By Muriel Bristol | August 30, 2020
Continued from Milton’s Congregational Ministers of 1891-24 and Milton’s Free-Will Baptist Ministers of 1908-24.
Milton’s Community Church was formed during the pastorate of Congregational Rev. Newell W. Whitman, through a merger or federation of Milton’s Congregational and Free-Will Baptist congregations.
The Community Church of Milton was organized on September 16, 1924, after World War I, when conversations regarding federation between Congregationalists and Free Baptists matured. It was decided that committees of five from each church would convene and form a Community Church. The Baptist Church was used for worship, while the former Congregational Church was adapted into the Parish House. The members of these two churches believed the same things, doctrinally, and so no great theological division separated the people from their congregational neighbors (CCM, 2020).
Its services were (and are) held in the Free-Will Baptist Church building at the corner of Church (now Steeple) and School streets.
The Community Church ministers of this 1924-56 period (excluding Rev. Newell W. Whitman) were Arthur M. Jeffries, George C. Ervin, Fred Bannister, Leland L. Maxfield, Ralph V. Townsend, and George F. Currier.
Rev. Arthur M. Jeffries – 1924-29
Arthur M. Jeffries was born in Derby, England, December 29, 1880, son of Isaac and Mary E. (Hoult) Jeffries.
Arthur Jeffries married in Derby, England, October 26, 1904, Martha Elizabeth Massingham. She was baptized in St. Andrew’s Church, in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, May 14, 1880, daughter of George T. and Martha (Linton) Massingham.
Arthur M. Jeffries’ mother, Mary E. (Hoult) Jeffries, was one of the 1,012 people that died when the liner RMS Empress of Ireland sank at the mouth of the St. Lawrence river on May 29, 1914.
MEDWAY CHURCH CALLS REV. MR. JEFFRIES, BOSTON. MEDWAY, Oct. 13. Rev. Arthur Jeffries of Boston has received a call from the Baptist Church to become its pastor at a salary of $1000 and use of the parsonage. Rev. Mr. Jeffries has supplied the pulpit several Sundays (Boston Globe, October 14, 1919).
Arthur Jeffries, a minister, aged thirty-nine years (b. England), headed a Medway, MA, household at the time of the Fourteenth (1920) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Martha E. Jeffries, aged thirty-nine years (b. England), and his children, Arthur B. Jeffries, aged fourteen years (b. England), Elsie M. Jeffries, aged ten years (b. Canada), and Doreen F. Jeffries, aged eleven months (b. Canada). They resided in a rented house on Main Street. They were all resident aliens, said to have immigrated in 1909.
Church News by States. MASSACHUSETTS. AFTER A SHORT PASTORATE at West Medway, Rev. Arthur Jeffries has accepted a unanimous call to the First Church, Athol, and began his pastorate Aug. 1 (The Baptist, August 13, 1921).
LOCAL. Rev. Arthur Jeffries, pastor of the Baptist church in Athol, Mass., has been called to the pastorate of the community church in Milton. The church is a federation of the Baptist and Congregational churches and this is the first time that the two churches have united to secure a pastor (Farmington News, December 12, 1924).
ATHOL CHURCH CALLS REV. H.T. JOSLYN. Formerly Was Minister at Charlestown. Word has been received from Athol that Rev. Howard T. Joslyn, a former pastor at the First Baptist Church, Charlestown, has been extended a call to occupy the pulpit of the First Baptist Church in that town. Since the resignation of Rev. Arthur Jeffries, to accept a pastorate at Milton, N.H., the Athol church has been without a pastor (Boston Globe, April 4, 1925).
LOCAL. To the regret of many friends, Pastor Jeffries of Milton has announced his decision to leave his pastorate in that town. This was made known through the reading of his resignation at the communion hour on Sunday, January 6 (Farmington News, January 18, 1929).
ACTON. Rev. Ralph A. Barker, pastor of the South Acton Congregational Church, and Rev. Arthur Jeffries, pastor of West Acton Baptist Church, will exchange pulpits tomorrow (Boston Globe, September 7, 1929).
Arthur Jefferies, a Baptist minister, aged forty-nine years (b. England), headed an Acton, MA, household at the time of the Fifteenth (1930) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Martha E. Jefferies, aged fifty years (b. England), and his child, Doreen F. Jefferies, aged eleven years (b. Canada (Eng.)). They resided in a house on Massachusetts Ave, which they rented for $30 per month.
