FUMC Melrose History – Earliest Documents
Transcription of the Meeting Minutes of the Methodists of North Malden, 1813-1825
An Introduction by Jim Bennett
The following text constitutes the oldest record of Methodism in the part of Malden that would one day become the city of Melrose. It is a ragged, thin volume of just nine folios. The first five folios consist of the minutes of meetings taken by Isaac Emerson, who served as sole clerk to the Methodists during this twelve year span. The last four folios, omitted here, consist of columns of sums for the weekly collection, as well as payments made to Ephraim Wiley and those who housed him, also recorded in Emerson’s hand.
The minutes are quite terse, but it is possible to tease out a historical narrative from them. The first meeting in 1813 brought together five of the most well-established farming families of North Malden—the Barretts, the Emersons, the Spragues, the Greens, and the Uphams—to call for a Methodist preacher to come to their neighborhood. Jonathan Barrett would die prematurely at the age of 42 (noted below at the May, 1824 meeting), but the latter four families would provide the nucleus of the new church leadership for years to come.
Following the brief careers of a pair of preachers who made little lasting impact in the community, Ephraim Wiley was hired to preach in 1814, stayed on for four years, and was the pastoral figure most responsible for the success of Methodism in North Malden. Wiley inspired a revival movement in the spring of 1815 that resulted in the creation of a formal Methodist Society in that year. Emerson records neither the revival movement nor the foundation of the society in his minutes, but did record the first plans for the construction of a new meeting house in July of 1815, a clear demonstration that the people of North Malden now envisioned Methodist preaching as a lasting feature of their community.
He also recorded the formation of a standing committee of three people in March of 1815. Following the creation of this committee, his records of meetings become far less frequent, annual affairs, indicating that these three people acted as an executive branch to the organization, taking care of day-to-day business without consulting the wider congregation or bothering to keep an official record of their actions. Starting in 1821, Emerson began to refer to the annual meetings as “society” meetings, clearly distinguishing these meetings as wider church conferences distinct from the actions of the executive standing committee.
In the years following the departure of Wiley, some disagreements did spring up in the new congregation. In 1821 there was controversy over whether or not to sell pews in the new meeting house. In 1824 and 1825, the minutes record the search for a new preacher, with some disagreement over whether to send to conference for a candidate or to conduct an independent search. In these exchanges, we see a young church community practicing a new tradition in a corner of the world that had never before seen an independent congregation, experiencing the growing pains of an institution that was in the process of defining itself. For the leaders and members of this new church, it must have been a heady time, filled with both joy and trepidation.
Transcription:
Malden February 9th 1813 [1r]
At a meeting held at the schoolhouse in the north district in Malden by those who subscribed for the support of Methodist preaching in said school house.
1st Voted Jonathan Barrett moderator.
2nd Ditto Isaac Emerson clerk.
3rd Ditto to hear Timothy Merritt preach.
4th Ditto that Phineas Sprague Jr., James Green Jr., Jesse Upham Jr. to be a committee to convey Mr. Merritt from Boston & back again.
5th Ditto Cotton Sprague treasurer.
6th Ditto to dissolve the meeting.
March 22nd 1813
At a meeting of the above mentioned
1st Voted Jonathan Barrett moderator.
2nd Ditto Phineas Sprague Jr., James Green Jr., Jesse Upham Jr. a committee to supply the society with preaching.
3rd Voted to adjourn the meeting to March 31st
At the adjournment voted to hear Mr. Thomas Pierce two months.
At a meeting May 17th 1813 [1v]
1st Voted William Emerson moderator.
2nd Ditto Jonathan Barrett, Cotton Sprague, James Green Jr. a committee to see if Mr. Pierce will preach with a us a short time.
3rd Voted to adjourn the meeting to June 1st.
4th Ditto to have Mr. Thomas Pierce three months at two dollars a Sabbath.
5th Ditto to dissolve the meeting.
At a meeting 16th September 1813
1st Voted Jonathan Barrett moderator.
2nd Ditto Jonathan Barrett, Phineas Sprague, Jesse Upham a committee to have Mr. Wiley a few Sabbaths.
3rd Voted to adjourn the meeting to October 14th.
4th Ditto The committee should hire Mr. Wiley to preach with us until the first of April 1814.
5th Voted to dissolve the meeting.
At a meeting March 14th 1814 [2r]
1st Voted Jonathan Barrett moderator.
2nd Voted to hire Mr. Ephraim Wiley to preach with us until 1st April 1815
3rd Voted Jonathan Barrett, Phineas Sprague, Jesse Upham a committee to see if they can agree with Mr. Wiley.
4th Voted to give Mr. Wiley two dollars a Sabbath.
5th Voted to adjourn to April 5th.
Paid Mr. Wiley to the 1st April.
At a meeting April 11th 1814
1st Voted William Emerson moderator.
2nd Voted that Mr. Wiley move here and we find houseroom and assist him in moving.
3rd Voted to give Mr. Cotton Sprague 15 dollars a year for the house that was formerly his brother’s.
4th Voted to dissolve the meeting.
At a meeting March 8th 1815 [2v]
1st Voted Captain Jonathan Barrett, Mr. Cotton Sprague, Mr. Jesse Upham Jr. be a committee to see if they can agree with Mr. Ephraim Wiley to preach with us until April 1816 and see if they have a house.
2nd Voted to adjourn until 13 March 1815
3rd Voted at the adjournment to adjourn until 20th March
4th Voted to give Mr. Wiley two dollars a Sabbath.
