These are notes from documents I scanned in the archives of the Ashfield Historical Society and the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association in Deerfield. The story commences with the arrival of the Yale-trained evangelist, Mason Grosvenor.
May 9th 1833. This day Mason Grosvenor was installed Pastor of this church by a council regularly convened and consisting of the following ministers and delegates.
The Rev Theophilus Packard DD of Shelburne
Rev Theophilus Packard Jr of Shelburne
As I mentioned in the previous post, the new minister quickly aligned himself with the most conservative elements in town and set about trying to stamp out “infidelity and licentiousness” and protect the prerogatives of the Congregationalist church which would be severely curtailed by its disestablishment in Massachusetts on January 1, 1834.
June 1833. At a meeting of the church a standing committee of five for the year ensuing was appointed consisting of Deacon Daniel Williams and Jared Bement. Or Bros Asa Sanderson Nathaniel Clark and Elisha Wing. The duties of this committee are to attend to the examination of candidates; to aid the pastor in the administration of discipline by receiving complaints, noticing and visiting irregular members and in every other way possible to assist the discipline and edification of this church according to previous custom.
Attest Mason Grosvenor Pastor
Membership in the congregation required not only a commitment to contribute time and money to its support, but also acceptance of a program of “morality” that included avoiding drink and the local taverns, which were imagined as venues of intemperance and vice.
July 1833. The following persons, having been examined by the committee and propounded the usual time were admitted as members of this church. Samuel Clark, Fidelia Clark his wife, Polly Howes, Lucy Kellog, Louis Terril, all of whom signified their assent to and signed the constitution of the Temperance Society in this place previous to admission. Sumner Bement and his wife Priscilla received by letter from the church in Fabius N.Y.
Attest Mason Grosvenor Pastor
In May 1834, the committee of busybodies Grosvenor had convened and charged with rooting out the infidelity and vice they agreed was rampant in Ashfield nominated Samuel Ranney as an object of investigation. Samuel was apparently becoming a freethinker under the influence of the town’s physician, Dr. Charles Knowlton, who had published a philosophical book called Elements of Modern Materialism and then a birth control manual called The Fruits of Philosophy in 1829 and 1831. Samuel was a middle-aged farmer and was the man who had brought peppermint roots to Ashfield around 1812. By 1834 distilling peppermint oil and other plant-based essences was Ashfield’s main industry and a source of considerable wealth.
(May 1834)
To the Moderator of the Church Meeting
Please to read the following certificate.
This may certify that I have furnished Mr. Samuel Ranney with a copy of the charges which the committee now prefer before you against him, and also notified him of this meeting of the church and that the complaint would at this time be read also that on Friday the 6th June the church would act upon it.
The following letter accompanied the notice.
Mr. Saml Ranney,
Dear Sir.
You are earnestly requested and admonished by the committee seriously and prayerfully to consider the charges stated in the foregoing complaint and to weigh well the consequences of continuing in a course alike injurious to yourself and to the course of Christ. You are hereby affectionately and tenderly intreated [sic] to come back from this course into which it is believed you have wandered and make such confessions as the church may deem satisfactory. Returning with such confessions you may do something toward healing the wound which your conduct has inflicted upon the cause of the blessed Redeemer and every christian will heartily rejoice in your peace and happiness and our prayers shall ascend for your prosperity.
Before the church meeting in June the committee will be happy to receive such confessions, if you shall be disposed to make them.
Yours in affection and solicitude.
By order of the committee, Mason Grosvenor Chairman
The Committee adjourned the meeting of the church until “Friday June 6th at 2 of clock PM in order to act.” Samuel Ranney wasted no time in replying. He wrote the letter pictured above, in which he responded to the charges that had been made against him:
To Rev Mason Grovsenor [sic], Chairman of the Committee of Christ’s Church in Ashfield, Sir I received your letter of the 22d ult containing charges against me as a member of the church of which you are pastor, which charges I am requested to take into serious consideration, and I have done so.
The first charge amounts to this: “A transgression of the laws of Christ’s Kingdom” by not paying away my money to support preaching.
Now as Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world, and as I have no knowledge of any other world, nor consequently of the laws of any other world, you should not be surprised that I should transgress the laws you speak of inasmuch as I know nothing about them. I once thought that I did, but that was when I took names for things, and supposed that immaterialities were realities. And as to pecuniary support, it cannot be expected I should give away my hard earning for what I consider of little or nothing worth.
