Pastors of Peoples Edition 2

Pastors of Peoples: Edition 2
1851-1853/1868 Uriel Rideout: Mr. Rideout had been born on July 26, 1816 in Bowdoin,
Maine. He had actually been trained in industry, economics and self-reliance at an early age. He did however, receive a conversion at the age of 15. His background in business would help him help many of the parishes that he would serve in his relatively short lifetime. Pastor Rideout started his career in 1846 at Kittery. He served the churches in North Gorham and Scarborough before arriving at Cape Elizabeth Ferry in 1851. It was while he was at the Ferry Village church that the parishioners erected the church in the village for a sum of $2500. Money was raised by the sale of the meetinghouse at Point Village, the sale of land that had been donated on Dyer Street and the sale of pews in the new sanctuary. It was reported that Pastor Rideout was most active in raising the money and the timbers for the new church. Following his stay at Ferry Village Mr. Rideout served a number of other southern Maine churches before returning to Cape Elizabeth at Brown’s Hill during the early years of the Civil War, 1861 and 1862. He again returned to Ferry Village in 1868. His health had seriously declined and he was declared Supernumerary only to pass away on August 30 of that year at the age of 52. The records indicated that his departure was sudden and the desire often expressed by him was realized, " to cease at once to work and live." A wife and children were left to mourn the loss of a good husband and father.
At the time that Uriel Rideout was the pastor at the Cape Ferry, Reverend William Farrington served as the Presiding Elder in the Portland area. He had been born in Poland, Maine on September 7, 1800. Like others of his time he was converted at age 15, and from then on was devoted to entering the ministry. Since his father was ill and he was devoted to him he felt it necessary to support the family, thus not devoting as much time as he would have liked toward his religious studies. At a camp meeting in 1825 he was "wonderfully reclaimed" and soon after he was licensed to preach. On his first preaching assignment he became confused, left across the pasture to home in the town of Poland. Mortified by his confusion he soon was back in the pulpit and gained strength with the help of the Lord. Appointed to large country circuits for a number of years he eventually was appointed to larger city churches including Chestnut Street, Congress Street and Pine Street in Portland. It was while at Congress Street that he served the role of Presiding Elder which was a role that eventually in later years became the District Superintendent. In 1859 he was transferred to the Eastern Maine Conference in Bangor and then left to the Providence Conference in 1861. In the 1880’s he still was described as having a noble physique, tall and well proportioned, graceful and dignified. He had a wonderful voice and was asked to sing a solo at a conference in his later years. Apparently his voice was so well toned that people listened to him in awe. He was married three times, but it appears had several children by his first wife, but none thereafter.
1853-1855 Abner P. Hillman: Reverend Hillman came to the Cape Elizabeth Ferry in 1853 just after the completion of the new meetinghouse on the corner of High and School Streets was completed. He had previously been at Kennebunkport and when he left the Ferry would complete his career in Maine at Richmond. He had served in the Methodist ministry since 1830 and had been placed in 17 different parishes including Scarborough and Gorham. Pastor Hillman was listed as superannuated from from 1858-1880. He passed away in 1882

1855-1857 John Rice:
Mr. Rice was born in Gorham on July 1, 1810. Early in his childhood the family moved to Durham. At 18 he attended a high school and prepared himself for teaching. He was converted at Durham in 1829 and was received into the church. He began his preaching career two years and in 1834 was appointed to Gorham. With the exception of a five year period as supernumerary, Reverend Rice remained an active member of the Maine Conference until 1872. Mr. Rice was married to Mary T. Hunt of Gray, having together several children. Near the end of his career, Reverend Rice is quoted, " It is a comfort to me to know that the Lord blessed me in my work. I was never appointed to one charge, but souls were converted. Number of conversions amount to about 1000 and I baptized about 600." Mr. Rice served 22 parishes with two stints at Brown’s Hill and one at Scarborough included.

