Congregational Society Essex, Vermont

In the fly page of the ledger of the Congregational Society in Essex, Vermont is the entry “organized with eleven members on the 3rd October 1799.” A reference in the Essex town history indicates that the first meeting held to discuss the organization of the future Society was held in the house of Samuel Griffin."On the first day of April of the same year, in town meeting duly warned and held at Samuel Griffin's house, the first Ecclesiastical Congregational society was formed in accordance with the law of the state." There is another reference to Samuel in connection to the effort to erect a meeting house, "In January, 1802 the subject was again agitated, and David Kellog, Simon Tubbs, Samuel Griffin appointed a committee to "stick the stake and lay out the green where-on to erect said house" This committee happily agreed upon the present location." Scattered in the records of the Society we find the names of the extended Griffin families and their in-laws, the Bradley, Hamilton, Halbert and Day families. Samuel Griffin and Mercy Bailey are not found in the records however there is every indication that they were involved in the Society. We find their daughter in-law Mary Griffin (John’s wife) and her son Truman listed. Prominent in the Society records are the children and grandchildren of their son Samuel 3rd. Samuel Griffin 3rd married into the leading family in the Society, the Bradleys, when he married Sylvia Bradley. Sylvia’s father Samuel Bradley was one of the original eleven members. Samuel Bradley served as a Deacon for 30 years. As a hint of the status of the Deacons in these early congregations his headstone identifies him as Deacon Samuel Bradley. In the records we find scattered Samuel Griffin 3rd’s children. Zilpha, Minor, Philemon, Orlo, Sylvia, Electa, Rosetta The records seems to indicate that in 1844 Samuel’s family left on mass apparently to join a different congregation. A side note is that Samuel’s wife, Sylvia, rejoined the society founded by her father later in her life after her husbands passing. In the records we find Sylvia’s sisters listed, Ruth Bradley (Married name Payson), Dorcus (Bradley ) Hamilton, Electa (Bradley) Goss and Cynthia. Her sister Abigail’s family is listed under her husband Horace Halbert. Her brother Theron’s son Norman Bradley. In the section listing baptisms we have Samuel Bradley's children along with his daughter Dorcus and her husband David Hamilton’s family. We have Samuel Griffin 3rd and his son Orlo and son-in-law David Day (Zilpha). There were two ways to join a Congregational Society. The first was on a "Profession of Faith". Posted below is the "Profession" and the accompanying "Covenant". The second method was "By Letter". When a believer left one society and moved to another he was granted a letter from his original Congregation which he present to his new Congregation certifying that he had already made his "Profession of Faith". the new Congregation could then vote to accept him or her "By letter".