METHODISM IN PORTSMOUTH.
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��friendly." He remained in Ports- mouth and its vicinity about one week. Among Mr. Walton's papers was found a letter from Mr. Lee, written Dec. 8, 1 791, which indicates there was a dis- turbance in Mr. Walton's congregation because he had encouraged Mr. Lee to occupy his pulpit. In 1 792 Portsmouth was not visited by this "tireless itiner- ant." He had charge of the Lynn, Bos- ton, Needham, and Providence circuits. In 1793 Rev. Ezekiel Cooper was ap- pointed Elder for Boston, Mass., and Rhode Island, and Mr. Lee was as- signed to the " Province of Maine and Lynn," a somewhat indefinite but ev- idently a very extensive field of labor. In September he started for Maine, and on the 7th dined with Dr. Clement March at Greenland ; going thence to Portsmouth. He writes "I went to see Rev. Mr. Walton, but he did not appear to be so friendly as he did when I was here before ; so I went and put up my horse at a tavern, and then went to a boarding-house to lodge. On Sun- day I went to hear Mr. Walton, fore- noon and afternoon. After he was done I went with some friends to the Old Court House ; but the great men would not consent for me to go into the house to preach ; so I got on the steps of the door of the Court House and began. When I commenced I had but about one dozen people, but they soon began to flock together, and I had some hundreds to hear me before I was done, standing in differ- ent parts of the streets. I had much freedom in speaking, and the word reached the hearts of many of the hearers, who were as solemn and at- tentive as though they had been in a meeting-house." He " lodged with a Samuel Tappan, a school-master," and on Monday left for Maine. The Court House, where Mr. Lee preached, was sometimes called the State House, where the General and County Courts were held, and formerly the Legisla- ture convened there. The building was situated on the Parade, or Market square, between the North meeting- house and High street, and was remov-
��ed in 1837, when the new Court House, which occupies the site of the old alms- house, on Jaffrey street, now Court, was finished. Samuel Tappan, who enter- tained Mi-. Lee, was the son of Rev. Benjamin Tappan, of Manchester, Mass., and a brother of a former Pro- fessor of Divinity at Harvard. For several years he had the care of one of the public schools of Portsmouth, and was successful as a teacher. His leisure hours were devoted to visiting the sick and afflicted. He was active in assisting at private religious meetings. He died April 29, 1806, aged 47 years. In 1794 Mr. Lee was appointed Presiding Elder of the New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts Districts. Nov. 4, he was in Portsmouth. He writes : " I heard a discourse at night in a private house, preached by Mr. Wal- ton, from Romans 5 : 1, 2." No mention is made of other meetings ; but it is quite probable they were held, as Mr. Lee remained in Portsmouth three days, and then continued his journey to Portland. Mr. Walton had the pas- toral charge of the Independent Con- gregationalist Church, of which Rev. Samuel Drown, who died January 17, 1770, aged 50, had been pastor. The church was situated on Pitt, now Court street, and was purchased by the south parish, and used, mainly, for Sunday school purposes, after vacating their smaM chapel on Wentworth street, which was subsequently moved to Liv- ermore street, and altered into a dwell- ing-house, but has since been moved to Water street. The site on Court street is now occupied by the new chap- el of the South Parish, the old wood- en structure having been taken down, and the present neat and convenient building erected in 1857. In 1789 Mr. Walton became the pastor of the " In- dependent Society," and was ordained on the 2 2d of September of that year. He had been one of the ru'ing elders since 1777, and, when the society was without a preacher, conducted the ser- vices. He was a native of Newcastle, a cooper by trade, and died January 10, 1822, aged 80 years. He was from
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