. . umtown. Captain Luther, as he was atone time styled, was one of the mostinfluential townsmen of Swansea. Hewas deputy from Swansea to the GeneralCourt of Plymouth Colony in 1677, 1678and 1679, and his brother Hezekiah wasrepresentative from Swansea to the Greatand General Court of Massachusetts BayColony in 1706. Rev. John Myles, pastorof the Baptist church in Swansea, died inFebruary, 1683, and Elder Samuel Lutherbecame his successor in 1685. Luther, itis said, was wanting in the scholarship ofthe first pastor as well as in his
. . umtown. Captain Luther, as he was atone time styled, was one of the mostinfluential townsmen of Swansea. Hewas deputy from Swansea to the GeneralCourt of Plymouth Colony in 1677, 1678and 1679, and his brother Hezekiah wasrepresentative from Swansea to the Greatand General Court of Massachusetts BayColony in 1706. Rev. John Myles, pastorof the Baptist church in Swansea, died inFebruary, 1683, and Elder Samuel Lutherbecame his successor in 1685. Luther, itis said, was wanting in the scholarship ofthe first pastor as well as in his broadlycatholic spirit. The Congregationalelement found the new minister lessready to grant the same liberal privilegesas to church fellowship, infant baptism,etc. The new version of Baptism andChristian Communion, as given by ElderLuther, was not acceptable to the Pedo-baptists of the town, and, whether in-tended or not, helped to establish thedividing line of denominationalism be-tween the hitherto united parties. Thesechanges in the church covenant with 326. //. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY reference to baptism and communioninstituted by Elder Luther destroyed thefellowship between Anabaptists andPedobaptists enjoyed by Mr. Myles andhis associates, and made the church dis-tinctly Baptist. This change, so distaste-ful to the Congregationalists, opened areligious controversy which twenty-fiveyears later split Swansea, on sectarianlines, into two townships. SamuelLuther married, in 1662, Mary Abell,daughter of Robert Abell, of Weymouthand Rehoboth. Children: Samuel, men-tioned below; Theophilus, born October9, 1665, died 1721, married, November 24, 1686, Lydia Kinnicutt; Mary, July 20,1668; Joshua, November 25, 1670, diedDecember 18, 1747, married, January 1,1700, Experience Brooman; Elizabeth,February 7, 1672; Experience, March 3,1674; Mehitabel, August 26, 1676, died1764, married Ebenezer Cole; Ebenezer,December 27, 1678, died November 19,1734, married, April 26, 1716, BethiaCol
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