Rev. Luke Ainsworth Spofford was installed in Brentwood, and, after laboring about three years, and not finding his hopes of usefulness realized, he requested and received a dismission. The number of church members reported, June, 1828, was 53. Subsequently to his ministry at Brentwood, Mr. Spofford was installed at Lancaster, N. H., 1829; Atkinson, N. H., 1832; Scituate, Ms., 1835; Chilmark, on Martha's Vineyard, Ms., 1842; from which place he removed to Newburg, N. Y., where his family resides. Mr. Spofford, before he came to Brentwood, had been ordained at Gilmanton, N. H., where he enjoyed a successful ministry of six years; but, on account of the state of his health, and the extent of the field, resigned June 9, 1825. For more particular notices, see Rev. Mr. Lancaster's History of Gilmanton, and Notes respecting the ministers in Gilmanton, in the first number of the New Hampshire Repository, Vol. I.
After Mr. Spofford's resignation, the people in Brentwood enjoyed the labors of Rev. Jonathan Ward about three and a half years.
Mr. Ward studied theology with Rev. Dr. Emmons, and was ordained in New Milford, now Alna, Me., in 1796, and resigned in 1818. Although Mr. Ward has never been installed in New Hampshire, he has, in many respects, performed the services of a pastor to some of the churches in a very acceptable and useful manner. Mr. Ward labored twelve years, most of the time statedly, in Plymouth, his native place, and the place of his father's ministry, for more than thirty-two years.
Mr. Ward's father, Rev. Nathan Ward, was born at Newton, Ms., April 11, 1721, died June 15, 1804, aged 83. He married Tamasin Ireland, who was born Jan. 1, 1722, O. S., and died Aug. 16, 1777. Rev. Nathan Ward, who was hopefully converted under the preaching of Mr. Whitefield, had not a collegiate education, but received an honorary degree of M. A. from Dartmouth College. His children, beside Jonathan the youngest, were Nathan, born Jan. 9, 1748, O. S., died Nov. 3, 1776; Enoch, born July 4, 1749, died July 31, 1825; Abraham, born Feb. 9, 1751, died Dec. 6, 1776; Mary, born Sept. 18, 1752, died Dec. 6, 1776; Abigail, born March 31, 1755, N. S., died Sept. 16, 1841; Samuel, born Aug. 26, 1756, died Nov. 8, 1776; Isaac, born March 16, 1758, died Feb. 27, 1816; Benjamin, born Sept. 21, 1761, died ——; Daniel, born Jan. 30, 1764; Esther, born Aug. 17, 1767, died Dec. 8, 1776. The submission of the parents was painfully tested, by the death of five of their children, with a putrid fever, within five weeks. Enoch, brother of Rev. N. Ward, entered the ministry, but died young. He graduated at Harvard University, 1736. The grandfather of Rev. J. Ward was Joseph, whose father was John, who settled in Newton, Ms., and one of a large family, brought by their father, William Ward, from England, about 1646, who settled in Sudbury, Ms. Rev. Jonathan Ward married Philenia Gay Whitaker of Attleborough, Ms., who was born April 6, 1776, and died April 25, 1825. Their children were Jonathan, born Nov. 30, 1800, graduated at D. C., 1822, studied at the Theological Seminary, Andover, ordained at Biddeford, Me., Oct. 26, 1825, died Feb. 8, 1826, aged 25; James Wilson, born May 21, 1803, graduated at D. C., 1826, studied at the Theological Seminary, Andover, and at New Haven, ordained at Abington, Ms., May 31, 1834; Philenia, born Oct. 16, 1804, married Frederick Robinson of Brentwood; Laura Elizabeth, born May 7, 1807, married Lucius M. Perdy of Sharon, Ct.
Rev. Francis Welch was the fourth settled minister in Brentwood. He has labored since he left that place in Ipswich, Linebrook Parish, Ms.; and in Perry, Washington County, Me.
Rev. John Gunnison, who had been previously ordained at Lyman, Me., May 12, 1831, installed over the Union Society of Salisbury and Amesbury, Ms., Dec 31, 1835, and at Newmarket, Lamprey River, Feb. 22, 1837, was installed at Brentwood. He was, after leaving Brentwood, installed at West Falmouth, Me., in Jan., 1842. He now resides at Portland, but at present supplies the pulpit of the first church in Westbrook. He studied theology with the Rev. Charles Jenkins of Portland, Me., and entered the ministry late in life. He married for his first wife, Joanna Dow of Gilmanton, and for his second, a woman by the name of Starboard.
Rev. James Boutwell, who was born May 14, 1814, graduated at the Theological Seminary, Andover, in 1840. He was an Instructor at Dunkirk, N. Y., one year. Mr. Boutwell has seven brothers and one sister older, and two sisters younger, than himself. His paternal grandfather was of Wilmington, Ms. His maternal grandfather was Dr. Benjamin Jones, of Lyndeborough, a physician of some celebrity, whose native place was Ipswich, Ms. Mr. Boutwell's brother, William Thurston Boutwell, was several years a missionary among the Ojibwa Indians, in Wisconsin. Mr. Boutwell married Mary P., daughter of Dea. Pascal Abbot of Andover, Ms., April 10, 1837. Their children are Mary Lucelia, born at Dunkirk, N. Y., March 8, 1838; James Pascal, born at Andover, Feb. 6, 1840, died Oct. 31, 1844; George Clark, born at Brentwood, Feb. 8, 1842; Charles Hawley, born at Brentwood, Oct. 29, 1843; Hannah Elizabeth, born March 11, 1846.
Deerfield was a part of Nottingham, from which it was separated, and incorporated Jan. 8, 1766. The Congregational Society was formed in Dec., 1772.