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RELIGION.

Joshua Moody settled the same day, the first minister of Ports-
mouth, though he had preached there since 1658, and occasional
preaching had been enjoyed since 1640.

The fifth church organized was at Dunstable, under the jurisdic-
tion of Massachusetts, now the first church in Nashua, and a minis-
ter settled in 1685. Subsequently other towns bordering on the sea
coast, as New Castle, Newington, Stratham, Durham, Kingston
and Rye, had ministers. Thence, very gradually, settlements were
made in the interior, and ministers settled in Londonderry, (1719)
Concord, (1730) Chester, Winchester, Pembroke, Hudson and
Keene. In the latter place, Rev. Jacob Bac'on was settled in 1738,
a century after the settlements at Exeter and Hampton. He was
the fifty-fifth, pastor in order, settled in the State. But at the forma-
tion of the convention in 1747, there were only about thirty min-
isters living. The progress of settlements continued slow, extend-
ing into the interior, averaging till after the revolutionary war
only about four annually in the whole State; but subsequently the
growth was more rapid. The number of pastors living at different
periods in the history of the denomination is as follows:

In 1670,2; 1700,5; 1747,30; 1776,65; 1800,76; 1820, 90;
1847, 117.

In 1870, there were in the State 169 churches, and 169 church
edifices, capable of seating 67,951 persons, and valued at $ 1,150,
380. In 1860, there were 179 churches, capable of seating 70,457
persons, and valued at $ 637,200. This shows a loss in ten years of
ten churches, and an increase in valuation of church property of
over $ 500,000.

Baptists—The first Baptist church in this State—indeed, the
first north of Boston, was organized in Newton, Rockingham Coun-
ty, in 1755. The members were separatists for “ conscience’s sake”
from the Congregational church and were the fruit of the “ great
awakening” under Whitefield and others in 1740. Walter Powers
became pastor at its organization.

The first Baptist communicant known in the State was Rachel
Thurbur of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, who became Mrs. Scamtnon,
and moved to Stratham, 1720. It was the result of her labors that
Dr. Samuel Sheperd became connected with the denomination in
1-770, under whose indefatigable labors the Brentwood church
and its branches were organized, in connection with which he lived
to introduce more than six hundred members.

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