CLARENCE V. TWITCHELL. WEST ACTON, April 20. Funeral services for Clarence V. Twitchell, 77, who died yesterday after a short illness, will be held at 3 tomorrow afternoon at his home on Church st., Rev. Arthur J. Jeffries, pastor of the Baptist Church in Manchester-by-the-Sea and formerly pastor of the West Acton Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery, West Acton. Mr. Twitchell had lived here all his life. He leaves a wife, Mrs. Martha Twitchell (Boston Globe, April 24, 1937).
Arthur Jefferies, a Baptist Church minister, aged fifty-nine years (b. England), headed a Manchester, MA, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census, (He resided in West Acton, MA, in 1935). His household included his wife, Martha E. Jefferies, aged fifty-nine years (b. England).
WEST FITCHBURG. Beth Eden Baptist Churches. Rev. Arthur M. Jeffries of Manchester, a candidate for the pastorate, will again supply the pulpit Sunday (Boston Globe, July 21, 1941).
Baptists Report Pastoral Shifts in Bay State. The Massachusetts Baptist Convention reports the following pastoral changes: [Excerpt:] Rev. Arthur M. Jeffries, from Chelmsford Street Church, Lowell, to Calvary Baptist, Worcester (Boston Globe, 1949).
Martha F.E. (Massingham) Jeffries died in Worcester, MA, December 11, 1954. He married (2nd), circa 1960, Elizabeth Peterson.
Arthur M. Jeffries of Arden, NC, died in Fletcher, Hendersonville, NC, December 2, 1967, aged eighty-six years.
Deaths and Funerals. Rev. A.M. Jeffries. ARDEN – The Rev. Arthur M. Jeffries, 87, died Saturday afternoon in a local hospital following a long illness. Thos. Shepherd and Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements (Asheville Citizen Times (Asheville, NC), December 2, 1967).
DEATHS. JEFFRIES. In No. Carolina, formerly of West Acton, Dec. 2. Rev. Arthur M., beloved husband of Elizabeth (Peterson): father of Mrs. Elsie Thomas of Westfield, and Mrs. Doreen Deliso of Agawam. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Dec. 6, in the West Acton Baptist Church at 2 p.m. Calling hours at the Acton Funeral Home, 470 Mass. av., West Acton. Tuesday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. (Boston Globe, December 4, 1967).
New England Rites Set for Rev. Jeffries. ARDEN – Services for the Rev. Arthur M. Jeffries, 86, of 143 Linden St., who died Saturday, will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in West Acton (Mass.) Baptist Church, under the direction of Acton Funeral Home. Burial will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Middlesex County Mass. Mr. Jeffries was a native of Derby, England, and a retired-the Baptist minister. He took his seminary training in England under the Salvation Army with the Wycliffe Preachers in England. He attended Gordon College in Boston, and served parishes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for more than 50 years. Mr. Jeffries was editor of the magazine Inspiration for the past 11 years, and author of numerous other publications. He conducted vesper services at Lakeland, Fla. Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Peterson Jeffries; two daughters, Mrs. Elsie Thomas of Westfield, Mass. and Mrs. Doreen DeLiso of Agawam, Mass.; and four grandchildren (Asheville Citizen Times (Asheville, NC), December 5, 1967).
Rev. George Clifton Ervin – 1930
George Clifton Ervin was born in Troutman, NC, May 16, 1904, son of James O. and Estelle D. “Stella” (Conger) Ervin.
George Clifton Ervin married in Forsyth, NC, December 23, 1926, Lola Elizabeth Tanner, he of Mt. Airy, NC, and she of Rutherfordton, NC. Rev. J.O. Ervin, i.e., his father, performed the ceremony. She was born in Henrietta, NC, February 10, 1905, daughter of Andrew S. and Bernice (Hughes) Tanner.
G. Clifton Ervin (Elizabeth T.) appeared as Milton’s Community Church pastor in the Milton business directory of 1930.
G. Clifton Ervin, Community Church minister, aged twenty-five years (b. NC), headed a Milton household at the time of the Fifteenth (1930) Federal Census. His household included his wife (of three years), Elizabeth Ervin, aged twenty-five years (b. NC). They rented their house on Church Street, at its intersection with School Street, for $25 per month. They had a radio set.
