Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 5.djvu/294

 266 THE GRANITE MONTHLY.

with this society — Rev. G. W. Norris, three years ; J. M. Durrell, three years ; Harvey Woodward, two years, and H. T. Thompson, three years — the appoint- ment of the latter having now just closed. This church and society is exceeded in membership by but two others, of the same denomination, in New Hamp- shire — the Main Street church and society at Nashua, and the one at Dover — the total number of members being but little less than three hundred. The stewards are — VV. A. Berry, R. W. Musgrove. A. C. Prescott, R. B. Locke, H. A. Randolph, M. W. White, J. H. Foster, Geo. F. Butrick, Abner Fo^vler. Trustees — Abram Dolloff, David Mason, L. Locke, H. M. Emmons, W. Heath, J. M. Sleeper, B. F. Holden, C. A. George, C. N. Plumer. Recording Steward — R. W. Musgrove.

The Free Will Baptists have a small organization here, and have maintained public worship most of the time for many years past. The society known as the Bristol and Alexandria Free Will Bai)tist society was incorporated in October, 1845, and has now sixty-five members. The Bristol Free Will Baptist Church was organized in October, 1848, and the present house of worship was erected some two years later, at a cost of about JS1500, and remodeled in 1867, at an expense of $600. Since the organization of the church David Galley has been pastor at di ferent times, sixteen years, altogether; Francis P. Newell one year ; S. P. Feruald three years ; H. S. Sleeper two years ; Geo. J. Abbott three years ; Lewis Malvern two and a half years ; Nathan C. Lathrop four years. Rev. E. Fisk anti others have supplied for the remainder of the time. The church is now without a pastor, but services are held weekly. The church membership, resident and non-resident, is about one hundred and thirty.

SCHOOLS.

The cause of education has been duly cared for by the people of Bristol from the start. As has been observed, at the first annual town meeting, the citizens voted a sum of money in excess of the amount required by law for the support of schools, and thus the interest has been maintained to the present time. Not only have the district schools been of a high order, but for a long series of years, to the time of the establishment of a union district with graded schools in the village, one or more terms of private, or select school, were had each year, and liberally patronized. Among the teachers who did excellent service in those select schools, Miss Alia A. Briggs and Miss Ellen Fisher are mentioned. In 1864 the three districts, which include the village of Bristol, adopted the union system, and established a graded school with four departments — primary, intermediate, grammar, and high. In 1866 a fine brick school-house, with accommodations for all the departments, was erected at a cost of more than ^12,000. There are about one hundred and fifty scholars in Union district, and the attendance in the four departments during the last winter term reached one hundred and twenty, of whom thirty- four are credited to the High School. There are three terms of school, aggre- gating thirty weeks during the year. The management of the educational af- fairs of the district is in the hands of a Board of Education, consisting of six persons, two being chosen each year, for a term of three years. Following are the members of the board, as now constituted : Hon. L. VV. Fling, Mrs. M. H. Fling, Dr. James M. Bishop, Geo. H. Galley, Mrs. H. R. Alexander, E A. Drake. The several departments of the school, during the past year, were un- der charge of the following teachers ; Primary, Flora E. Gilley ; Interme- diate, Kate F. George ; Grammar, E. Belle Galley ; High, Lizzie M. Hale. Miss Hale is an accomplished and successful teacher, and at twelve dollars per week renders as efficient service as many male teachers who receive two thousand

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