Deerfield — The Baptist Church Of Shelburne And Deerfield

Extracted from "History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, Volume II," by Louis H. Everts, 1879.


      The Baptist Church Of Shelburne And Deerfield was organized Feb. 26, 1787. Deacon Daniel Long was called to the pastoral office, Aug. 27, 1791, and was ordained at his own house in Shelburne, Sept. 19,1792. He was a faithful minister of this church until his death, May 31, 1831. In 1794 the question of building a meeting-house began to be agitated. Before 1806 one had been partly built, and perhaps finished. In 1809 it was agreed to build a meeting-house between Elder Long's and Aaron Hawks'. The same year the Deerfield part of the society agreed to build a meeting-house in Wisdom. This was finished in 1810. On the death of Elder Long the Shelburne people withdrew, and the church was reorganized in Wisdom, under the title of the "First Baptist Society in Deerfield." Some trouble arising, a party seceded and formed the "Second Baptist Society in Deerfield." This branch, Nov. 25, 1833, took the name of the "Long Baptist Society of Deerfield." Feb. 20, 1834, the "First Baptist Church in Deerfield" was dissolved by a majority of one vote, and, the minority applying to the church at Sunderland to be organized as a branch of that church, a council met, June, 1834, and decided that the church was not dissolved, and could not be by a simple vote. The trouble continuing, a second council, August 27th, advised aggrieved members to ask for letters of dismission.
     Arra Martin, who was the first minister of the First Church, was succeeded in 1837 by W. H. Dalrymple. Edward Hale was the minister about 1841-45, when George B. Bills was settled. Milo Frary and W. A. Pease have supplied at times since. Of late there has been no regular preaching.
     The "Long Baptist Society" was supplied by Tristram Aldrich for about seven or eight years, when the two societies were reunited.




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03 Aug 2005