1857-1858 Asa Green: Reverend Asa Greene was born in Wilton, Maine in 1818. He like others was converted at age 15, and thence labored for many years under the Presiding Elder. In 1842 he was received on trial into the Maine Conference and appointed to Vinalhaven. He continued in itinerant work including a stint at Ferry Village. Mr. Greene’s following placement was in Cumberland where in 1860 he became quite failed in his health and ceased to preach. He joined the ranks of the superannuates. He found a home in South Livermore near the relatives of his wife, but his health continued to decline and he died December 4, 1860. He was only 58 years old. From 1837 Reverend Greene had served 13 parishes in south and central Maine.
1859-1860 Charles Andrews: Mr. Andrews was born in Berwick, Maine on October 23, 1811. He was brought up in a Christian home where his parents were practicing Congregationalists. As an 18-year-old he attended a camp meeting in Kittery in September of 1829. Along with 200 attendees he was converted. He attended Maine Wesleyan Seminary in 1832 and later was admitted to the Maine Conference with his first placement located in the town of Argyle in 1838. In 1839 he was moved to Houlton where he also met Miss Margaret Hitchins to whom he was wed. He became deacon then elder in due course and served for 40 years in the ministry. While ill frequently he was never laid up by illness. Even after becoming superannuated because of his health conditions in 1878 he continued to serve during the last two years of his life at the new church in Old Orchard. He passed away in 1884. During his ministry he served 27 different parishes. His time at Cape Elizabeth Ferry was during a precarious time in the life of the country, as it appeared that the road to division between the North and South was getting closer to the breaking point. Late in his career he did serve the Scarborough church.
1861 S. R. Bailey: S. R. Bailey began his ministry in Madison and Anson in the year 1855. Arriving at Cape Elizabeth Ferry in 1862, Mr. Bailey had come from the town of Hartford. These being the middle years of the Civil War the church experienced a number of changes due to men and young men going off to war with no knowledge as to how they might return and when. Reverend Bailey served the Chestnut Street Church in 1869. Since the "Great Fire of 1866" had recently taken place, the Chestnut Street Church was still serving as a refuge to many who had been made homeless during the fire. Reverend Bailey left the Maine Conference for Vermont sometime after 1870.
1862-1863 Benjamin Freeman: Sacarappa (Westbrook) is the town to which Benjamin Freeman was native. He was educated at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary (Kent’s Hill School). Forty-three years later in 1887, Reverend Freeman was still serving the conference. Durham was the first parish that Reverend Freeman presided over in 1844. Mr. Freeman came to Ferry Village from the Scarborough parish. While at Ferry Village on his first placement at this location, Reverend Freeman saw the congregation greatly increase in numbers. As a result of growth the first major expansion of the meetinghouse took place. Two thousand dollars was raised for that purpose. It was also during this period of time that the Steven Hubbard led Sunday school achieved figures in excess of 230 members, making it one of the largest Sunday School programs of any denomination in the state of Maine. Reverend Freeman would return to Ferry Village and serve from 1871-1874.
1864-1866 Ezekial Robinson: Ezekial was the son of Ezekial and Eunice Robinson
and was born in Norway, Maine on May 28, 1799. He was the third of twelve children who all survived to be heads of households and members of the Christian church. Most of the children were Baptists as were their parents. One of Ezekial’s brothers, Thomas, was a practicing Baptist preacher. The Robinson families in America were the off spring of John Robinson, a pastor of the Pilgrim church in Holland. Ezekial kept an active journal throughout his life and described his later teen years as lost and as an 18-year-old asked the Lord to forgive his sins. According to Allen’s History of Methodism in Maine, Ezekial struggled in darkness for about three weeks and while on his knees praying "his soul was set at liberty by the Holy Spirit." Beginning his pastoral career as a Baptist, Ezekial within five years discovered Methodism and was convinced of the truth in their doctrines. Mr. Robinson after some reluctance began his ministry under the presiding elder, Philip Munger and entered the Maine Conference with his first appointment at Georgetown in 1823. He continued his ministry until retirement in 1874. In his devotion to the Maine Conference he served as a Presiding Elder for over 15 years. He served as a trustee of the Maine Wesleyan Seminary for over 30 years. Mr. Robinson was married on May 21,1823 to Miss. Sarah McCausland. Two sons and four daughters lived to maturity, all of whom became members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Both sons became pastors, one of whom became a professor at Maine Wesleyan Seminary. One daughter married Reverend Dr. Torsey, who also was on staff at Maine Wesleyan, as was the daughter who served for several years as Preceptress. Two other Robinson daughters taught at that same institution. The first Mrs. Robinson died in 1849 and on April 22, 1854 Ezekial married his second wife, Miss Ellen Hall of Portland.
Mr. Robinson was a fearless advocate for temperance as well as other reforms. He also in opposition to the dictates of Methodist hierarchy had preached prior to the Civil War on an anti-slave platform. He was of noble physique, dignified in bearing, and quiet in disposition; difficult to understand if he was so vocal in the pulpit. In retirement he resided in a pleasant home in Kent’s Hill. He diligently read his Bible, in which shortly before his death he wrote an inscription," Finished reading the 166th time, August 18."
He was 79 when he walked into the other room after having read the paper and passed to his heavenly home.
Pastor Robinson came to Ferry Village after already being a Presiding Elder twice and having immediately preceded his presence here with a one year charge at Woodfords Corner later to be known as Clark Memorial. As can be read above a good deal of his preaching and ministering centered around the Readfield / Kent’s Hill area.
1866-1868 Uriel Rideout: See previous inclusion of material on Uriel Rideout.

