|
|
|
roughly fifty-five Congregationalist families in Oxford.16) Musing over the evidence of cheerful support to the patriotic cause after independence was declared, town historians feel that "not...over thirty families...definately assumed the tory platform. It is quite certain that quite a number of the most influential Episcopalian families were true patriots to their native country."17 The Reverend Richard Mansfield, probably Derby's most prominent (and notorious) Tory gives grudging confirmation when he wrote prior to December 1775, that "one hundred and ten (families)...detest(ed) the 'unnatural rebellion.' Five or six person...plunged themselves into it (the rebellion) guided...by the influence of Captain John Holbrook."18
A glance at church records, however incomplete, shows that St. Peter's (Anglican) Church was established in Oxford in 1764, the same year as the infamous Stamp Act. This church was also serviced by Rev. Mansfield, in addition to the existing St. James in East Derby. A sampling of members' families include Davis, Bunnell, Chatfield, Twichel, Gunn, Wooster, Osborn, Hawking, Hawkins, Johnson, Nichols, Bates, Lumm, and Foot.
Confirming the religious freedom available in the colonies, one finds many family names in both "camps." The most prominent example is that of John Twichel, who deeded a parcel of land to St. Peter's. This Twichel, a "staunch Church of England man"19 was the son of the John Twichel "who signed the petition for the separation of Oxford Congregational Society (in 1741) from that of Derby."20 Other "overlapping" Oxford Congregationalist family names include Hawkins, Wooster, Osborn, and Johnson.
In any event, as the revolution and patriotic support gained vigor, the Anglican churches found it more and more difficult to function. Even before the Declaration of Independence, Derby, like many other towns, began its persecution of the Anglican church. In 1775, local militias sought to suppress Tories in towns (including Derby and
16 On page 62, Litchfield claims that "the parish of Oxford during the Revolution did not have over eight hundred inhabitants." In this case, the "parish of Oxford" would mean the whole land area included in the Oxford Ecclesiastical Society, and not only Congregationalist families. Doing the math, this would give each family an average of a little over eight persons per household. A little high, perhaps, but not outside the realm of reason for the times.
17 Orcutt, 196. Litchfield, Oxford 56.
18 Beardsley, 309
19 Litchfield, St. Peter's 6.
20 Litchfield, St. Peter's 6.
| PREVIOUS |
4 | NEXT |
|
|
|