He appeared also as Clifton G. Ervin, aged twenty-six years (b. NC), in the 1930 enumeration of his parent’s household in Charlotte, NC. His father, John O. Ervin, appeared as a Methodist Church pastor, aged forty-nine years (b. NC), and his mother, Stella Ervin, aged forty-nine years (b. NC).
Rev. Ervin had taken up the pastorate of Asheville, NC’s Hillside Street Methodist Church by late 1931, where he spoke on the economic depression.
ERVIN TO SPEAK. Series Of Sermons For Month Of January Announced. The Rev. G. Clifton Ervin, pastor of the Hillside Street Methodist church, will preach a series of “depression sermons” beginning Sunday morning at 11 o’clock and continuing through the last Sunday of January. Mr. Ervin said while the sermons are concerning the depression, he hopes they will not be “depressed or depressing.” Each sermon will be complete in itself, the series feature being the connection of each with the depression. The sermon titles and their dates follow: January 10: “Why Did Humpty Dumpty Fall?” January 17: “What Does Humpty Dumpty’s Fall Mean?” January 24: “Can Humpty Dumpty Be Put Back Again?’ January 31: “Time and the Timeless.” Concerning the sermons, Mr. Ervin said: “The first sermon will deal with the fundamental causes of our present economic paralysis, which we euphemistically call a ‘depression.’ The second will deal with the significance of the depression for the church and for existing social Institutions. The third will be an attempt to visualize a truly Christian socio-economic order, and the last sermon will deal with those abiding realities that endure through all change” (Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC), January 9, 1932).
George C. Ervine, a Methodist Church district superintendent, aged thirty-five years (b. NC), headed a Hannibal, MO, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Elizabeth Ervine, aged thirty-five years (b. NC), and his children Elizabeth A. Ervine, aged seven years (b. MO), and Sarah L. Ervine, aged three years (b. MO). George C. Ervine rented their house at 411 N. Sixth Street, for $30 per month. George C. Ervine and Elizabeth Ervine had resided in Chillicothe, MO, in 1935.
George Clifton Ervin died in Rutherford, NC, December 19, 1993, aged eighty-nine years.
MECKLENBURG COUNTY DEATHS. Dr. G. Clifton Ervin, 89, of Charlotte died Dec. 19, 1993, at Carolinas Medical Center. Memorial service is 11 a.m. Wednesday at Providence United Methodist Church. Inurnment will follow in Rutherfordton Cemetery in Rutherfordton. Visitation is at the church’s parlor following the service. Hankins & Whittington Funeral Home is in charge. Dr. Ervin, a Troutman native retired after 40 years, as a Methodist minister serving churches in Winston-Salem, Asheville, Illinois and Charlotte and served as pastor and district superintendent in Missouri. He was senior associate pastor of St. Andrews United Methodist Church from 1972 to 1973. A member of the Charlotte chapter of Barbershop Singing, he served as head of Pfeiffer College’s sociology department from 1967 to 1972. He was also a contributing columnist for ‘‘Senior Directions.” A 1924 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Trinity College, he also graduated from Boston University’s School of Theology. Survivors are his wife, Elizabeth; daughters Mrs. Ann Murry of Sun City Center, Fla., Mrs. Sara Erber of Birmingham, Ala., Mrs. Susan York; brothers Charles Ervin of Florida, Lamont Ervin; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Paul Ervin Scholarship Fund in care of Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Rd., Charlotte, N.C. 28211 (Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), December 20, 1993).
Lola Elizabeth (Tanner) Ervin died in Rutherfordton, NC, January 20, 1994, aged eighty-eight years.
MECKLENBURG COUNTY DEATHS. Elizabeth Tanner Ervin, 88, of Charlotte died Jan. 20, 1994, at Carolinas Medical Center. Memorial service is 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Hankins & Whittington Funeral Home. Visitation is following the service. Mrs. Ervin, a Henrietta native, was a homemaker and a member of Providence United Methodist Church and its Chipley Bible Class. She also was a life member of Women’s Society of Christian Service. Survivors are her daughters Mrs. Ann Murry of Sun City Center, Fla., Mrs. Sara Erber of Birmingham, Ala., Mrs. Susan York; brother Andrew Tanner; sisters Mrs. Lucille Phillips of Washington, Mrs. Mary McLain (Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), January 24, 1994).
Rev. Fred Bannister – 1931-37
Fred Bannister was born in Cowling, Yorkshire, England, July 26, 1871, son of John and Sarah (Thornton) Bannister.
