Abner Jones - 01-Birth and Early Life

Birth and Early Life

MEMOIRS OF

ABNER JONES In giving the reader an account of my birth and parentage, I shall not (like the celebrated Franklin and others,) strive to prove that I arose from a family of eminence; believing that all men are born equal, and that every man shall die for his own iniquity.

I was born in the town of Royalton, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, about 80 miles from Boston, the metropolis of the State. My father was born in Sutton in the same State. when he was but a lad his father removed into the town of Charlton. In this town, therefore my father was brought up at farming. As I have often heard him relate, here it pleased the Lord to shew him his undone situation; and also, to bestow upon him his pardoning mercy, in his youth. At this period he made a profession of religion, in the Calvinist Baptist way. My mother originated from the town of Gloucester in the State of Rhodeisland; her name was Dorcase Wade, daughter of Nathan Wade, and was of the same profession with my father. When my father was first settled in life, it was in the town where he had been brought up, on a small farm adjoining his father. Here my eldest brother and sister were born. After this, my father having a desire to enlarge his borders as to the things of this world, purchased a piece of land in the town of Royalton, the place before mentioned; and soon removed thither and there continued to live for a number of years. After my father’s removal to Royalton, he had another son and daughter born, before my birth. On the 28th of April, A. D. 1772, I was born into this world of sin and sorrow, and so wicked have I been, that I have often wished that the day to me had been darkness, wherein it was said, a man child was born. In this place I continued to live with my father until in my eighth year; and O thou great Creator what fills the first page of the book of my remembrance thou knowest.

During this early part of my life, among the many thoughts that forced themselves on my mind, were those of my future existence which were often brought on my mind, by my father’s prayers and admonitions, but more particularly by the latter. I can remember before I was eight years old of having seasons when alone, in which I felt much concerned about my soul. When I was in my eighth year, my father removed into a town called Bridgwater, in the State of Vermont, in the Country of Windsor. My father was the first family that moved into the town; it was therefore entirely a wilderness, excepting a small house-spot, where the trees were cleared away, together with a few other trees such as were suitable for erecting a sort of shelter, which was called a log house. It was in the month of March when my father and family arrived at our new habitation. Our house (though to the popular part of mankind may seem strange) was erected without either plank, joint, boards, shingles, stone, brick, nails or glass; but was built wholly of logs, bark, boughs and wooden pegs in the room of nails. The snow then was about four feet deep, and the weather extremely cold; and many trees within reach of the house, and two miles from neighbors. We were favoured however with warm clothing, and solid provision, and enough of it; although our house and furniture was not quite so delicate to some. The great plenty of wood which was so nigh was easily collected into a large heap before one end of the house, (the greater part of which was open) and set on fire; thus it was kept day and night, until the weather grew warm. What little household furniture we then had in our new habitation, was drawn two miles on hand-sleds, drawn by men, on snow-shoes; which made a path sufficiently hard for my mother, and such of the children as were not able to assist in drawing the hand-sleds, to follow after. This may seem incredible to some, but there are numbers now living who were assistants in this singular removal. The object which stimulated my father to move at this period was, that he might make sugar on his own land; which was done by extracting sap from maple trees, and boiling it into sugar; this must be done in the months of March and April. But to return to the situation of my mind.....I know not a better similitude than the wilderness in which I then dwelt; uncultivated, and inhabited by the wild beasts of prey; dreary and melancholy. I must here notice one remarkable event which took place in that wilderness country that first summer of our living in it. About the middle of summer, a party of Indians came to Barnard, the town adjoining us on the north, and took four men captive and carried them to Canada. I must here notice several singular events that took place the second year. The Indians came to Royalton the latter part of summer or fall, about 18 or 20 miles distant, plundered and burned the town, killed some and took many captive. The same year in the month of June there was a very solemn instance of mortality in Woodstock, the town adjoining us on the east. The circumstances which give rise to this solemn event were as follows, viz. Two men in the middle stage of life, each had a family, and were great and particular friends, and delighted greatly in gunning. Those two men, Mr. Nathan Tinkham, and Mr. Moses Sampson, had seated themselves by the side of a little swamp, in order to watch for deer on the opposite part from which they expected their game to come. But not as they expected, the deer made his appearance in such a position as brought Sampson, exactly in a range with the deer from Tinkham, and as Sampson sat on lower ground than Tinkham, Tinkham supposed that with all safety he might fire over Sampson’s head and kill the deer; but terrible to relate that moment in which Tinkham fired off his gun, his friend Sampson attempted to arise; the charge from the gun met his head and tore it to pieces. Thus by what we call accident one friend shot the other. This solemn event, God was pleased to make use of to the awakening of the stupid inhabitants of that town; and a glorious work of the Lord ensued. This work was general in the town; and it seemed as though every person that had come to years of understanding, was struck with a sense of their miserable situation, out of Christ; and many were brought out of darkness, into God’s marvellous light; although more than twenty years have rolled away since that glorious event, yet a goodly number of Christians, are now living in Woodstock, who were sharers in that reformation; but some have fallen.

Another remarkable event which took place that summer, was the army of worms, which the Lord sent, to destroy the hope of the laborer. These worms were small, of dark grey or black colour. They all seemed to be marching one way; and in many places, in the roads and elsewhere, covered the ground in such a manner, as that one could not set down his foot without treading on a number of them. It became necessary at particular seasons; when those reptiles were on their march, for people to watch their doors continually, to prevent their floors from being covered with them. The grass in mowing ground, was almost entirely spoiled. The stalks were striped of all their leaves, and when they had eaten all the tender part of the grass, multitudes of them hung fast on the tops thereof, which bowed the stalk towards the ground, and in this situation, after they had spoiled the grass, died themselves...."All flesh is grass."

Indian corn, and English grain, were considerably damaged also. There was only one expedient found, by which people could prevent them from destroying their crops, which was done by digging a trench entirely around their fields. At such a time as this, every thing seemed to preach to the inhabitants; saying repent ye. I remember of having my attention more than usually called up to the concern of my soul, in the above mentioned reformation; by hearing Mr. Benjamin Burch speak about, thinking on death, judgment and eternity. Although I was only 8 or 9 years old, the pride of my heart was so great that I was ashamed to let any one know that I felt concerned about my soul; neither could I bear to have any one see me crying; and so quenched the spirit of the Lord I now felt the need of religion more than ever I had before, I was fully convinced that I must be born again or be damned. I used to frequent secret prayer. The place which I choose for this purpose, was at the foot of a rock, where it seemed there was a place carved out on purpose for me to kneel down at. When I took my late journey into Vermont, I visited the old rock in company with a friend. The rock may be seen about 4 or 5 rods southwesterly from the door of Mr. Walker, who now lives on the same place where my father once lived.