5th Voted to give Mr. Cotton Sprague twenty-five dollars for that half of the house where Mr. Wiley now lives.
6th Voted to pay Mr. Wiley one half in six months and Mr. Sprague one half the rent in six months.
7th Voted that Captain Jonathan Barrett, Jesse Upham, Isaac Emerson be a standing committee for the year ensuing.
8th Voted to dissolve the meeting.
Paid Mr. Wiley to April 1st 1815
At a meeting July 13th 1815 [3r]
Held for the purpose of taking into consideration the subject of building a meetinghouse.
1st Voted Jonathan Barrett moderator.
2nd Voted to adjourn the meeting until 13th July
Met according to adjournment.
3rd Voted to choose a committee of five persons to number and prise the pews on a plan of a meetinghouse which is 30 feet long and 32 feet wide.
4th Voted Jonathan Barrett, Robert Gary, Isaac Emerson, Phineas Sprague Jr., James Green 2nd, on this committee.
Voted to adjourn the meeting until July 25th
Met according to adjournment.
Voted to have a paper drawn up to see if they could get thirty signers and build the meetinghouse.
Voted to dissolve the meeting.
At a meeting held February 13th 1816 [3v]
1st Voted Captain Jonathan Barrett moderator.
2nd Voted to choose a committee to see Mr. Wiley.
3rd. Voted to have three on this committee viz. Captain Jonathan Barrett, Mr. James Green 2nd, and Mr. Isaac Emerson.
Voted to adjourn the meeting until Tuesday evening 20th inst. to hear the report of the committee which was that Mr. Wiley will stay with us as he did the last year.
4th Voted to hire Mr. Wiley and give him two dollars a Sabbath and pay his house rent.
5th Voted that the above named committee provide a house for Mr. Wiley.
Voted to dissolve the meeting.
Paid Mr. Ephraim Wiley up to April 1816.
At a meeting held on February 17th 1817 [4r]
Voted Captain Phineas Sprague moderator.
Voted to choose a committee to wait upon Mr. Wiley and see if he will preach with us another year and upon what conditions.
Voted Captain Phineas Sprague, Isaac Emerson, James Green 2nd the committee.
Voted to adjourn this until 21st inst.
Voted to have Mr. Wiley and give him two dollars a Sabbath and pay his house rent.
Voted that the above named committee provide a house for Mr. Wiley.
At a meeting held on February 10th 1818
1st Voted Captain Phineas Sprague moderator.
2nd Voted messieurs James Green 2nd, Samuel Sprague, Charles Fuller a committee to wait on Deacon Ephraim Wiley to see if he will preach with us another year.
Said committee reports that he cannot stay.
3rd Voted that the above committee provide a preacher.
4th Voted to dissolve the meeting.
At a meeting held on March 24th 1818 [4v]
1st Voted Captain Phineas Sprague moderator.
2nd Voted to hire Mr. Wiley while he stays in town.
3rd Voted to add Mr. Jesse Upham Jr. to the committee to provide a preacher.
4th Voted to dissolve this meeting.
Malden May 14th 1821
At a society meeting at the Methodist meetinghouse.
Voted Captain Samuel S. Upham moderator.
Voted that the trustees of the Methodist Meetinghouse sell twenty pews if they can.
Voted to reconsider the last vote.
Voted that the trustees of the Methodist Meetinghouse sell twenty seats as pews in said house for the purpose of defraying the expense of building said house.
Voted to choose a committee to apprise the pews.
Voted that there be five of said committee viz. Captain Isaac Vinton, Captain Phineas Sprague, Isaac Emerson, John Vinton, Benjamin Wilson.
Voted that the said committee be authorized to appoint a day for the purpose of selling said pews.
Voted to dissolve this meeting.
At a society meeting held on May 6th 1824 [5r]
Voted Captain Phineas Sprague moderator.
Voted Isaac Emerson Clerk.
Voted George Emerson on the standing committee instead of Jonathan Barrett deceased.
Voted to adjourn this meeting to 10th inst.
Met according to adjournment.
Voted to choose a committee of three to make arrangements concerning preaching viz. Gilbert Haven, Isaac Emerson, and Gorham Emerson.
Voted said committee to petition for Jesse Fillmore and if he cannot be obtained for Daniel Fillmore and if he cannot be obtained for Shipton[?] Lovell and voted the Rev. J. Adams be requested to use his influence to obtain them.
Voted to dissolve this meeting.
At a society meeting held at the Methodist meeting house March 14th 1825
1 Voted James Green moderator.
2. Voted to hire a local preacher.
3. Voted to choose a committee to hire a preacher for three months.
4. Voted to have three on the committee.
5. Chose Samuel S. Upham, Jesse Upham Jr. and George Emerson on said committee.
6. Voted to dissolve this meeting.
At a society meeting held at the Methodist meeting in Malden June 2nd 1825 [5v]
1st Voted Samuel L. Upham moderator.
2nd Voted Isaac Emerson continue to act as clerk.
3rd Voted not to have a preacher from conference.
4th Voted to instruct this committee which was chosen last March to make inquiries with respect to providing a preacher in the year ensuing.
5th Voted to receive Bro. Samuel Norris if he can be obtained.
6th Voted to adjourn this meeting until next Saturday inst. at seven o’clock.
Met according to adjournment.
Voted to reconsider the 3rd vote passed at the former meeting.
Voted to choose a committee and petition for a preacher from conference and chose S. S. Upham P. Sprague and Gorham Emerson on said committee.
Then voted to dissolve the meeting.
[There follows several pages of weekly contributions from meetings and payments to preacher Wiley and those who housed him].