History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

the house should liave a steeple, which was finally
decided in the negative. Several years subsequently,
however, the steeple was built.
On the occasion of the dedication of the new
house, March 8, 1770, Mr. Emerson preached a
sermon from the text, 1 Samuel, vii. VI, wherein
he enumerated the various ways in which God had
helped them: that the number of the inhabitants of
Pepperell had increased, since his settlement, from
seventy-two to one hundred and fifty-two families,
and that their wealth had increased in equal ratio
that they had been able to pay the charges of becoming
a parish, and then a district, and of build-
ing a house for worship ; and that peace, love, and
harmony had prevailed in the gospel among them.
Mr. Emerson had indeed lived in peace and
harmony with his people in all their relations of
life, religious, social, and political. Upon the tab-
let, which the town erected over his tomb, his
virtues are thus enumerated :
"Stedfast iu the Faitli once delivered to the Saints.
Fixed and laborious iu the cause of Christ and precious
Souls. Exemplary in visiting and sympatlijzing with his
Flock. Diligent in improving his Talents. A kind Husband
; a tender Parent; A Faithful reprover; a constant
Friend ; and a true Patriot. Having ceased from his La-
bours his works follow iiini."
—
Nearly four years passed after ilr. Emerson's
death, when his successor, Rev. John Bullard of
Medway, a Harvard gradiuite, was ordained, October
19, 1779. His ministry of forty-two years was
prosperous aud happy. He was eminently social
in his habits, and is spoken of by a contemporary
as " of that almost peculiar urbanity which led him
to treat aU men of learning and of fair moral char-
acter as friends and companions." He died Sejo-
tember 18, 18iil, at the age of sixty-four, truly
lamented by his people, who long cherished his
memory.
Eev. James Howe, of Jaifrey, New Hampshire,
a graduate of Dartmouth and of Andover, was
ordained October 16, 1823. For several years
the relation between pastor aud people was har-
monious, but at length dissatisfaction began to
be expressed by certain of the more liberally in-
clined in regard to exchanges. In May, 1831,
the follovring vote was passed at town-meeting
" To excuse Rev. James Howe from preaching six
Sabbaths in the course of the ensuing year, and
permit the pulpit to be supplied on those Sabbaths
by ministers of other denominations." The
enforcement of this vote Mr. Howe regarded as
an expulsion from his pulpit. Accordingly he.
; :
PEPPERELL. 265
with nearly the entire church and a large major-
ity of the congregation, peaceably withdrew, and
formed a sejiarate religious society under the title
of the Evangelical Congregational Society of Pep-
perell, to which the church allied itself, and of
whicli Mr. Howe was recognized as pastor by a
council called for that purpose February 1, 1832.
Thus the town was divided into two parishes and
two churclies ; each church, liowever, claiming to
be the original First Church of Pepperell.
The First Parish, which now included all the
legal voters that had not " signed otl," and the
remnant of a church which adliered to it, being
thus left without a minister, after having heard
several candidates, decided in favor of Rev. Charles
Babbidge of Salem, a Har\'ard graduate (class of
1828), and he was ordained February 13, 1833.
A gentleman and a scholar in the fullest import of
the plirase, courteous and affable to all without
distinction of sect or party, lie soon gained the
esteem of his peojjle. He married, January 1,
1837, Miss Eliza Ann Bancroft, daughter of one
of his parishioners, — Luther Bancroft, Esq. ; he
bought a farm, built a house, aud so fully identi-
fied himself with tiie people of Pepperell and tlieir
interests, tliat he several times refused calls to
much larger congregations and more eligible pul-
pits. He is almost a permanent member of the
school-board; and in 1858 lie represented the
town in the legislature. At the commencement
of the late war lie was chaplain of the 6tii regi-
ment, and the first minister in the country to
enlist ; thus giving to Pepperell the honor of fur-
nishing the first chaplain for the War of the Rebellion
as well as for the Revolution. Having
served through the three months' campaign of the
6th, he received, in November, 1861, a commis-
sion as chaplain of the 26th Massachusetts Regiment,
in whiclt he served three years. Being
discharged November 7, 1864, he returned to the
peaceful pursuits of his professional hfe, and to
his people, who gladly welcomed him. Although
he has passed the allotted age of threescore and
ten, and the golden wedding of iiis ministry is
near at hand, yet " his eye is not dim nor his
natural force abated."
During the greater part of Mr. Babbidge's ab-
sence Rev. John A. Buckingham, of Boston, sup-
plied his pulpit as pastor in charge. The old
meeting-house having been remodelled and mod-
ernized, was dedicated anew October 27, 1836.
The Second Parish, immediately upon their or-