THE METHODIST CHURCH

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hands. Elder Broadhead sometimes occupied the pulpit in the meeting house. In his prayers and exhortations he seldom failed to mingle religion with the politics to the infinite disgust of the Federalists who heard him. It is said that it afforded him great satisfaction to lash his opponents from the pulpit, because it gave them no opportunity for reply. Years afterwards (in 1829) he left the pulpit for the honors and emoluments incident to the life of a representative in Congress. A famous old man he was and held in honor in church and state. Canaan was a federal town, the home of Daniel Blaisdell, who never liked Methodists any better than he liked Democracy. He and the elder often encountered each other in debate and they seldom separated until both had become more or less enraged. On one of these occasions after an unusually stormy talk, the elder said to some of the neighbors, that he had a great mind to “thresh Blaisdell.” The next time they met was in passing through the woods between their houses—Blaisdell lived on the Prescott Clark farm—Blaisdell stepped out and said to the elder that “he was ready for a threshing if he thought he was able to do it.” The elder replied “I think I can do it now and evermore, but I won’t at this time.” He said he was mad when he made the threat and thought the most Christian course was to own up.

    At the beginning of the last century the country had been divided into circuits, the Hanover circuit to the west and the Bridgewater circuit to the east, and so far as they could be found, ministers assigned for their special care. Canaan, Dorchester Enfield, Springfield and a part of Grantham constituted the Hanover circuit, and the minister spent a week in each town. It was only once in four weeks they had services here.

    In 1806 the N. E. Conference met in Canaan; it was arranged that there should be a grand camp-meeting on the shore of Hart Pond, in Robert Barber’s woods, near the Wells place. Bishop Asbury presided. Ministers and brethren from far and near came to assist him, and there was a great multitude of people present, curious to see and hear that famous apostle of Methodism, who had been ordained a bishop by the sainted John Wesley himself and sent here to do his Master's work. Great success attended the labors here. Stevens says, “On Wednesday, May 11th, Asbury arrived in Canaan, where the conference began its