Vermont AHGP

Part of the American History and Genealogy Project

Northfield Religious Societies

From Hon. John Gregory

To show how the different societies in Northfield stood as to numbers when the law required the legal voters to express their preference where the ministerial money should be distributed, from the town records the report of the committee:

as follows:

Committee

Oliver Averill, Nathan Green, Virgil Washburn
Joel Winch, Harry Emerson
Elijah Smith, town clerk.

Union Meeting-House

The Union Meeting-House at the Center village, was the first one built in this town, and was completed in 1820; building committee: Amos Robinson, Charles Jones, Freedom Edson, Nathaniel Jones and Oliver Averill.

At a meeting of the proprietors, April 6, 1820, for selling the pews, it was voted one-fourth the value be paid in money, and the other three-fourths in stock or grain, and that the house should be completed by the first day of November, and at that time a payment of money and stock to be made. The whole number of pews, 50, were all sold at public auction save 12, for $760.

The division of time for each denomination reported by the committee was as follows:

The Methodist Society, first Sabbath in each month except February and March
The Restorationalist Society, the third Sabbath in each month and fifth in August
The Congregational Society, fourth Sabbath in each month except March and August
The remainder to the Free Will Baptist Society

Committee

Josiah B. Strong, Oliver Averill
Nathaniel Jones, Joel Winch

This first house built in Northfield for religious worship was of humble pretensions, painted yellow, and there being no steeple or cupola upon it, it resembled a barn very much, and hence became a byword, and was called by the irreligious "God's yellow barn." In process of time other churches, more expensive and desirable, were built in town, and this plain but comfortable old fashion meetinghouse was sold to the Catholics, and placed upon the land in the Depot village given them by Gov. Paine, where with some new improvements it made a respectable appearance. 

Northfield Vermont | AHGP

Source: History of Washington County Vermont, Collated and Published by Abby Maria Hemenway, 1882.

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