He married in Skipton, Yorkshire, in October 1894, Sabrina W. Whitaker. She was born in Cowling, Yorkshire, England, February 27, 1870, daughter of William and Ellen (Stow) Whitaker.
Fred Bannister, pastor of the United Methodist Church, aged forty years (b. Cowling, YKS), headed an Earby, Yorkshire, England, household at the time of the UK Census of 1911. His household included his wife, Sabrina Bannister, aged forty-one years (b. Cowling, YKS), and his children, Leslie Bannister, an office boy (limestone quarry), aged fifteen years (b. Cowling, YKS), Frank Cecil Bannister, aged eleven years (b. Cowling, YKS), and Sarah Ellen Bannister, aged nine years (b. Wilsden, YKS).
Rev. Fred Bannister Goes to Colebrook. On Sunday, Sept. 30, Rev. Fred Bannister closed a most successful pastorate of six years at Hillside, Cornish, Me. The services of the day were largely attended, particularly in the evening, when the Methodist people united. Mr. Bannister came directly from England to the pastorate of this church. Nothing more was learned of him than that he was a good man and an acceptable preacher. He has well proven the correctness of the information. In the community both he and his family have been valuable assets in every good work. On Monday, Oct. 8, a few days previous to their departure, there was held in the public hall a reception in their honor. A pleasant program of music, readings, etc., was given, followed with remarks by Rev. M.G. Plummer, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the presentation to Mr. and Mrs. Bannister of a beautiful gold and crystal clock. The presentation speech was by William R. Copp, who spoke in praise of the labors of Mr. and Mrs. Bannister, both in church and community. Mr. Bannister goes to Colebrook, N.H. (Pilgrim Press, 1917).
BROOKS. Services at Union church were conducted 8undny afternoon by Rev. Wesley Wiggin of Boston and in the evening by Rev. Fred Bannister of Colbrook, N.H. (Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME), August 15, 1919).
Fred Bannister, a church minister, aged forty-nine years (b. England), headed a Colebrook, NH, household at the time of the Fourteenth (1920) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Sabrina Bannister, aged forty-nine years (b. England), and his children, Leslie Bannister, aged twenty-four years, Frank C Bannister, aged twenty years (b. England), and Nellie Bannister, aged eighteen years (b. England).
Rev. Fred Bannister performed marriages in South Paris, ME, during the year 1923 (Paris ME, Town Report, 1923).
Fred Bannister, a church minister, aged fifty-nine years (b. England), headed an Island Falls, ME, household at the time of the Fifteenth (1930) Federal Census. His household included his wife (of twenty-four years), Sabrina Bannister, aged fifty-nine years (b. England), and his children, Leslie Bannister, aged thirty-four years, Frank C Bannister, aged thirty years (b. England), and Nellie Bannister, aged twenty-eight years (b. England). Fred Bannister rented their house on Burleigh Street, for “free.” They had a radio set.
REV. FRED BANNISTER QUITS SUNDAY IN ISLAND FALLS, ME. ISLAND FALLS, Me., Dec. 28. Rev. Fred Bannister of the Congregational Church announced today that he would preach his farewell sermon here next Sunday, closing a pastorate, of five years. He has accepted a call to Milton, N.H. (Boston Globe, December 29, 1930).
Island Falls. The Rev. Fred Bannister preached on Sunday morning, Dec. 28, at the Congregational church the subject of his discourse was Failure, taken from the parable of the Unfruitful Vine (Bangor News, January 31, 1931).
SANBORNVILLE. Rev. John Bryden preached at the Community church, Sunday, in place of Rev. Fred Banister, the regular pastor, who has resigned his preaching duties here after a service of six years (Farmington News, October 15, 1937).
LEBANON. Rev. Fred Bannister from Milton, N.H., occupied the pulpit at the North Lebanon Baptist church Sunday morning (Biddeford Daily Journal (Biddeford, ME), January 14, 1938).
Meredith F. Burrill, a geographer (Interior [Dept.]), aged thirty-three years (b. ME), headed a Montgomery, MD, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Ellen B. Burrill, aged thirty-eight years (b. England), his children, Robert M. Burrill, aged six years (b. OK), and Elizabeth E. Burrill, aged two years (b. OK), and his in-laws, Fred Bannister, aged sixty-nine years (b. England), and Sabrina W Bannister, aged seventy years (b. England). Meredith F. Burrill rented their house at 105 Cedar Lane, for $75 per month. The Burrills had resided in Stillwater, OK, in 1935, while the Bannisters had resided at that time in Milton, NH.
