Vermont AHGP
Part of the American History and
Genealogy Project
Churches of Plainfield
Church of Christ
Organized Nov. 13, 1799, at Jonathan Kinne's, under the name of
the Church of Christ in Plainfield.
The council called to organize this church was composed of Rev.
Richard Ransom of Woodstock, Rev. John Ransom of Rochester, Rev.
James Hobart of Berlin, Dea. William Wood of Woodstock, Capt.
Peter Salter of Orange. Dea. Judah Willey, Henry Taft and Joseph
Sterling, of Barre, were invited to join the council. The
members embodied into a church were only six: Capt. Jonathan
Kinne, James Perry, James Boutwell, Mrs. Esther Perry, Deborah
Boutwell, Judith Batchelder.
The Methodist Church
Has no early records in Plainfield, and I am obliged to glean this account from various sources. The first Methodist sermon preached in Plainfield was by the Rev. Nicholas Sneathen- or "Suethen," as his family write it, a very able man, who was chaplain of Congress in 1812. He came to Seth Freeman's, made known his name and occupation, and succeeded in attaching nearly all of the people in the southern part of the town to the Methodist church, including Dea. James Perry, who afterwards became a Methodist preacher, the first probably that resided in town.
A church was organized in 1801, or '2. It formed a part of Barre circuit. The first Methodist minister stationed at Plainfield that I can learn of was David Kilburn, who was here in 1812 and 1825.
Rev. Thomas C. Pierce, who was married to Judge Kinne's daughter, Sally, lived upon the Asa Washburn place in 1820. This, with 15 acres of land, was given to the Methodist church for a parsonage by Judge Kinne. It was afterwards sold and the parsonage in the village bought.
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Rev. John Lord 1823 Harvey in 1827-28; R. H. Deming, '30-31 John Nason, '33-34 N. Stone, '35 David Wilcox, '36-37 Jacob Boyce, '38 Daniel Field, '39 J. L. Slason, "40 John W. Wheeler, '4 Richard Newell, '42-43 Otis M. Legate, '44 H. P. Gushing, '45-46 J. W. Perkins, '47-48 Homer T. Jones, '49-50 |
Mulfred Bullard, '51 Peter Merrill, '52-53 Alonzo Hitchcock, '54-55, '62-63 W. J. Kidder, '56-57 Edmund Copeland, '58-59, '69-70 P. P. Ray, '60-61 Joshua Gill, '64-65 S. B. Currier, '66-67 Andes T. Bullard, '68 Thomas Trevillian, '71 Joseph Hamilton, '72-74 Joseph O. Sherburn, '75-76 W. H. Dean, '77-78 Elihu Snow, '79-81 |
Contributors to the building of this church
| Thomas Vincent,
$100 Moulton Batchelder, $100 Harvey Pitkin, $75 John Vincent, $60 Seth Cook, $50 Bradford Kinne, $50 Amherst Simons, $50 Seth Freeman, $50 Asa Bancroft, $30 Eben Dodge, Jr., $25 John Moors, $25 Ebenezer Lyon, $25 Matthew Jack, $25 Nathan Freeman, $25 Benjamin F. Lampson, $25 Laomi Cree, $25 Enoch Gate, $25 |
Ebenezer Freeman,
$20 Samuel Wilson, Jr., $20 Benjamin Whipple, $20 Earl Gate, $15 James Batchelder, $15 Joseph P. Page, $12 William Moors, $10 Friend M. Morse, $10 Solomon Bartlett, $10 Duron Whittlesey, $10 Andrew Jack, $10 Nehemiah Mack, Jr. $5 Charles Patterson, $5 Allen Martin, $5 Eben Martin, $5 Richard Kendrick. $3 Elisha Mack, $2 |
Total, $947. $100 was paid for the site, leaving the cost of the house about $850.
In 1852, this was sold to the Baptists and removed, and another built at a cost of a little less than $1,600.
The Baptist Church
Organized Oct. 17, 1809, at the schoolhouse near Dea. James Perry's (South district.) The members were: James Boutwell and wife, who withdrew from the Congregationalist church for that purpose, Jacob Perkins, Stephen Perkins and his wife Nancy, John Bancroft and his wife Phoebe. Elder Jabez Cottle and Elder Elijah Huntington were the clergymen present.
In 1852, the Baptist churches in Plainfield and Marshfield united, and Abraham Bedel became their pastor, residing in Plainfield. The Methodist church was purchased, removed and repaired. Mr. Bedel was succeeded in 1858 by Mr. Kelton, he in 1859 by S. A. Blake, and he in 1860 by N. W. Smith, who removed in 1862. After that they had only occasional preaching, and in 1871 their church was sold and converted into stores.
The Restorationist Society
Organized in 1820, but had only occasional preaching until in 1840, Rev. L. H. Tabor came to Plainfield, and a church was erected costing $1,770 above the foundations, exclusive of furniture and the bell, the whole amounting to about $2,300.
Source: History of Washington County Vermont, Collated and Published by Abby Maria Hemenway, 1882.
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