the four parcels. He then inaugurated a series of meetings at his own house and at the mills of Mr. Thurman—now Dunn's mills, near Johnsburgh Corners. The Methodist preachers of Cambridge Circuit immediately followed, and preached at Mr. Noble's house once in six weeks. The first of these preachers were Samuel Howe, Martin Rutter, Elijah Hedding (afterward a bishop), David Brown and Mitchell B. Bull. The members of the first Methodist class in town were David Noble, his sons and daughters, Thomas Somerville, a brother-in-law and an elder in a Presbyterian church in Ireland, and his wife; William Leach and wife, Adam Armstrong and wife (who afterward lived and died in Albany), Elizabeth Somerville, Elsee Robinson, Rachel Hitchcock, Mrs. Enos Grover, Mrs. A. Edwards, John Armstrong, Rebecca Armstrong, and Dyer Burdick, of Athol. The first class-leaders were David Noble, Adam Armstrong and William Leach (an exhorter). From that time to the present Methodist preaching has continued here without interruption.
In July, 1807, David Noble went on horseback to Arlington, Vt, on a visit to his eldest daughter, Jane, wife of Richard Empey. On the 10th day of the month, while attending a Methodist meeting in a school-house, at the conclusion of the sermon he delivered an impassioned exhortation, sat down and died without a struggle. He had attained the age of seventy-three years. His last words were: "And may this be our happy lot till Heaven. "He was buried at Ash Grove Church—the first Methodist Church erected north of New York city—beside the graves of the Revs. David Brown and Philip Emburg, in the town of Cambridge. In June, 1876, his grandson, David Noble, of Weavertown (who furnishes much of the information contained in this chapter), exhumed his remains and re-interred them in the cemetery of the Methodist Church of Johnsburgh. He also removed with the body the marble slab which marked his resting place at Cambridge.[1]
Following is a list given by Mr. Noble, of aged persons who have died in town: Thomas Somerville, died October 13th, 1815, aged 81 years; Mary Somerville, his wife, — — died 1825, aged 83 years; Elizabeth Somerville, a sister, died August 12th, 1837, aged 90 years; Archibald Noble, died August 14th, 1848, aged 78 years; Elisha Ross, died October 3d, 1865, aged 80 years; Hiram Ross, his brother, died October 9th, 1869, aged 88 years; Elijah Ross, also a brother, died May 9th, 1870, aged 85 years; John Ward a Revolutionary pensioner, died June 3d, 1854, aged 101 years; Samnel Somerville, died April, 1872, aged 99 years; Thomas Somerville, died June 2d, 1877, aged 94 years; Edward Noble, died March 12th, 1857, aged 84 years; Mahala Richardson, died — — 1883, aged 92 years; Margaret Hodgson, died May 23d, 1884, aged 92 years.
- ↑ David Noble, now of Weavertown, is a grandson of the subject of the above sketch, son of Archibald Noble. He was born July 11th, 1804, about three miles west of his present residence. He first came to Weavertown in 1833, soon after the tannery was built. In 1843 he bought a lot and erected thereon the building in which he now lives and does business. He opened his store in the fall of 1844.