Fred Bannister died in Milton, October 11, 1940, aged seventy years, two months, and eleven days. (A retired Congregational minister). Sabrina W. (Whitaker) Bannister died in Chevy Chase, MD, December 11, 1953.
Social and Personal News. The Rev. and Mrs. William R. Riddlough attended funeral services for the Rev. Fred Bannister in Milton, N.H., Monday, and a committal service in Cornish (Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME), October 18, 1940).
Rev. Leland L. Maxfield – 1937-43
Leland Louis Maxfield was born in Strafford, NH, circa 1909, son of Louis A. and Mildred B. (Howard) Maxfield.
NEW DURHAM RIDGE. Leland Maxfield and Alice Scruton are staying at Rev. and Mrs. Everett Scruton’s while helping at the Vacation school (Farmington News, August 3, 1934).
ALTON AND ALTON BAY. Mrs. Chester Littlefield, Rev. and Mrs. Earle attended the ordination council of Leland Maxfield at the True Memorial church in Rochester, Monday afternoon (Farmington News, July 5, 1935).
NEW DURHAM, Rev. Leland Maxfield, pastor of the Baptist church in Fitzwilliam, and his mother, Mrs. Maxfield of Rochester, were Sunday worshipers at the Ridge church. Rev. Maxfield was formerly a member of that church and is a cousin to Rev. Everett R. Scruton, a former pastor (Farmington News, October 1, 1937).
NEW DURHAM. Friends of Rev. Leland Maxfield are pleased to learn that he has accepted a call to the Community church in Milton. He formerly was a member of the local church and since his graduation from Gordon College of Theology and Missions has served the Baptist church in Fitzwilliam and taken graduate work in Gordon Divinity school (Farmington News, November 3, 1937).
Rev. Leland Maxfield felt the April Fools’ Day earthquake of 1938 at the Milton Community Church parsonage.
Leland Louis Maxfield married in Milton, July 21, 1938, Elizabeth Zilpha Bronson, he of Milton, and she of Boston, MA. He was a minister, aged twenty-nine years, and she was a nurse, aged twenty-five years. Her brother, Rev. J. Westfield Bronson, performed the ceremony. She was born in Windham, NY, July 21, 1912, daughter of Jesse B. and Rose M. (Tompkins) Bronson.
BOSTON NURSE WEDS MILTON, N.H., PASTOR. Miss Bronson Is Bride of Rev. Leland Maxfield. Special to the Globe. MILTON, N.H, July 21. Rev. Leland Maxfield, pastor of the Community Church, and Miss Elizabeth Z. Bronson of Boston were married this evening at 6 o’clock at the church by Rev. J. Westfield Bronson of Brookline, brother of the bride. Miss Ruth Butler of Whitman, Mass., was maid of honor and the best man was Rev. James Marshall of Medford, Mass. The ushers were Rev. Ernest D. Sillers, pastor of the Baptist Church, East Rochester; Rev. Leslie Beinstadt of Beverly, Mass., field secretary of the Christian Endeavor Societies of Massachusetts, and Rev. James Currie, pastor of the Baptist Church at Milton Mills, N.H. Mr. Maxfield is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Maxfield of Rochester. He graduated from Gordon College of Theology and Missions in Boston in 1935. Mrs. Maxfield is a graduate of the Memorial Hospital Training School for Nurses, Albany, N.Y., and Gordon College, Boston, and has been employed as a supervisor in the Deaconess Hospital, Boston (Boston Globe, July 22, 1938).
Rev. Leland Maxfield was part of a golf foursome when one of its members scored a hole-in-one at the Farmington Country Club golf course, July 6, 1939.
Guy A. Smith Makes “Hole in One” on Farmington Course. On the golf course of the Farmington Country club, June 6, was a feature day, for on that date Guy A. Smith, in the presence of Leland Maxfield, Fletcher Willey and Kenneth Stowe, all of Milton, had the distinction of making a hole in one at No 7. This entitles him to membership in the famous Hole In One fraternity and the accompanying honors. Mr. Smith is one of the few lucky ones in a great patronage which is accorded the Farmington course, and he is envied the honor as well as complimented for the achievement. The golf course is one of Farmington’s greatest assets in athletics and its patronage not only includes old and young among the townspeople, but a large number of visitors from neighboring communities, particularly during the vacation and tourist seasons. Among the latest improvements on the course is the erection of a flagpole, and the first official flag-raising took place this Wednesday (Farmington News, June 18, 1939),
Mrs. Elizabeth Maxfield was the driver of a Red Cross automobile that stalled at a Milton railroad crossing and was struck by a railroad train, July 8, 1939. She and her two passengers were injured.
