our many errors and praying that the glorious Lord who is the great Shepherd would prosper and strengthen us for every good work to do His will working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight to whom be glory forever and ever,-—Amen.” We give below a list of the subscribers to this covenant as they appear on the records. They had been copied from older records. Rev. Ezra Reeve, pastor *Dea. Humphrey Cram Dea. Moses Lyon Robert Dunkley Isaac Foster Nehemiah May Trenance Webber Dea. Sherebiah Ballard Joseph Phillips Asa Partridge William Gardner and wife Benjamin Ward and wife Elizabeth Wales Hannah Cram Martha Dunkley Hannah May Abigail Foster Prudence Webber Elizabeth Webber Elizabeth Bishop Hannah Webber Submit Smith Anna Bishop Margaret Rosebrooks Mary Frizell Mary Bradley Alfledy Janes Elizabeth Foster Lydia Bond Sarah Partridge Wife of Mr. Nutting *See list of deacons with date of election. Dea. Cram and Dea. Lyon were chosen to that office January 16, 1766. William Leach and wife John Burroughs and wife Arthur McNeal and wife Benjamin Beal Mr. Fisk and wife Sylvia Cheney These parties owned the covenant and had children baptized. Thus the new church with the foregoing church members and supporters started on its work. It is of interest to note what part of these came from the mother church in Brimfield. We, therefore, give a list of names gleaned from Rev. Jason Morse's "Annals of Brimfield Church." We think those given were Holland people but some of them never identified themselves with Holland Church. Those who did are marked. It should be borne in mind that Wales and Holland were then called South Brimfield. Items of interest gathered from Rev. Jason Morse's Annals of Brimfield Church." Worthy of note also are the additions made to the church roll in those early years of the church life. We find the following entries: The names up to this point are members gathered in by the first pastor, Rev. Ezra Reeve, so far as the records show. The total is 158, averaging almost three for every year of his labor which is a splendid record considering the field of his labor. He was a man of broad sympathies as is shown by his power to subdue opposition. He held his people together as long as he lived. No movement to divide the church was successful until he was too ill and infirm to attend to his pastoral duties. He must have known of the efforts of some to form a Baptist church. The question had been agitated for years as the town records abundantly show, but Mr. Reeve's tact had delayed its consummation. He was fond of a joke and made himself very companionable. "He served as chaplain of the Brimfield militia for a long series of years," says the historian of Brimfield. Many now remember him and his wig as he appeared for duty and for dinner. The story is told, perhaps apocraphal, that one hot morning in summer, one of his parishioners, not very pious in habit, went up on Rattlesnake Mountain after a load of wood. While loading, he was bitten by one of those reptiles which at that time infested the mountain. Knowing the dangerous nature of such a bite he took the horse and drove post haste for home. Arriving there, he informed his wife of what had happened and begged her to get the minister there as soon as possible, as well as the doctor. Mr. Reeve hastened to the bedside of his parishioner to find him much agitated over the misfortune and lamenting his errors and long-continued indifference to his spiritual condition. The pastor while regretting his sinful life, hoped it was |