Certificators of Ashfield

From the Ashfield archives

The Ashfield Congregational Society seemed unconcerned about the fact that its attempts to prosecute Dr. Charles Knowlton and persecute Nathaniel Clark alienated many of the town’s residents. Although the Baptists (who had been involved in conflicts with the Puritans before) do not seem to have taken a side, many Ashfielders had been patients of Knowlton and had been saved from injury or illness by his interventions. There were also several women in the town who apparently appreciated Knowlton’s efforts on their behalf in his little birth control book, The Fruits of Philosophy. In June 1834 when the church attacked Knowlton, pastor Grosvenor had observed that “A few members of the church who employ the above named physicians were somewhat opposed to the resolutions. They however past without opposition by vote and all rose in support of them except 4 or 5 females and one or two men, Ephraim Williams, Abel Williams and Nathaniel Clark, who spoke against them.” Since Grosvenor listed three men who stood in Knowlton’s defense but described them as “one or two”, it’s not inconceivable that more than “4 or 5” women also objected to the prosecution of their doctor (incidentally, if you’re wondering why the Williams brothers weren’t singled out for persecution the way Clark was, it was because they were among the richest people in Ashfield).

The church had a long history of acting imperiously toward both its members and others in Ashfield, and Samuel Ranney and Nathaniel Clark were not the first to have been excommunicated and shunned by the congregation. In January 1835, while the minister and his committee were self-righteously harassing Clark, they received a reminder of the injustice of their attitude:

Jan 5^th 1835. This day a quarterly season of prayer was observed, and more feeling upon religious subjects was manifested than has been usual … A letter from Mr. Joseph Porter formerly excommunicated from this church was read and an answer which had been prepared by the Pastor was adopted; both of which are on file among the papers of the church.

(letter from Porter)

The subscriber aggrieved at the proceeding of the church of Christ in Ashfield against him submits to their consideration the following charges—

1.      I charge said church with robbing me of my rights.

2.     I charge said church with covenant breaking.

3.     I charge you with false accusing.

4.     I charge you with incontinence

5.     You are fine, heady high minded lovers of yourselves more than lovers of God.

6.     I charge you with uncharitableness.

Joseph Porter

On the back of the letter from Porter was a note stating, “Church voted unanimously that the within charges against them are wholly without foundation and not true.”

In addition to trying to enforce temperance, church attendance, and right thinking, the church was also very interested in collecting money from as many families in Ashfield as possible. The disestablishment of Congregationalism as the state religion of Massachusetts in January 1834 had ended the church’s ability to legally require every citizen to pay taxes to support their operations. But Mason Grosvenor and the leaders of the Ashfield church seem to have believed the could ignore the new status of their organization as a voluntary association. They had admonished Samuel Ranney for failing both to attend services and for ending his financial support. Similarly, when another member informed them he was leaving the Ashfield congregation to join another in the fall of 1836, the church leaders paid close attention to the financial details:  

After deliberating on the request of brother George W Jenkins for a letter of dismission and recommendation to the church in East Abington the committee make the following report statement (to wit) that some of them have conversed with him freely on the subject and they are happy to say, that he appeared to possess an exultant spirit and did not during the interview utter a murmuring word. They are satisfied that he has paid all arrears presented to him for payment. And furthermore he subscribed for the support of preaching during the year the society was destitute of a Pastor [after Grosvenor left, the church had difficulty calling a new pastor], this subscription he has also paid; he considered it a privilege as well as a duty to support the institution of religion. When he withdrew from the society he was young and probably was induced to do it by the example of others, and besides he had been living out of the bounds of the society for some time previous to his application for a letter. He could not therefore consistently reunite with the society. This case, the committee believes, cannot be drawn into precedent unless a similar one occurs, they therefore advise to grant his request.

Unfortunately, the church was deliberately ignoring the well-known fact that in the previous year, dozens of families had similarly left the congregation. In the archives of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (Deerfield, Massachusetts) I found a folder containing letters from Ashfielders who had presented “certificates” of their resignations from the Congregational society. Most but not all of these people probably joined other churches in the region; not all of them followed Dr. Knowlton into infidelity. I matched the names with the Vital Records to determine their ages and trace extended family connections. I also noted when the certificate made reference to the cause of the signer’s withdrawal from the church.

The age range of these signers is pretty wide, but there were nearly twice as many signers under forty as over. But, since I assume the signers were withdrawing their entire families, the effect on membership of forty men under forty withdrawing and twenty-two over forty might be the same. Especially since the men over forty could be expected to have been the larger contributors to the church coffers.

Below are the names, dates of resignation, ages of the “certificators”, family connections, and resaons if stated:

Peres Barrus, 4-28-1835, b~1805  a~30

Horatio Bartlet, 4-30-1835, b1786  a49 

Hiram Beals, 4-29-1835, b~1798  a~37 

Hervey S. Beals, 3-12-1835, b~1814  a~21 

John J Braman, 4-13-1835, b~1813  a~32

William Briant, 4-29-1835, b1778  a57  “present existing circumstances”

Sumner Church, 4-26-1835, b1803  a32 

Emery Church, 4-27-1835, b1811  a24 

David Stetson, 4-26-1835, b~1800  a~35 

Josephus Crafts, 4-29-1835, b1810  a25

Lyman Cross, 8-15-1834, b1790  a44  (husband of Lydia Howes, sister of Lemuel Howes)

Lemuel Cross, 4-29-1835, b1812  a23 

Benjamin Dyer, 4-14-1835, b1790  a45

Alvan Dyer, 4-29-1835, b~1810  a~25  (husband of Mary Ranney) “present excitement”