NORTH BARRINGTON AND CROWN POINT. Visitors at church Sunday were Rev. and Mrs. Leland Maxfield of Milton, Mrs. Laura Scruton, Blanche Scruton, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Maxfield of Rochester. Mrs. Scruton is the oldest member of Crown Point church. She usually attends this church several times a year. At one time she sang in the choir (Farmington News, August 25, 1939).
Leland Maxfield, a Community minister, aged thirty years (b. NH), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Elizabeth Maxfield, aged twenty-seven years (b. NY), and his boarders, Mary E. Willard, aged twenty-nine years (b. MA), and Mary E. Sherborne, aged twenty-three years (b. ME).
GUEST CLERIC FOR BAPTISTS. The Rev. Leland L. Maxfield of Milton, N.H., will supply the Baptist pulpit Sunday at the 11 A.M. worship service. The Rev. Maxfield, who has served five years as pastor of the Baptist Church in Milton, holds a degree of Bachelor of Divinity from Gordon College of Theology and Missions in addition to the regular bachelor’s degree. Sunday school will be conducted at 10 A.M. Sunday with E.E. Griffith, superintendent, in charge. The union service at 7:30 will be in the Methodist Church. Union mid-week prayer service will be conducted at 7:30 P.M. Wednesday in the church. Classes in religious education will be conducted Wednesday afternoon and high school classes Friday afternoon (Post Star (Glenville, NY), March 6, 1943).
Rev. Leland L. Maxfield resided in Milford, NH, when he returned to perform several Milton marriages in August 1944.
Leland L. Maxfield died in Atlanta, GA, in June 1979. Elizabeth Z. (Bronson) Maxfield died in Palmetto, FL, May 10, 2007.
Ralph V. Townsend – 1944-50
Ralph Vernon Townsend was born in Barnard, VT, December 15, 1916, son of Frank G. and Genevieve T. “Jenny” (Greene) Townsend.
Frank Townsend, a leather splitter (welting mfg.), aged fifty-three years (b. VT), headed a [Roxbury,] Boston, MA, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Genevieve Townsend, aged fifty-one years (b. CT), and his children, Ralph Townsend, aged twenty-three years (b. VT), Robert Townsend, a laundry helper, aged twenty-one years (b. VT), Charles Townsend, aged seventeen years (b. VT), and Grace Townsend, aged fourteen years (b. VT). Frank Townsend rented their house at 58 Lambert Avenue, for $28 per month. They had all resided in the same place, i.e., Boston, MA, in 1935.
He married Edythe Marie Trimmer. She was born in Buffalo, NY, April 21, 1917, daughter of Harry H. and Margaret E. (Smith) Trimmer.
Ralph (Edythe) Townsend appeared in the Boston directory of 1942, as a student, resident at 696 Huntington ave., in Roxbury.
Rev. Ralph V. (Edythe M.) Townsend appeared in the Fitchburg, MA, directory of 1965, as pastor of the Highland Baptist Church, with his house at 27 Cedar street. Robert W. Townsend appeared as a student, residing at 27 Cedar street.
Edythe M. (Trimmer) Townsend died in Hyannis, MA, August 5, 1989, aged seventy-two years.
Obituaries. Edythe M. Townsend. HYANNIS, Mass. – Edythe M. Townsend, a resident of Beacon from: 1968 – 1979, died Saturday at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. She was 72. Mrs. Townsend was a member of the Osterville Baptist Church on Cape Cod. Born April 21, 1917, in Buffalo, she was the daughter of Harry and Margaret Smith Trimmer. She married the Rev. Ralph V. Townsend who survives in Hyannis. Other survivors include three sons, Robert W. of Grover, Vt., Thomas P. of Natick, Mass., and Dr. James F. of Ashland, Va.; a brother, Richard Trimmer of Cheektowaga (Erie County); a sister, Mae Thompson of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and six grandchildren. Calling hours will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Doane, Beal and Ames Funeral Home, 160 West Main St., Hyannis, Mass. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday from the funeral home. Burial will be in Mosswood Cemetery, Cotuit, Mass. (Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie, NY), August 7, 1989).
