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THE WEIRS TIMES & THE COCHECO TIMES, Thursday, April 18, 2019
SMITH from 1
as there have been rainy and even snowy mornings when an assembly of brave souls still cheerfully, if maybe shiveringly, celebrated the triumph over the grave. Sometimes an Easter Sunday breakfast would follow. More people are apt to attend church services on Resurrection Sunday than at other times of the year, though I think in greater amounts during my younger years than today. It used to be a time, and still is for some, when many would buy new clothes for the occasion, or at least start wearing their spring attire for the first time of the year. The ladies were apt to adorn new hats during those years when the fairer sex used to include dressy hats as part of their Sunday attire, and it was not unusual for a corsage to be attached to their dress. Today, the state of New Hampshire has about the lowest percentage of churchgoers in the na-
The state of New Hampshire has about the lowest percentage of churchgoers in the nation, but that has not always been the case. tion, but that has not always been the case. One of the first actions taken by the early towns in New England was to establish a body of church members and build a house of worship, along with making arrangements for the set-
tling of a minister of the gospel in the new village. Those ministers were usually greatly involved in leadership positions not only in church affairs but also in governmental matters. In fact, in the early colonial days, one had to be a church mem-
ber in order to qualify as a voter. The founder of the town of Hampton, the controversial Rev. Stephen Bachiler, was one of those ministers. He is also one of my ancestors, as his granddaughter married my great-6
times-grandfather, one of the many John Smiths. The churches that were under the authority of Puritan leaders or their influence, did not celebrate Easter because of concern about the association with previous pagan customs and the absence in the Bible of any command to do so, but it should be understood that they were believers in the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension to Heaven. In some 1905 accounts about his home town Edwin C. Lewis wrote that the early settlers of New Hampton “were of the good old Puritan sort.” He added that the laws of Massachusetts, which New Hampshire was once a part of, “were designed to form a government based on the Bible, and modeled to quite an extent after the Jewish economy.” New Hampshire’s early government was modelled after Massachusetts’. Lewis indicated See SMITH on 25
SUPER BINGO Saturday, April 20, 2019 With The Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society
Come Early For Best Seats - Doors Open at 2pm Featuring ifi New TED-E W uters Bingo Comp
$ 1 0 , 00 0 IN PRIZES! *prize money based on attendance
Early Session Starts At 4:30 Regular Session Starts At 6:45 Play one or both sessions! Play paper, video or both!
FUNSPOT BINGO HALL Separate Smoking Section • Lucky Seven Pull Tabs Sold at All Games • Serving Deli Sandwiches, Pizza & More!
RT 3, 579 Endicott St. N., Weirs Beach, NH • 603-366-4377 • Open All Year • FunspotNH.com