Pastors of Peoples Edition 3

Pastors of Peoples 1868-1885
The death of Uriel Rideout called for an interim preacher to take the reigns of leadership for the remainder of his appointment.
1868 O. H. Stevens: It would appear that the sickness and eventual death of Uriel of the time Mr. Rideout would have served. According to Allen’s History of Methodism in Maine, Mr. Steven’s ministry did not actually begin until 1869 in Cumberland. It would appropriate to assume that Mr. Stevens was still a student, perhaps from the Maine Wesleyan Seminary who ‘filled in" until an appropriate replacement was found at the next conference. R. Stevens continued to serve the Maine Conference mostly in Southern Maine churches where he was still engaged in 1887 at Cape Porpoise.
1869 John Collins: Pastor Collins is noted in the records as having served Cape Elizabeth Ferry/Ferry Village on two occasions. He was born the son of Reverend John Collins, a Wesleyan local preacher. Born in Ireland on January 20, 1832, the family came to St. John, New Brunswick in 1843. John was converted while still in New Brunswick in June of 1849. In May of 1852, he came penniless to Kent’s Hill in pursuit of an education. Dr. Torsey, the principal of the school took him in and eventually he received his license to preach in 1856 and served under the Presiding Elder in the New Portland District and served the conference until 1886. His supernumerary status was taken that he might lecture on temperance in England while visiting with friends in that country. He was a rapid and animated speaker, a radical temperance advocate, an uncompromising enemy of rum and all ungodliness. He did not always follow the rules of proper oration in the pulpit. According to, History of Methodism in Maine, Pastor Collins sometimes found himself in trouble within a parish because of his severe assaults on the power of rum. He was, however, highly esteemed by his brethren in the ministry. You will find in this autobiographical section that Pastor Collins was returned to Ferry Village from 1883-1885. During a good portion of the history of the Ferry Village Church many parishioners were equally strong and vehement in their support of the Temperance Movement. Among the other parishes that Rev. Collins served were Brown’s Hill otherwise known as Cape Elizabeth Depot and Gorham. Rev. Collins served a total of 15 different parishes. Reverend Collins had been one of the first chaplains appointed to the Union Army during the first days of the Civil War.
1870 William. H. Foster: Reverend Foster was born in Leeds, Maine on March 20, 1812 and was converted in March of 1840 beginning his preaching in 1843. He was admitted to the Maine Conference in 1844 and was continuing to serve the conference when Allen wrote his, History of Methodism in Maine. He was married to Miss. Harriet L. Curtis with whom they had six children. Harriet died on March 1, 1882. On February 26, 1884, Reverend Foster was married for a second time to Mrs. Ann Basford. Reverend Foster served a short period of one year at Ferry Village. Mr. Foster had served 16 parishes in central Maine prior to coming to Ferry Village and once he departed continued to serve the conference through six more placements with the exception of Kennebunk back in central Maine.
1871-1874 Benjamin Freeman: Read narrative that was written with the description of his first placement at Cape Elizabeth Ferry. Reverend Freeman is one of three pastors that served the Village church twice during their ministerial careers. It was during this second appointment that the new parsonage/vestry were built and his was the first family to live there.
1874-1877 John. M. Woodbury: Reverend Woodbury began his career in Baldwin in 1853. Of the 18 other placements that he had in his career he served twice at Scarborough and Baldwin twice. While at Ferry Village he was the first to live in a church provided parsonage. It was during that period of time that the church for $1500 built behind the church a building that would have a two-fold purpose. The upper floor and some of the lower floor served as the first parsonage while the main rooms on the first floor served as the Vestry of the church. A number of social issues were still in the lime light of activity and Reverend Woodbury led the church to allow congregational singing and more community use of the vestry.
1877 George W. Barber: Pastor Barber began his ministerial career in Kennebunk in 1860. In the records there is an indication that he spent the war years in Scotland returning near the end of conflict to Cape Elizabeth Depot/Brown’s Hill/First Methodist. After several placements in western Maine, Reverend Barber did come to Ferry Village for only the year 1877. No indications as to why he was here for only one year have been found as yet. He did continue his ministry with continuing placements in western Maine and was still in ministry in 1886.
1878-1880 Seba F. Wetherbee: Reverend Wetherbee was born at Harvard, Massachusetts on January 23, 1815. He was converted at Dexter, Maine in December of 1838 and was received into the Methodist church at that time. His license to preach was granted in 1842 and in 1845 was admitted on trial to the Maine Conference. He continued to serve the conference through the 1880’s with only one year off during the Civil War when he served as an army chaplain with the Army of the Potomac. Reverend Wetherbee was well known and respected and served in many of the most significant churches in the Maine and Eastern Maine Conferences. He served as a delegate to the General Conference on two occasions. Pastor Wetherbee was married to Miss. Sophia Hook of Skowhegan. Together they had six children, but had sadly lost all but two of the children in childhood. Two sons were still living in 1887. During the years that Pastor Wetherbee was at Ferry Village there was extensive revival interest, and a large increase in the membership. Money was raised for repairs, and to pay off an accumulated indebtedness. An organ and a new carpet and stove were purchased for the church. Pastor Wetherbee had begun his career in the ministry first serving a number of churches in the Eastern Maine Conference beginning with Palmyra. In 1858-1859 he served the now defunct Pine Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Portland to which he returned from 1866-1868. After serving in Biddeford, Saco and Bangor he served at Ferry Village. Following his service in this community he went on to Kennebunk.
1881-1883 True Whittier: True had begun his career in Wilton in 1856. While serving one more parish in Sydney, Mr. Whittier left the state of Maine and spent the years 1864-1876 as a missionary in the South Carolina Conference. This would have been the period that was ending the Civil War, but before it was officially over and during the effective time frame of Reconstruction. We can only speculate about the turmoil that might have come between his political and religious convictions or at least between him and other folks that he would have had contact with. He did return North in 1877 and served at Mercer, Madison and Monmouth before arriving at Ferry Village. He completed his career on Chebeague following his stay in Cape Elizabeth.
1883-1885 John Collins: John Collins is the third pastor that served twice at Ferry Village. During his second stay, Mr. Collins led the way in raising funds for improvements on church property, and a fine-toned "centennial bell" of 1,021 weight was procured for the church tower. It would have been during this time that the steeple was raised to accommodate the bell.