Ralph V. Townsend died in Mechanicsville, VA, December 5, 2005, aged eighty-eight years.
Obituaries. Reverend Ralph Townsend. MECHANICSVILLE, VA – Reverend Ralph Townsend, 88, of Mechanicsville, died Monday, December 5, 2005 after a short illness. A retired Baptist pastor, Rev. Townsend was born December 15, 1916 in Barnard, Vt. and moved to Roxbury, Mass., at a young age, where he was educated in the Boston Public Schools. He graduated from Nyack College, in Nyack, N.Y., and from the Gordon Divinity School in Boston, Mass. Rev. Townsend served congregations in Milton and East Rochester, N.H., Fitchburg, Mass., Beacon, N.Y., and on Cape Cod, Mass. He moved to Mechanicsville in 1997 to reside with his son, Rev. James Townsend and family. He worked part-time over the past six years for the Ukrop’s grocery stores. Rev. Townsend was a member of the Cool Spring Baptist Church in Mechanicsville, He was preceded in death by his wife, Edythe, in 1989 and is survived by three sons, Robert W. and wife, Sharon of Glover, Vt, Thomas R. and wife, Janis of Natick, Mass. and Rev. Dr. James and wife, Marcie of Mechanicsville; five grandsons, two granddaughters, and a brother, Robert Townsend of Stoughton, Mass. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, December 10, 2005 at Cool Spring Baptist, where the family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Cool Spring Baptist Church Recreation Facility, of which Rev. Townsend was an active committee member, 9283 Atlee Station Rd., Mechanicsville, Va. 23116 (Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie, NY), December 8, 2005).
George F. Currier – c1950-56
George Franklin Currier was born at Dexter, ME, October 2, 1892, son of Lewis and Sophia (Frye) Currier.
Bradford. Miss Christine Worthen spent last week with her parents and friends in Corrina and Dexter. She returned Thursday and was accompanied by Rev. George F. Currier of Bates college, Lewiston (Bangor Daily News, January 7, 1918).
George F. Currier married in ME, June 22, 1918, Christine E. Worthen, he of Dexter, ME, and she of Corrina, ME. She was born at Corrina, ME, April 17, 1895, daughter of Joseph H. and Mary M. Worthen.
George F. Currier, a Gospel minister, aged twenty-seven years (b. ME), headed a Kingfield, ME, household at the time of the Fourteenth (1920) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Christine E. Currier, aged twenty-four years (b. ME). George F. Currier rented their house on High Street.
George Currier, a Baptist clergyman, aged thirty-seven years (b. ME), headed an Auburn, ME, household at the time of the Fifteenth (1930) Federal Census. His household included his wife (of eleven years), Christine Currier, aged thirty-five years (b. ME). George Currier rented their house at 135 Gamage Street, for $45 per month. They did not have a radio set.
Corrina Briefs and Personals. Rev. and Mrs. George Currier and children, Thedessa and Charles, left Thursday for their home in Crampton [Campton], N.H., after a visit of two weeks with Mrs. Currier’s mother, Mrs. Mary Worthen, and sister, Mrs. Hilda Ambrose (Bangor Daily News, August 24, 1937).
George F. Currier, a minister, aged forty-seven years (b. ME), headed a Campton, NH, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Christine W. Currier, a housewife, aged forty-four years (b. ME), and his [adopted] children, Charles W. Currier, aged fourteen years (b. ME), and Thedessa W. Currier, aged fourteen years (b. ME). George F. Currier rented their house, for $15 per month. They had all resided in Rockport, ME, in 1935.
Social Brevities and Personals. Rev. George F. Currier has returned to his home in Swansea, Mass., after visiting with his mother, Mrs. Sophia Currier, and family at her home, 97 Fifth street. Mrs. Currier celebrated her 80th birthday Sunday and was the recipient of gifts, flowers and many cards. Other guests at the home on Sunday were Mr. and Mrs. John Frye of Guilford, C.W. Rich of Newport, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Bridges and daughter Judith of Dover-Foxcroft, and Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Hamlin of Milo (Bangor Daily News, November 25, 1947).
