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Moses W. CorlissandBenjamin Spaulding1860
Crouseville Missionaries Moses
W. Corliss, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was a travelling missionary who
came to Crouseville in 1860, accompanied by Elder Benjamin Spaulding,
an Adventist. Ray
H. Carter wrote of their experiences in Crouseville in his book, An
Informal History of Washburn, Maine:
“They travelled on
foot out of Presque Isle and called along the way at private homes to
distribute religious tracts and pray with the people. As they
approached Peter Bull’s home, Spaulding assured Corliss that they
would find friends. Spaulding had visited the Bulls before, and they
had subscribed to the Crisis, an Adventist paper. However,
according to Ruth Flewelling, custodian of the Advent Christian Church
records, Corliss and Spaulding were doomed to disappointment, for they
were told the Bulls had been informed that the paper was an infidel
sheet, and they had discontinued it. This was all very discouraging to
Corliss, who now felt that Adventism was not going to receive a very
warm welcome in the area.”
“They then crossed the [Aroostook] river and stopped at the
home of Job [and Annie (Crouse)] Churchill, where they found rest and
welcome from their tiresome journey. William Churchill, son of Job
[and Annie], was later to be the founder and pastor of most of Advent
churches in northern Maine. In the resulting meetings, Brother
Spaulding did most of the preaching, but Corliss had the satisfaction
of baptizing five converts. With Spaulding’s help, he was able to
organize a church group in East Washburn [Crouseville].” This
would lead to the building of the Crouseville Advent Christian Church
in the mid-1880’s. The church would become the focal point for the
community to the present day.
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The Early History of Crouseville, 1800-1875, is reprinted with permission, from the book Crouse Family History, 2nd Edition, copyright (c) 1995-2000, Rogue Publishing, Seattle, Washington.