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Abijah Crossman, of Chelmsford, was invited to become their pastor. July 3d, he was with his wife received to this church, November 12, 1793, something more than three years from his settlement, he was dismissed.

April, 29, 1797. The church and society gave Elder Shubael Lovell a call to settle. June 4, he accepted the call, and continued his labors in the pastoral office till May 10, 1810, when he was dismissed from this church.

On the 28th of June, Elder Josiah Converse was invited to become their pastor; who accepted, and continued his labors with them till 1818.

The next year (1819) Elder Simeon Chamberlin became their pastor, and continued till July 27th, 1826, when he was dismissed.

In August, Elder Ezra Wilmarth became their pastor. June 24, 1834, (difficulties having arisen,) a mutual council was convened for advice, who recommended a dissolution of the connection between the pastor and people. Mr. Wilmarth left them after preaching two Sabbaths.

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February 4, 1836. The Rev. John Burden was ordained, and is now in office.* The ordination sermon was by the Rev. John Holroyd, of Danvers.

June 21, 1811. This society was incorporated by the name of the "First Baptist Religious Society in Rowley." The donors of the society's parsonage farm, in their deed, say, they give it for the support of "a Calvinistic Baptist gospel minister."

F. 1.

The Baptist church, in what is now Rowley, at its organization, (November 17, 1830,) consisted of the follow

* Dismissed July, 1840.

ing persons, viz. John White, Samuel Scott, Mark F. Cate, Richard Herbert, Joshua Hale, Sarah Todd, Sarah Saunders, Lucy Saunders, Elizabeth C. Boynton, Eliza J. Cate, Sarah C. Moody, and Hannah J. Hale. All dismiss

ed from the Baptist church in what is now Georgetown, except Richard Herbert, who was from a church in Rumney, New Hampshire.

The Rev. Caleb Clark, who preached for this society, from September, 1831, to May, 1832, died at Rumney aforesaid, since the commencement of the present year, (1840).

The Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, D. D., who preached for them from October, 1833, to April, 1836, was born at Rowley, January 2d, 1776. He was the son of Asa, grandson of Jeremiah, great-grandson of Joseph, and great-greatgrandson of Hugh Chaplin, one of the first settlers. He graduated at Brown University, 1799, preached for the Baptist society in Danvers in 1802 and 1803. In 1804 preached in the city of New York, returned to Danvers in April, 1805, where he continued until June 14th, 1818, when he left this town and entered upon the duties of the Presidency of Waterville College, Maine, in which office he remained till the summer of 1833, when he resigned, and soon after commenced preaching at Rowley. On leaving Rowley, he went to Connecticut, thence to Hamilton, Madison County, New York.

G. 1.

Mr. Zachariah Symms probably commenced preaching to the Merrimack people in 1668, and continued his labors among them about fourteen years previous to his ordination, (in 1682). For his first year's labor he received £40.

The sum of £ 50 was granted for his services in 1669, one half to be paid in wheat, pork, butter, and cheese, the other half in corn and cattle.

At a meeting held the early part of this year, the town voted, to pay the expense of bringing Mr. Symms's goods to town, and to give him forty acres of land, (purchased of Benjamin Kimball,) at Indian Hill.

October 31st, 1682. A council was convened at Bradford, for the purpose of advising the people of that town on the subject of the settlement of the ministry among them, who came to the following result, viz.

"The question being proposed to us, whose names are underwitten, whether minister and people at Bradford should promote without delay a coalition of themselves into a church society? We answer in the affirmative, provided that the people do their uttermost in taking effectual care, that he, that preaches the gospel among them, live on the gospel, according to 1 Cor. ix. 14, that so he may provide for his own household, as 1 Timothy, v. 8, provided also their present teacher accept of office-work among them, so long as he finds he can comfortably discharge his duty, in all the relations he stands to you his people, and in his family, and that when he finds he cannot discharge his said duties respectively, the people shall freely release him of his engagement to them, after due council taken in the case; for hereby is a door opened for the teacher to work the whole work of God, as an officer of Christ in that place, as others in office do in their places, according to the 1 Cor. xvi. 10, for he worketh the work of God as I also do'; hereby also is a better opportunity both for the teacher, and those that are taught, to walk in all the commandments and ordinances of God blameless, Luke i. 6, that they may be found walking in the truth, as we have received commandment from the father, 2 John iv."

Subscribed by John Higginson (of Salem); John Rich

ardson (of Newbury); William Hubbard (of Ipswich); John Hale (of Beverly); John Brock (of Reading); Edward Payson (of Rowley); Samuel Phillips (of Rowley).

On the 28th of November, the inhabitants of the town were assembled, and by a unanimous vote assented to the foregoing result and advice of council.

Mr. Symms assented to the same.

December 27th. A church was organized by the signatures of eighteen males to a covenant, whose names were, Zachariah Symms, David Heseltine,

Abraham Heseltine,

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Mr. Symms was ordained the same

day, probably by the same council who met in October to advise.

On the 7 day 11 mo., or January 7, 1682-3, being the second Sabbath after the organization of the church, and probably the first communion season, seventeen females were received into the church, viz.

Patience, wife of Shubael Walker,

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* Was taken captive by the Indians, May 3d, 1776, returned home

same year.

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Some of the members of this new church were from the church at Rowley, but mostly from the Haverhill church.

At a meeting of the town of Bradford, held January 2d, 1682-3, David Heseltine, Richard Hall, and Shubael Walker, were appointed a committee to view all town agreements and engagements with the Rev. Zachariah Symms, and to present them to the town at the next town meeting, in order to have them settled, (and recorded,) in the town book."

The aforenamed committee prepared the following, embracing the town's agreement with Mr. Symms for his support, &c., viz.

"We, the inhabitants of Bradford, met together at a legal town meeting, 13th of March, 1682-3, in thankfulness to God for his great mercy in setting up his sanctuary among us, do hereby engage ourselves jointly and singly, and do engage our children after us, as far as we may, by our parental authority, to endeavour by our and their utmost power, to uphold the faithful ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in this town of Bradford, so long as we and they shall live; and for the encouragement of the same, to contribute a liberal and honorable maintenance towards it, as the rule of the gospel doth require, to the utmost of our and their ability, which God shall be pleased to bless us and them with from time to time. And for the encouragement of our present minister, we do covenant and promise to give and allow him, so long as he shall continue with us as our minister, the full sum of sixty pounds per annum, if God be pleased to preserve us in our present capacity, and for to be paid in our present state annually, as follows, the first

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