. The romance of old New England churches. d awaythe strangest and most fascinating storyin all New England history. If you search the Longmeadow townrecords you will find repeatedly men- 285 OLD XEW ekgla:n^d chtjeches tioned there the name of Deacon Xathan-iel Ely, who figures in the local history asagent in the Important Business ofmaking Longmeadow the oldest childof the state. [The precinct was the firstto be incorporated as a town after the sign-ing of the Treaty of Peace, September 3,1783.] Deacon Ely had married the grand-niece of Eunice Williams, and he was aworthy and intelligent, th
. The romance of old New England churches. d awaythe strangest and most fascinating storyin all New England history. If you search the Longmeadow townrecords you will find repeatedly men- 285 OLD XEW ekgla:n^d chtjeches tioned there the name of Deacon Xathan-iel Ely, who figures in the local history asagent in the Important Business ofmaking Longmeadow the oldest childof the state. [The precinct was the firstto be incorporated as a town after the sign-ing of the Treaty of Peace, September 3,1783.] Deacon Ely had married the grand-niece of Eunice Williams, and he was aworthy and intelligent, though uneducated,man. Until he was thirty years of agehe had worked on his farm and enjoyeduninterrupted health. Then his wholefamily was suddenly attacked with sick-ness, and his mother and three childrenswept at once to the grave. He likewisewas very ill at tliis time, and he vowedthat if he recovered, his future life,health, property, and evervtliing dear onearth should be consecrated to God. Forthis reason, as well as because he was286. OLD NEW ENGLAND CHURCHES greatly interested in the conversion of theIndians, he early offered to bring up thechildren of his squaw kinswoman. Always,however, his offers had been refused. Llissurprise was therefore quite as great ashis delight when, in 1800, Thomas Will-iams, Eunices grandson, brought to himhis two boys, Eleazer and John, to beeducated. It has come down to us in local tra-dition that from the first the Longmeadowfolk noted the curious difference both inappearance and in mental aptitude betweenthese lads. John, the younger, only seven,was every whit an Indian. He stayedin Longmeadow a few years, and thenwent back to his own people scarcelychanged at all by his contact with civiliza-tion. Eleazer, however, exhibited noIndian characteristics. Neither in form,feature, nor bearing, was he in the least 287 OLD KEW ENGLAND CHUECHES a red man. He was eager for study, andby 1810, in spite of repeated illnesses, hadread six books of the
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