Barnabas Eldredge, 4-11-1835, b1780  a55

David Eldredge, 4-10-1835, b1799  a36 

John Eldredge II, 4-28-1835, b1802  a33  (husband of Priscilla Lilly, sister of  Lorenzo Lilly)

Joseph Gurney, 3-12-1835, b1758  a77  “no more tax”

Josiah Gurney, 4-7-1834, b~1814  a~20 (husband of Emily Jenkins) “I wish you not to tax me to the society of which Mr. Grovesner [sic] is your pastor”

Artemas Howes, 4-28-1835, b1794  a41  “I am determined never to pay another tax”

Jonathan Howes, 4-29-1835, b1796  a39 

Elijah Howes, 5-5-1835, b1806  a29 

Mark Howes, 4-29-1835, b1802  a33  “present existing circumstances”

Daniel Howes, 4-29-1835, b1810  a25  (husband of Mehitable Miles, sister of Philander Miles) “present existing circumstances”

Luther Howes, 4-30-1835, b1804  a31 

Barnabas Howes, 4-29-1835, b1777  a58 

Lemuel Howes, 4-28-1835, b1785  a50 

Barnabas A Howes, no date, b1797 a38 

David S. Howes, 4-29-1835, b1809  a26  “critical situation” & “present existing circumstances”

Paul Jenkins, 4-23-1835, b~1809  a~36  (husband of Mehitable Williams, daughter of Apollos)

George W. Jenkins, 4-29-1835

David H. Jenkins, 4-18-1835, b~1806  a~29

Merrit Jenkins, 1-21-1834, b~1814  a~20 

Isaiah Jenkins, 4-18-1835

Forest J. Jepson Jr., 4-29-1835, b1813  a22 “under the present disturbance”

George Jepson, 4-29-1835, b1819  a16  “in viewing the critical situation” &  “present existing circumstances”

Josiah Killey, 3-12-1834, b1792  a42 

Lorenzo Lilly, 4-29-1835, b1805  a30

Zachariah Longley, 4-13-1835, b~1815  a~20

John M. Mansfield, 11-10-1834, b1793  a41 

Philander Miles, no date, b1804  a31 

John S. Perry, 4-28-1835, b1810  a25  (husband of Sally Williams)

Giles Ranney, 4-25-1835, b1773  a62  (husband of Lydia Briant, sister of William Briant)

Nehemiah Ranney, 4-29-1835, b1803  a32 

James A. Ranney, 4-25-1835, b1813  a23 

Chipman Smith, 4-29-1835, b1764  a71  “under the present disturbances and excitement”

Justus Smith, 4-28-1835, b1790  a45 

Isaac Taylor, 4-7-1835, b1790  a45 

Judah Taylor, 5-11-1835, b1791  a44 

Joseph Warren, 4-29-1835, b1789  a46  (son of Betsey Howes) 

Lewis H. Warren, 4-29-1835, b1800  a35  (son of Betsey Howes)

Apollos Williams, 4-29-1835, b1785  a50  (father of Edwin, Mehitable, husband of Annis Smith, daughter of Chipman)

Abel Williams, 4-29-1835, b1798  a37  (husband of Lydia Eldredge, sister of Barnabas)  “in consequence of existing circumstances”

Ezra Williams 2d, 4-13-1835, b1787  a48

Edwin Williams, 4-29-1835, b1812  a23 

Almon Williams, 4-13-1835, b1810  a25 

The leaders of Ashfield’s church seemed quite unable to come to grips with the idea that they no longer had a legal right to require payment or to specify the amount that members must contribute. Several years later, they were still discussing the question:

June 27^th 1839 Two O’clock PM

The Church met according to previous Notice to discuss the question Whether it is right for any member of the church to signoff from the parish and still retain his standing in the Church and pay for the Support of the Minster what he thinks he ought to pay – the Meeting was opened by the Rev. Mr. Clark with Prayer and after spending much time discussing the question on which several members took part the meeting was adjourned by vote – two weeks from this day at two o’clock PM at this place.

Attest Asa Sanderson Clerk

Despite all the dissatisfaction demonstrated by Ashfield families leaving the church, its leadership was very slow to change their thinking. A full decade later, the committee was still harassing members like the Ranneys who had not already left the congregation:

Brother Ranney,

It is my painful duty to inform you that a charge of absenting yourself unjustifiably from the Table of the Lord’s Supper & from the Public Worship of God on the Sab, has been preferred against you by the Standing Committee of the Church. The Church have entertained the charge, & hereby cite you to appear before them to answer the aforesaid charge on Thursday the 30^th of present month.

By order of the Church, Ashfield Aug 22d 1849, S. D. Clark, Pastor

James Ranney responded:

Ashfield Oct 4^th 1849

Brethren of the Church

I having received a notice from a committee of the Church, to appear and give my reasons to the Church for absenting myself from meeting and the communion, feeling myself incapable of making my defense before the Church and being a very poor man, and having a family to support, which takes all my time, I am unable to bear the expense of a counsel if it should be needful to have one, I shall give my reasons in writing, and let the church do with me as they think best.

My reason is the difficulty existing in the Church. A few years since I moved near the meetinghouse and went to meeting, but there was so much hard feeling manifested by the brethren, that it hurt my feelings, and I thought best to stay away until the difficulties were settled, and have done so hoping that they would be soon settled in such a way that we could all  meet together and worship God in peace & harmony and enjoy all the ordinances of the gospel.

James A Ranney

James Ranney had previously certificated out in 1835, but had drifted back into the congregation, only to find that things had not changed. Membership fell to about half its previous number during the Knowlton and Clark controversies, and rebounded only very slowly because the leaders of the church were unwilling or unable to imagine a new, less authoritarian approach to their ministry.