The second charge is, “A violation of my Covenant Vows.” To this I have only to say, that the same consistency—the same honesty which required me to make these vowes [sic] when I did make them, now require me to disregard them. As a man’s opinions and feelings are not voluntary not under the control of his will, but are governed by circumstances, it is the height of absurdity for me to promise what my opinions and feelings shall be at a future time. The most I can consistently do or be required to do is avow what they are at the time being.
I therefore this day excommunicate the Church of Christ in Ashfield for my further support and membership. And I do hearby [sic] request the chairman of the committee of said church to read this at the meeting appointed for acting upon my case.
Your fellow townsman,
Ashfield, May 20 1834 Samuel Ranney
The misspelling of the minister’s name may be an honest error (Ranney spelled Grosvenor’s name phonetically) or it may have been deliberate. The conclusion, where Ranney signs himself as “Your fellow townsman”, seems to suggest that Ranney felt the church’s leadership had behaved in an un-neighborly manner. And the preemptive excommunication of the church was a bold statement. Exccommunication was no laughing matter in early America. Families were split by the shunning that ensued when people were separated from the main social institutions of the community. This would become apparent in Ashfield later in 1834, when another old farmer, Nathaniel Clark, spoke in support of Dr. Knowlton.
Following Ranney’s letter, Grosvenor’s committee reconvened:
May 30th 1834. This day the church was regularly convened by order of the Pastor in order to hear a complaint preferred by the church committee against Mr Saml Ranney. It appeared that Mr. Ranney had been notified of this meeting and of the intention of the committee to prefer against him a complaint at this time. The complaint was then read without remark and after prayer the meeting was adjourned until Friday the 6th day of June at 2 of Clock PM at the meeting house. Then once there to set upon the above complaint.
(The Complaint)
Whereas Mr. Saml Ranney did voluntarily unite himself to this church and for several years was under its watch and care; and having walked disorderly he was repeatedly visited by the committee of the church and by them conversed and prayed with, solemnly warned and admonished of the evil of his course, and affectionately entreated to return from his warrings to duty and to his former fellowship and communion, and having given to the committee no satisfaction, they preferred before this church the following charges and duly notified him of the same.
1. A transgression of the laws of Christ’s kingdom by withholding his support both pecuniary and personal from the ministrations of the word to this church.
2. A violation of his covenant vows, voluntarily solemnly and publicly made to this church and to god; consisting in almost entirely absenting himself for several years from the worship of Jehovah on the Sabbath in the sanctuary in connexion with this church and from the communion of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ though repeatedly conversed with in respect to the impropriety of this conduct by individuals and by the committee of this church.
These charges were
laid before usreceived at our last meeting on the 30th day of May without remark. They have been again called up and considered. And whereas said Saml Ranney did refuse to appear and answer to these chargesbutand in a letter addressed to their pastor and through him to the church admitted the truth of them; denied theexistencereality of a future state, and declared himself not in the least responsible to the laws of Christ's Kingdom nor obligated by his solemn covenant vows, and manifested contempt to this church, its laws its peace and its fellowship.Therefore resolved. That we now withdraw from brother Saml Ranney all Christian fellowship and no longer regard him as a member of the church of Christ.
And while we are constrained by a regard to the
goodlaws of Christ to pass this solemn and affecting act of excommunication, we do most cordially and tenderly commend him to God and to the word of his grace, praying with deep solicitude that his precious and immortal soul may by the power of the Holy Ghost be brought back sanctified and finally saved.The foregoing result was unanimously adopted by the church of Christ in this place on the 6th day of June 1834, and ordered to be read in public.
Attest Mason Grosvenor Moderator
The committee presented their charges against Ranney to the full congregation and was adopted without public dissent, which they interpreted as unanimous support. Samuel Ranney, who had already excommunicated the church, didn’t bother to attend. Grosvenor recorded the results:
June 6th 1834. The church according to adjournment. And after prayer by the Pastor proceeded to consider the case of Mr. Samuel Ranney. Mr. Ranney was not present, whereupon the pastor stated that he had been furnished previous to the 30th day of May with a complaint and duly notified of this meeting and also according to the direction of the committee admonished of error in conduct. A letter was also read to the church addressed to the Pastor by Mr. Ranney in which he admitted the truth of the charges contained in the complaint; denied the reality of a future state and declared himself not in the least responsible to the laws of Christ’s Kingdom nor obligated by his solemn covenant vows and manifested contempt to this church, its laws and its fellowship. After some consultation the pastor presented a result which was unanimously adopted and ordered to be read in public.
