The following information was transcribed from NB Archives film Number F961 topic is "History of Campobello Free Baptists". This information was first published in the Saint Croix Courier in September and October 1967, in three parts. This section was published September 28, 1967The series was written by Dr. Charles M. Smith.

Note: Some of the film was very hard to read due to dark copies of the original article and overlapping. As a result, for the first part there will be a number of words missing and indicated by ----. Transcribed and converted to html by Heather Waddingham, with permission of the Saint Croix Courier. )

History of Campobello Free Baptists Part 3

The North Road Baptist Church

A word should be entered here concering the North Road Baptist Church. At the beginning all the Baptists on Campobello worshipped at Wilson's Beach where services were being held in a school house as stated at the outset. But as Baptist membership in this area increased it gradually became necessary for services nearer to there homes so the people in this area finally built a church between the North Road and Welshpool communities.

Under the guidance of the the local ministers (mainly Rev. Malloch) a distinct Baptist congregation was founded was founded into a body called the "North Road Baptist Church" July 11, 1863. They worshipped for awhile in "A small building later used as a schoolhouse" with the ministers commuting by boat from Wilson's Beach. About eleven years afterward a plot of land was purchased from a Captain Robinson for the price of $40.00 paid "in gold" (raised by the North Road and Welshpool ladies) and , in 1874 erected the North Road Church. This development reversed the Sabbath traffic with the clergy doing the commuting. This practice was carreid on for some 75 or 80 years when the North Road Chruch began to hire there own resident Pastor and to promote there own ministry.

The North Road pastors (from 1863) "included Messrs. Malloch, Colpitts, Babcock, Hamilton, Barnes, Gasline, (John) Perry, Daggett, Paul, Mott, Prosser, Patterson, Nobles, Vallis, Brown, (W. H.) Perry, Corey, Wilson, Currier, Stiles, Trites, Crowell, Roop, Gordon, Suelling, and Currie." The list of Deacons "began with Samuel Parker, Nehemiah Mitchell and Ezra Mitchell - in 1863). (This quotation from a historical record compiled by Mrs. Milton Batson and read at the 80th anniversary in service in 1943). The Pastor at that time was Rev. Currie.

One excerpt of interest (and provided me by Mrs. Gallagher of Welshpool who has accomplished a great deal of research on Campobello) quotes from a "Genealogy of the Chute family by W. E. Chute, in the Congressional Library in Washington D.C.

"A daughter of Rev. Peter Malloch, who married Marsden Chute, had volunteered as a Home Missionary and in three years with the aid of her sister Susan Malloch and Jane Adeline Calder, daughter of John Calder, had raised money with which a meeting house was built on the island of Campobello near the coast of Maine, 1874 for the Free Baptist Church which flourished ever since". This building has recently been moved to a new base and beautifully renovated and is at this writing a vigrous witness and influence for Christ.

Stormy Weather

1868-1885

The next era in the life of the Church is a rather disparaging one - 1868-1885. Records for this period are scarce at Acadia University and non-existent on the island. In fact the only occicial informationheld by the Church itself is a brief note on its founding in 1844 abd nothing else until 1885 and the coming of Rev. Barnes as Pastor. It seems that by 1868 Mr. Malloch must have either moved (temporarily) to Welshpool or was ministering to the Church at North Road; and that Mr. Babcock was assisting at Wilson's Beach. Both laboured with the people of both communities but neither is reported as "Pastor of either congregation". In 1871 the Wilson's Beach Church was "served much of the year" by Elder Solomon Smith under the direction of the Home Mission Board. But 1872 finds Rev. Alexander Taylor back on Campobello (after an absence of some 8 or 9 years), however only as a "resident". Elders Malloch and Babcock were still present and active with the two churches; and this condition continues through 1873 with three ministers on Campobello but apparently none reported as Pastor. The District report for 1874 has Elder Edwin Garraty serving four months; and in 1875 "Elder Colpitts and Brother S. H. Sherwood held a revival and 25 were added to the church". The 1876 Church Report reads "no regular Pastor for Campobello and Deer Island Churches". This must have been a sad and difficult year for the Island Churches and especially so as this year marked the passing of that great pioneer preacher and Church organizer Rev. Peter Malloch.

The reports continue in much the same manner: 1877 - "Elder Aaron Kenney laboured successfully with the church at Wilson's Beach and 15 were baptized". The next report opens with a note on 1882, "Rev. John Robertson spent half his pastorate at Wilson's Beach". (He resided at Norton, Kings County). But for the most part the churches had no stated pastors. However one layman, Mr. William J. Galley (1828-1913) a prominent member of the Church (and clerk since 1854) is said to have preached a great deal back in the early days - and most likely assisted during this strenous period. These services, coupled with those of itinerant Evangelists and visiting ministers and leaders helped to carry the Churches through these very dark days - times when the bulk of the work covering some four decades was carried on by three clergymen and most likely those were unpaid self supporting servants of God. A new era was soon to open for the Churches of Campobello.

Go to Part 4 of History of Campobello Free Baptists
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