Wellington Plans “Old Home” Sunday. WELLINGTON, Aug. 2. Old Home Sunday will be observed at the Wellington Church, Aug. 14, at 11 a.m. Speaker will be Rev. George F. Currier of Melvin Village, N.H., whose mother is Mrs. Sophia Currier of Bangor, a native of Wellington. All old and former residents and any one wishing to attend will be welcome. A happy reunion of old neighbors and friends is planned. Each will bring their picnic dinner and table service and the lunches will be eaten in the dining room of the grange hall (Bangor Daily News, August 3, 1949).
Rev. George F. Currier gave the invocation at Milton’s sesquicentennial celebration, in August 1952.
Rev. George F. Currier died in Farmington, ME, October 23, 1960, aged sixty-eight years.
REV. GEORGE F. CURRIER. Funeral services will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, Dexter, for the Rev. George F. Currier, 68, who died suddenly Tuesday at Farmington. The Rev. Walter B. Wakeman will officiate. Mr. Currier was a native of Dexter and was pastor of the Weld Congregational and the Carthage Union Church at the time of his death. Friends may call at the Crosby Funeral Home, Dexter, Thursday from 2 to 4 p. m. and 7 to 9 p.m. (The Eastern Gazette October 24, 1960).
REV. GEORGE F. CURRIER. Funeral services were held Friday afternoon, Nov. 25, at the First Baptist Church, Dexter, for the Rev. George F. Currier, 68, pastor of the Weld Congregational and the Carthage Union Church who died suddenly Tuesday at Farmington. The Rev. Walter B. Wakeman officiated. Bearers were George Safford and Clarence N. Pierce of Dexter; Glen Ring of Cambridge, and Burton Howard of Dover-Foxcroft. Interment was in Morse’s Corner Cemetery, Corinna. Mr. Currier was born at Dexter, Oct. 2, 1892, son of Lewis and Sophia (Frye) Currier. He was graduated from Dexter High School in 1912, Bates College in 1918, and Newton Theological Seminary in 1925. He had held pastorates in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. Mr. Currier served both the Baptist and Congregational churches and was a member of the American Baptist Convention. While pastor of the Court Street Union Baptist Church, Auburn, he was instrumental in the union of that church with the Free Baptist Church of Auburn. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and Mystic Star Chapter, O.E.S. of Weld and a member of the Grange of Stratford, Vt. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Christine (Worthen) Currier, formerly of Corinna; one son, Charles Currier of East Orange, N. J., one daughter, Mrs. Sidney L. Cheney of New Jersey; two sisters, Mrs. Elsie Whitney of Bangor and Mrs. Cuyler Rich of Newport; eight grandchildren, one uncle, several nieces and nephews (The Eastern Gazette, November 1, 1960).
Christine E. (Worthen) Currier died in Springfield, MA, January 24, 1971, aged seventy-five years.
MRS. CHRISTINE CURRIER. Mrs. Christine Evelyn (Worthen) Currier, 75, widow of the Rev. George Franklin Currier, formerly of Dexter, died Jan. 24 at a Springfield, Mass., hospital. Mrs. Currier, daughter of Mary M. and Joseph Henry Worthen was born April 17, 1895 at Corinna. She was a graduate of Corinna Union Academy; began studying piano in her early years and completed her piano studies in Boston at the studio of John 0rth, German composer and teacher. She married Currier June 22, 1918, shortly after he graduated from Bates College. Later he was graduated from the Baptist Theological Seminary at Newton, Mass. Mrs. Currier also studied at the seminary. Throughout the Rev. Mr. Currier’s career, she assisted as organist, soloist, Sunday school teacher, leader of women’s groups. She was chaplain of Rebecca Weston Chapter DAR, President of the Baptist Mission Circle and secretary of the Elizabeth Towle Guild. The Curriers served in various pastorates, mainly in the New England states, for 42 years. Currier died in 1960 while pastor of the Baptist Church at Weld. After his death Mrs. Currier moved to Dexter and was an active member of The First Baptist Church until a few weeks before her death. She is survived by a sister, Hilda Worthen of Basking Ridge, N.J.; an adopted daughter, Mrs. Sidney Cheney of Campton, N.H.; an adopted son, Charles Currier of Pennsylvania; by two nieces, and three nephews. Funeral services were held Wednesday at the First Baptist Church of Dexter, with the Rev. Philip Mather officiating. Burial will be in the Worthen Family lot at the Morses Corner Cemetery, Corinna (Eastern Gazette, January 28, 1971).
Previous in sequence: Milton’s Congregational Ministers of 1891-24 and Milton’s Free-Will Baptist Ministers of 1908-24
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Milton Observer 