Church: History of the Congregational Church: Henniker, Merrimack Co, NH **************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his legal representative and then contact the listed USGENWEB archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net. Submitted by: Rick Giirtman rgirtman@attbi.com Date: March 3, 2002 **************************************************************************** The following is from a pamphlet printed by the Church in 1835. It is available at the NH Historical Society in Concord, NH Call # 285.8778b H516ar The title is: Articles of Faith and Covenant with a Brief History of the Congregational Church in Henniker, NH and a list of those, who have been received as members. Concord:Chadwick & Kimball printers 1835 This church was gathered and Rev. Jacob Rice, a native of Northborough, Mass. and a graduate of Harvard College became it's pastor June 7, 1769. He was dismissed Feb. 1782, but supplied the pulpit occasionally for 20 years afterwards, while the church was destitute of a pastor. May 26, 1802, Rev. Moses Sawyer, a native of Salisbury, N. H. and a graduate of Dartmouth College was ordained and became the pastor. Previous to that day, it is not known that any more than 55 persons had ever been members of the church; viz. 25 males and 30 females, in 33 years. Mr. Sawyer was dismissed March 29, 1826, having admitted 114 to the church, 39 Males and 75 Females in 24 years. Rev. Jacob Scales, a native of Freeport, Me. and graduate of Dart. College was installed January 17, 1827. The year after the church was gathered, a meeting house 30 feet long and 20 feet wide was built of logs without the use of a smoothing plane, and without glass windows. For 10 successive years it was occupied for religious worship and other purposes; then it was burnt and the church and people left without a sanctuary six or seven years. The old meeting house on the south side of the rivervwas built by the town in the year 1786, and occupied by the church and people in peace till 1802, and then the doors were closed against the church and the minister of their choice. After resorting for many months to barns and private houses to hear the word of God, another house was erected, and occupied by the church, and all who chose to assemble with them, till Aug. 23, 1833, when it was burnt with all it's contents. The church, being left a fourth time within 64 years without a place of worship, set themselves by prayer and voluntary effort to lay a new foundation and erect another house; which was dedicated Aug. 27, 1834. A LIST OF MEMBERS. In the following list the names of the deceased are printed in Italicks; those whose relations to the church has ceased by removal or otherwise are marked with a *. (Transcribers note: To show the members who had died by 1835 when this pamphlet was written I have replaced the Italics with a -D Note also that persons who had left the church by 1835 might also have passed away by 1835 but the church would not know it.) From 1769 to 1802 Rev. Jacob Rice -D Timothy Ross -D Ezekiel Smith -D Josiah Ward -D Ebenezer Harthorn -D Thomas Howlet -D William Pressbury -D Silas Burns -D Charles Whitcomb -D Amos Gould -D Eliakim Howe -D Nahum Newton -D Francis Bowman -D Solomon Childs -D Ephraim Goss -* David Clough -D Samuel Wadsworth -* Daniel Rice -D Jonathan Wood -* Joshua Whitney -D Joseph Amesden -D Samuel Morrison -D George Connor -* Aaron Childs -D Jacob Whitcomb -D Rebecca Howe -D Mercy Newton Prudence Bowman -D Abigail Campbell -D Rhoda Harthorn -D Patty Childs -D Ruth Goss -* Susanna Smith -D Sarah Rice -D Sarah Wood -* Hannah Smith -D Betty Whitney -* Betty Smith Sally Adams -* Susanna Morrison Jane Morrison Ruth Smith -D Kesiah Ross -D Margaret Morrison -D Elizabeth Bailey Hannah Connor -* Olive Whitcomb -D Sarah Peters -D Ruth Rice -D Sarah Ward -* Elizabeth Barns -D Hannah Whitcomb -D Abigail Amesden -D Mary Gould -D Patty Childs -* 1802 Rev. Moses Sawyer Alexander Parker -* Jeremiah Dutton -* Betsey Dutton -* Dinah Gibson Susanna Patterson -D Rachel Withington Lois Heath -D Hannah Withington 1803 Ezekiel Dimond -D Edmund Sawyer -D John Pearson -* Sarah Eager -D Abigail Dimond -D Mehitable Sawyer -D Elizabeth Pearson -* Lydia Sargent -D Mary Colby Elizabeth Wood -D Abigail Clough Fanny Sawyer -* Mary Stone -D 1804 William Morrison -* Betsey Wood -D Susanna Connor -D 1805 Josiah Ward -D Mary Withington -* Elizabeth Ward -D Abigail Smith Hannah Whitney -D Sally Colby Lucy Howe -* 1806 Francis Withington -D 1807 Prudence Smith Elizabeth Myrick -D 1810 Benjamin Clough -* Josiah Childs John C. Proctor -* John Proctor -D Susanna Morrill -D Abigail Childs Lydia Putney -D Sally Goss -D Sally Butler Persis Gibson -* Edner Proctor Betty Wallace -D 1811 Abigail Ramsdel Mary Darling -D Sally Gould Azubah Sprague -* 1812 William C. Woodbury -* Sarah Abbot -* Phebe Howe -D 1813 Timothy Sprague -* 1814 Patty Woodbury -* 1816 William Willson -D David C. Proctor -* John More -* Isaac Darling -* Jacob C. Goss -* Eli Howe Thomas M. Davis -D John Fisk Samuel Morrison -* John Connor Annas Goss -* James V. Atkinson -* Stephen Whitney -* Nathaniel Cogswell Phebe Davis Mary Connor Hannah Dufer -* Jane Atkinson -* Lucy Livingston Azubah Bowman Dorothy Kirk Joanna Wadsworth Rhoda Temple Lucy Gibson Hannah Cogswell Susanna Jones -* 1817 Jacob Peters Anna Peters Gertrude Gould -D 1818 Josiah Hill -* Abigail Hill -* Lydia Colby Rebecca Woodbury -* 1819 Seus Sanborn 1820 Cynthia Withington -* 1821 Stephen Searle -* Betsy R. Wood 1822 Obadiah P. Eaton -* Hannah Peters -D Abigail Baily -D 1823 Judith Hardy -* 1824 Oliver Pilsbury Lewis Gibson Solomon Childs Jr. Titus V. Wadsworth Levi Wood -* John Harthorn Jr. Betsy Morrison -* Lucinda Childs Laura Withington -* Frances M. Patterson -* Sally Wood -* Sarah J. Searle -* Mary B. Greenleaf -D Lucy Wood Sarah Page Caroline L. Bartlett 1825 Nathan Carter Polly Harthorn 1827 Nancy B. Scales Susan Wadsworth Lucy Cogswell 1828 Jacob Gordon Amasa Graves Polly Foster Sally C. Putney 1829 Elmira A. Brooks -D 1830 Joseph Wadsworth Mary P. Darling Mary Colby Clarissa Gould Huldah Cate Eunice Ward Sally C. Colby Betsy B. Saunders -* Betsy J. Hoyt -* Lucy Rice 1831 Thomas Cogswell Artemas Rogers -* Nathan Sanborn James Wilkins John Whitcomb Amos Ray -* Josiah Morse -D Abel Connor Ephraim Morrill Jr. -D Jonathan Cogswell Saunders Hoyt Levi Colby Asa Whitney Horace Childs William Wood John Peters Thomas Kirk Josiah Childs Jr. Jabez Wood Moses Rice Mary Ann Morrison Thankful Smith Martha Connor -D Susan Connor -D Irene Patten Hannah Cogswell -D Sarah Wilkins Nancy Lewis -* Polly Whitcomb Olive Wadsworth Susan C. Cogswell Lydia Whitcomb Rosella Childs Mary D. Cogswell Sally Hoyt Emily A. Hoyt Lucy Wood -D Lucy Morrill Sophrona Bowman Margery Carter Loisa M. Presbury Mary Ann Smith Avaline Rice Dorothy Wadsworth Almeray Wadsworth Betsy S. Wadsworth Lydia Rogers -* Hannah Harthorn Betsy Colby Lydia Gammel Lois C. Whitney Eliza Peters Martha Wood Elizabeth B. Kirk Sally M. Whitcomb -* Lucy Morrill 2nd Laura Whitcomb 1832 Jacob Sawyer William Patterson -* Barak Colby George A. P. Darling -* Levi Rice -D Warren S. Childs Elias Gould Carlos Childs Worcester Harthorn Francis M. Withington Joshua Darling Laura Sawyer Eliza Morrison Alice B. Whitney Catherine Ray Clarissa Abbot -* Liva Connor Elizabeth Darling Mehitable Gordon Roxy B. Eaton Lucinda G. Proctor Patty Whitney Lucy Colby Rebecca Ramsdel Catherine Colby Apphia Withington Liza Connor Zilpha Barns -* Mary Davis Alice G. Lancaster -* Eunice Whitcomb -D Mary Smith Elvira Gibson Mary G. Patten Sarah Peters Sally Lowell 1833 Zebulon Foster Jr. Gilbert Pilsbury Levi Harthorn Parker Pilsbury George W. Cogswell Lucinda Ring Lydia Colby Hannah Tucker Mary Cochran Grizzy D. Rice Susan W. Darling -* Lois Whitney Mary L. N. Connor Sally Goss 1834 Jonathan Quimby Washington Berry Luther Goss Maria Berry Betsy Dale Anna Pilsbury Abigail Proctor Anna W. Holmes Polly C. Barnes Caroline L. Morse Mehitable Blanchard Lydia Gordon 1835-February William C. Childs Silas Farmer Page Eaton Betsy B. Morse Lydia D. Gibson Lydia Myrick Prudence H. Myrick Lavinia M. Gould Abigail A. Cogswell Abigail Newton Loisa D. Cogswell The following persons have been deacons. Ebenezer Harthorn William Presbery Daniel Rice David Clough George Connor William C. Woodbury Nathaniel Cogswell Josiah Childs Oliver Pilsbury The last three are the deacons at this time.