1899 SUMMER PLEDGE DRIVE FOR THE UPTON UNION CHURCH

Discovering the Upton (Maine) Historical Society page on Facebook has
put me in touch with several new found cousins and it has been a lot of
fun sharing pictures back and forth. One particular set of images were of
special interest to me.

When Dad married my Mom he converted to Roman Catholicism from
Protestantism. I don't know which Protestant denomination Dad was
brought up in; it just never came up in any conversation that I can recall
growing up. But these images do tell me where my great grandfather West
and great great grandfather Ellingwood worshiped. They show a list of
contributors in a collection to have a preacher come to the Upton Union
Church  in the summer of 1899. Judging by the handwriting it appears
to have been by one person who was in charge of collecting the money.


The heading of the list states:
"We, the undersigned, agree to pay the sums placed opposite our names
for the support of preaching in Upton during the summer of 1899."

Most of the names on this page are my cousins by blood or marriage. The
one that jumped right out at me, though, was Mrs H. F. West. That would
Arvilla Mary Ballard, wife of my 2x great granduncle Hiram Ferdinand West.
As I posted last year, Hiram owned a grist and lumber mill so Arvilla was
able to donate $2.00.

I didn't recognize most of the names on the second page but the Abbotts
are cousins.

This last page was the most interesting to me: great granduncle Paul Leroy
West donated .50 cents, and great grandfather Philip Jonathan West .25 cents.
Below them 2x great grandfather Asa Ellingwood and two of my great
granduncles Hollis and Walter all gave $1.00.

Coincidentally, a group of volunteers have been repairing and refurnishing the
Upton Union Church and are now holding a pledge drive for a pastor for the
Summer of 2012.

So while I'm not sure if my Dad worshiped there, I do know our ancestors did!