File:Some old time meeting houses of the Connecticut Valley (1911) (14780172991).jpg

Identifier: someoldtimemeeti1911wigh (find matches)
Title: Some old time meeting houses of the Connecticut Valley
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Wight, Charles Albert, 1856-
Subjects: Church buildings -- Connecticut River Valley Connecticut River Valley -- Description and travel
Publisher: (S.l. : s.n.)
Contributing Library: University of Connecticut Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Connecticut Libraries

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d fifty four feethigh. In 1874 the meeting house was moved to a newsite in front of the old burial ground and whollyclothed upon with new beauty under the advice of acompetent architect. Three of the men who preached in this secondmeeting house prior to the present century are remem-bered both for their distinguished abilities and theirlong pastorates. Rev. Stephen Williams ministeredto the church from 1716 to 1782, Rev. Richard SalterStorrs from 1785 to 1819, and Rev. John WheelerHarding from 1850 to 1891, their combined pastoratescovering a period of about one hundred and fiftyyears. Rev. Henry Lincoln Bailey, the present pastor,writes of the portions of the old meeting house re-maining in the structure of to-day: The frame of theold building is still here, though the interior and exte-rior are greatly altered in appearance. The house isunique in that it has, despite its modern adaptation,been the scene of every pastors preaching in the twocenturies of church life in Longmeadow. 104
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rm; old ( hukcii ox thk viLi.AciK (iKKKX. L()N(imkai)o\v MASS ITC.T A famous romance is connected with the Long-meadow church. No more remarkable story is to befound in all New England history than that of theRev. Eleazer Williams, believed by many to be LouisXVII of France. According to the story, the Dau-phin of France did not die in the Temple, but was se-cretly brought to America, and later left in charge ofan Iroquois chief, a half-breed, named Thomas Wil-liams, whose grandmother was the Eunice Williamsof the Deerfield raid, sister of the Rev. Stephen Wil-liams of Longmeadow. In 1800 Thomas Williamsbrought to Longmeadow his two boys, Eleazer andJohn, to be educated under the care of Deacon Na-thaniel Ely, who had married the grandniece of EuniceWilliams. Eleazer was converted in the old meetinghouse, under the preaching of Mr. Storrs, and latereducated for missionary work among the Indians. InJuly, 1822, he engaged in missionary labors among theIndians at Green Bay, Wisconsin, wh

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