Pastors of Peoples First Edition

Pastors of Peoples United Methodist
Church; South Portland, Maine
1840 Jesse Stone: Pastor Stone was born in Plainfield, Vermont in the year 1802. He was one of the original members of the Maine Conference that was originally founded in 1825. In his early years of training and placement he was a member of the Baptist church. He joined the Methodist Church in Barre, Vermont in 1824. He became a local preacher in the same year, joined the New England Conference and was placed in the Hallowell Circuit, Maine. Brother Stone served for 45 years in the Conference being placed in churches from St. Croix in the North to South Berwick in the South. Compensated for his work at one time was as little as $50 a year and never averaging more than $75 in all of his years of pastoring. while serving a circuit of as many as 5 churches in the East Maine Conference. He often suffered housing that allowed him to peer at the stars through holes in the roof and sometimes waking to snow on the bedclothes. He was a modest and unassuming man and a faithful and serviceable preacher. Cape Elizabeth including both Brown’s Hill and Point Village were Pastor Stone’s 12th appointment. His final appointment in 1870 was in North Berwick.
1841-42 George D. Strout: Began his ministry with a placement in the town of Baldwin in the year 1830. He continued in ministry in the Maine Conference only until the year 1848 when he was transferred to the Eastern Maine Conference. He was appointed a three separate occasions to Baldwin and twice to Buxton. His ninth appointment in 1841- 42 was to Cape Elizabeth at that time considered Point Village. It was while he was here that the first official meetinghouse was begun at the Point. Prior to this time and while he was pastor parishioners most often met in homes and perhaps the Purpooduck Club most likely located on land near Fort Preble.
1843 J.L. Fraser: Mr. Fraser became the pastor of record at the Point in only his second appointment. Prior to the Point he served in Cornish. He left the Point and headed for the Scarborough Parish. It appears that his ministerial career was relatively short at least in the Maine conference as his record ends with the year 1850. It is possible that his relocation might even have been to California as it was the year that gold was discovered and hundreds of men headed for the West Coast.
1844-1846 Edmund. K. Colby: Pastor Colby had been born in Epping, New Hampshire on April 15, 1812. He was admitted to the Maine Conference on trial in 1844.ampshire Reverend Colby’s first charge was at Cape Elizabeth. It may have been that he was shared on a circuit with Brown’s Hill since no designation for either Brown’s Hill or Point Village is mentioned. e served in 14 other parishes He served in 14 other parishes in Southern Maine with the last being West Scarborough. From 1856-1862 he did move to the Providence Conference returning for the remainder of his life during the second year of the Civil War.ill or Point Village is mentioned.H In 1853 he was married to Georgie J. Saunders and together they had a son and a daughter. He was still living and serving the Maine Conference at the time of the publication of Allen’s History of Methodism in Maine in 1886.

1846 Christopher C. Covel: Pastor Covel was born in Woolwich, Maine on January 28, 1811. He was converted at age 20 and gave good evidence of Christian character thereafter. He was admitted to the Maine Conference on trial in 1842 and rendered effective service until 1855 when he was superannuated because of ill health. Pastor Covel served at Phippsburg, Biddeford, West Newfield and Porter before serving at Point Village. He did serve at Scarborough immediately following service at the Point. He provided his family with a home in North Pownel where he worked as a harness maker for 28 years. He rendered valuable services to the preacher in charge through counsel and co-operation. He died in the faith at the age of 72 on July 1, 1883.
Reverend Covel was intelligent, was pious and had an amiable disposition. In preaching he had been original in his methods of presenting the doctrines of the gospels. He was a worthy man of Christ.
1847 Elias F. Blake: Mr. Blake began preaching in 1843 in Durham. In 1846 after having served at Orrington and Houlton was placed at West Scarborough. The following year he was moved to Point Village at Cape Elizabeth. Over the next seven years he moved to South Biddeford, Hollis, and two locations in Kennebunk. It was while at Kennebunk Center that he passed away on October 6, 1854.
1848 S.S. Cummings: Pastor Cummings began his preaching career in 1840 in the town of Searsmount. After serving in 5 other parishes, he arrived at Point Village in 1848 after which he served in two other parishes before placement at Scarborough. In 1857 he moved to the New Hampshire Conference and then finished his career in the Providence Conference some time after 1858.
1849-1851 John. W. Atkins: John Atkins had begun preaching in 1828 at Eliot and served
in fourteen other parishes including Scarborough before he came to Point Village in 1848. It was while Pastor Atkins was at the Point that the idea of moving to Cape Elizabeth Ferry became a topic of conversation. The parish was probably divided on this notion and it may also have been that social issues such as slavery, women’s rights and especially temperance made things uncomfortable for the parish during this time. After serving at the Point, Pastor Atkins completed his pastoral services at Kennebunkport and died on May 27, 1858.