This result embraces the following resolutions
Resolved. That we now withdraw from brother Samuel Ranney all Christian fellowship and no longer regard him as a member of the Church of Christ. (the above is on file)
Attest Mason Grosvenor Pastor
The problem in Ashfield was not only that people like Samuel Ranney were neglecting to attend services or pay their “tax”. Even after the church withdrew “Christian fellowship” from Ranney and ordered its members to have nothing to do with the old farmer, the problem of Dr. Knowlton remained. The minister and committee of busybodies convened another meeting of the congregation to deal with the infidel they believed was poisoning the town:
June 27th 1834. This day the church convened in the meeting house according to the appointment of the Pastor in order to attend to prayer and to statements respecting an important subject, one of deep interest to this church and community. The number of members was unusually large. About 130 in all or 135. The Rev. Thomas Shepard and the Rev. Mr. Fornius from Illinois were present. After prayer by the Pastor the attention of the church was called to the alarming prevalence of infidelity and licentiousness in our county and especially in this town. Facts were developed respecting the circulation of infidel and licentious books and sentiments whereupon the following resolutions were read.
Whereas Facts have come to our knowledge concerning the circulation of infidel and licentious sentiments in this place of the most pernicious tendency, well suited to undermine the Church of God and to destroy the morals of the community, and feeling greatly alarmed in view of these facts, both for the souls of our families and of our neighbors, and believing as we do that it is the duty of every friend of Christ to hold fast the form of sound doctrine and to maintain the principles of our holy religion. Therefore
Resolved That as members of the Church of Christ we will exert our influence both by word and example in every way possible and consistent for a Christian to do, in order to counteract the evils of such sentiments.
Whereas we have satisfactory reason to believe that a little book entitled “Fruits of Philosophy” has been put into circulation among all ages and sexes of the community in this town; and being made acquainted with its contents either in full by our own individual perusal or summarily by good authority; and believing its tendency to be highly licentious and destructive to the purity and morals of all classes especially of the youth; therefore
Resolved That in every possible and consistent manner, we will discountenance its circulation and counteract its pernicious influence and make all suitable efforts to banish it from the community.
Dr. Shepard and Knowlton the latter of whom is the author of the book (and both of whom circulate it) had intruded themselves into this meeting though it was especially called for the members of the church, and Dr. K persisted in his efforts to speak until requested by the moderator to be seated, after which he took his seat and remained silent during the meeting. Remarks on the resolutions were made by the Pastor, by the Rev. Messrs Shepard and Fornius and some others. 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. The meeting was adjourned sine die [without setting a day to reconvene].
Attest Mason Grosvenor Pastor
Dr. Knowlton, who had paid fines in Taunton and had been imprisoned in Boston at hard labor for publishing The Fruits of Philosophy would be prosecuted again in Franklin County at Grosvenor’s urging, in 1835. The prosecution would ultimately be abandoned, after the protectors of public morals had pushed it hard for two seasons. Knowlton would later publish a pamphlet titled A History of the Recent Excitement in Ashfield, describing the affair in detail. I’ll cover that in a later post. The other effect of all this righteous activism by the minister and his committee was a precipitous decline in membership. I’ll cover this in a later post as well, but here’s a sample of it from the church’s own records:
July 7th. This day the church held their quarterly meeting for prayer. Since the last meeting Consider McFarland and his wife Mary were dismissed and recommended to the First Congregational Church in Amherst under the pastoral care of Mr. Adams. Also Mary G. Alden to the Edwards Church in Northampton under the care of Mr. John Todd Pastor. Also Mrs. Stephen Booth formerly Electa Warren to the Church of Christ in Heath under the care of the Rev. Moses Milton Pastor.
Attest Mason Grosvenor Pastor
Here’s a video I made about the Samuel Ranney letter: