its session that year. But 

 in consequence of the war between the 

 United States and Great Britain, it was 

 deemed best by the churches in Vermont 

 not to send their delegates into Canada, 

 but to have them meet in the town of 

 Fairfield, and bold their session. From 

 this circumstance, the association receiv- 

 ed a new name which it still retains. 

 There were belonging to this body in 

 1841, fifteen churches and upwards of 

 nine hundred members, included chiefly 

 in Franklin county. 



The Barre association was formed at 

 Barre in 1807. It is now principally 

 confined to Orange county, and contains 

 sixteen churches, with about six hundred 

 members. Most of the churches are fee- 

 ble, and destitute of pastors. 



The Danville association was consti- 

 tuted at Danville in 1810. This associa- 

 tion extends over several counties in Ver- 

 mont, and some portion of Canada. Its 

 statistics in 1841 were twenty three 

 churches, and upwards of one thousand 

 and four hundred communicants. 



The Windham county association was 

 organized in 1830. The churches of which 

 it was composed formerly belonged to the 

 Leyden association in Massachusetts ; but 

 in 1830, they were set off*, and being most- 

 ly in Windham county, received the name 

 of the Windham county association. In 

 1841, it reported fourteen churches, witii 

 about one thousand and two hundred 

 members. 



The Addison county association was 

 formed in 1833 of churches principally in 

 Addison county, and formerly belonging 



to the Vermont association. According 

 to its last report in 1841, there were twelve 

 churches with one thousand and seventy 

 members connected with this body. 



The Onion river association was organ- 

 ized in 1834. The churches composing 

 this body are chiefly in Chittenden coun- 

 ty, and were formerly connected with the 

 Fairfield association. There were fifteen 

 churches, with one thousand, one hun- 

 dred and fifty five members connected 

 with it in 1841. 



Besides these nine associations, there 

 are, belonging to the Baptists in Vermont, 

 other organizations, more specific and ex- 

 tended in their character. In 1806, a 

 missionary society was formed which was 

 productive of much good. It afforded aid 

 to many feeble churches, and furnished 

 missionaries to labor in destitute portions 

 of the state and in Canada. In 1814, this 

 society was remodeled and enlarged, and 

 became auxiliary to the Baptist board of 

 Foreign Missions. This society, after a 

 course of successful operation for several 

 years, merged itself in the State conven- 

 tion. 



The Baptist convention of Vermont was 

 proposed and planned at Montpelier iu 

 October 1823, by tbe foUovi'ing persons : 

 Ezra Butler, Aaron Leland, James Parker, 

 Jonathan Huntley, Isaac Sawyer, J. W. 

 Sawyer, C. C. P. Crosby, John Ide and 

 J. D. Farnsworth. The convention was 

 organized in October 1824, in aid of do- 

 mestic and foreign missions. This mis- 

 sionary body has now been in successful 

 operation sixteen years. Besides aid- 

 ing churches and supporting missionaries 

 at home, it has contributed generously 

 in sustaining the missionary enterprize 

 abroad. 



In 1828, the Vermont Baptist Sunday 

 School Union was formed, which, at its 

 anniversary in 1841, gave the following 

 statistics : 78 schools, 544 teachers, oil I 

 scholars, and 8369 volumes in the libraries. 



The Vermont branch of the Northern 

 Baptist Education Society, was constitu- 

 ted in October, 1830. By the instrumen- 

 tality of this society, many pious, indigent 

 young men have been assisted in their 

 preparation for the gospel ministry, and 

 although the number of persons now re- 

 ceiving assistance is not large, still the 

 "branch" may be considered, as in a 

 prosperous condition. 



In 1837, the Vermont Bible Society, 

 auxiliary to the American and Foreign 

 Bible Society, was formed; and liberal 

 sums are annually contributed in aid of a 

 pure and e.xact translation of the sacred 

 scriptures into the languages of the na,- 

 tions of the earth. 



