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CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part. 11. 



EPISCOPAL CHORCH. 



FIRST MINISTERS AND FIRST CHURCH. 



Section IX. 

 Protestant Episcopal Church in Vermont. 



BY REV. CARLTON CHASE, D. D. 



Among the earlier population of the 

 state of Vermont, we look in vain for the 

 trace of any considerable number of Epis- 

 copalians. Beinor settled almost wholly 

 by emigrants from the older states of New 

 llampshire, Massachusetts and Uonnecti- 

 cut, where very different views of religion 

 prevailed, this district of country would 

 not be likely to show but here and there 

 an individual holding the faith and order 

 and discipline of a church governed by 

 Bishops. Some such there were, how- 

 ever; chiefly emigrants from the state of 

 Connecticut, who from various considera- 

 tions were disj)osed to try their fortunes 

 and rear their families in this then wild 

 region, remote from the altars amidst 

 whose solemnities they had themselves 

 been educated, — and always hoping, that 

 the time would come for them to enjoy 

 again the privileges and ministrations of 

 the Church which they loved. 



And to a great extent, through tlie good- 

 ness of the Redeemer, these ho2)es have 

 been realized. 



The Rev. Samuel Peters, L. L. D., fa- 

 miliarly known among our older church- 

 men under the name of " Bishop Peters," 

 tells us, [see his Life of Hugh Peters, p. 

 94,] that he was the first clergyman who 

 visited " Verd Mont," as he calls it. This 

 w-as in October, 1768, when with a num- 

 ber of gentlemen he ascended to one of 

 the Green ftlountain peaks, and there, in 

 sight of lake Champlain on the west and 

 of Connecticut river on the east, and 

 stretching his view over interminable for- 

 ests northward and southward, proclaimed 

 the name of" Verd Mont." After this, 

 as he states, he passed through most of 

 the settlements, preaching and baptizing 

 for the space of eight weeks. The num- 

 ber baptized by him at that early period, 

 of adults and children, is set down at near- 

 ly twelve hundred — a number very re- 

 markablecertainly, considering the sparse- 

 ness of the population. So far as records 

 or credible traditions go, these were the 

 first labors of much importance performed 

 by a clergyman of the Episcopal Church. 



At an early period parishes were organ- 

 ized in Manchester, Arlington, Sandgate, 

 Castleton, Tinmouth, Wells, Fairfield, 

 Bethel, Weathersfield and Rockingham. 

 The first two of these are said to have 

 been organized at the first settlement of 

 the state ; Manchester, by some emigrants 

 from the western part of Connecticut and 

 from Dutchess county, N. Y., numberino- 

 twenty families before the revolution. 



The parish at Arlington was organized by 

 Mr. Jehiel Hawley, and consisted of emi- 

 grants from Newtown and New Milford, 

 Connecticut. It is stated by the Rev. Mr. 

 Bronson, that the parish last named w^as 

 sustained by lay-reading and occasional 

 visits from the Rev. Mr. Bostwick of Great 

 Barrington, Massachusetts, until 1778, 

 when Mr. Hawley died. 



The troubles about that time drove away 

 many people from both of these churches ; 

 so that at the peace of 1783 they were but 

 barely in existence. They then, however, 

 mustered strength and courage to resume 

 lay-reading, and were thus kept alive till 

 1786, when the Rev. James Nichols was 

 settled at Arlington, and the Rev. Daniel 

 Barber at Manchester. 



In 1786 or the year following a church 

 was erected at Arlington, the exterior 

 alone being finished. The interior was 

 not finished till 180/5, though in the mean 

 time the congregation had furnished it 

 w^ith moveable seats, and used it for pub- 

 he worship. This might be considered 

 the first church in the state. 



During the revolutionary w^ar the cause 

 of the Cliurch suffered, as might be ex- 

 pected, from the hostile feeling every 

 where entertained towards England and 

 England's institutions. Our scattered 

 people, though still adhering resolutely to 

 primitive principles of truth und order, 

 felt much disheartened. While their 

 brethren in otiier states were actively ta- 

 king measures for Diocesan orcranization, 

 they, dispersed in many different settle- 

 ments, and ignorant of their own num- 

 bers, silently acquiesced in spiritual pri- 

 vations, which seemed to be providential, 

 still hoping, that the day would come for 

 tlie Church to rise. This hope began to 

 be realized in 1789. 



In the month of September, 1700, was 

 held the first ecclesiastical convention — 

 from which time the state of Vermont may 

 be considered an organized Diocese. Del- 

 egates from eight parishes, with but two 

 clergymen, the Rev. James Nichols and 

 the Rev. Daniel Barber, met at Arlington. 

 The Rev. Mr. Nichols delivered a sermon, 

 and the convention was organized by 

 choosing Mr. Eleazer Baldwin chairman, 

 and the Rev. Mr. Barber secretary. 



One great object in the assembling of 

 this body was to take mea&ures for secur- 

 ing to the Church the possession of its 

 lands — the Glebes, and the grants to the 

 society for the propagation of the Gospel. 

 For this purpose a committee of two per- 

 sons w^as appointed to carry the subject 

 before the General Assembly of the state. 

 From the proceedings of the Convention 

 in 1793 it appears, that an application had 



