Bringing History to Life

We have quoted from any number of great family histories and compilations in the Blog. What we have tried to accomplish by presenting the original documents from our ancestry is to bring those people to life. It is one thing to read in a history of one of our ancestors its another thing entirely to view an original document and come to the realization that the person writing that document actually knew of that ancestor. I in particular have enjoyed reading the early church records. I find it an interesting exercise to put myself in the shoes of the early Griffin’s. A prominent aspect of their lives was religion. We present here two documents from the Congregational First Society in Madison. The first is from the very beginnings of the Society. It is titled “Constitution of the Church”. We have previously published several articles on the Congregational mindset. The Constitution provides additional insights. Article 1 notes that a mere profession of religion is not sufficient. To join with the community of believers a person must pass a rigorous examination. In our day such an exercise would be considered exclusionary. The purpose in 1700’s Madison was a concern for your soul. They were convinced that it was essential that you were a true believer any thing less was a sure ticket to hellfire and damnation. As noted in Article 2 the process of transferring from one Society to another was closely monitored and duly noted. I love the sentiment noted in Article 3 “faithful in attending to the purity of the Church and in mutual watch over the daily walks of the members”. ------The second document is from the 1830s. It is taken from a regularly held meeting of the hierarchy of the Society. It clearly reflects the angst of the religious world of the day the sentiments surrounding the Second Great Awakening. It is an warning and a plea to avoid the divisiveness brought on by religious dissent.. As in all times and in all societies there is also a call for the young men to accept the mantel of responsibility within their society. Click to enlarge.