The search for Richard and Charl

It starts around 1802 in Northamptonshire England.
This theory assumes Richard was a member of the Baptist Church in England.

He was interested in becoming a Baptist Minister.
He would prepare himself before going to the new world in upstate New York.
He had seen and must have acknowledged that the English Baptists had a tough fight against the Church of England
He then would have been viewed as a problem in England.

He had no formal training, but rather a sense of calling backed up by a
testing of relevant gifts for the ministry. His example could have been in his own church. A William Carey from
Paulerspury, was the first missionary to India, also had no formal
training, but taught himself Latin, Greek and Hebrew with whatever local
help he could find. Freedom of worship was only granted in England in
1689, so we are talking about a time of only 100 years since being a
Baptist was actually illegal. The town Baptists depended on a horse riding minister.
He traveled giving services in each town.

Richard would actually be a missionary into this New York.
What ever Carey had done would also be true for him in New York.

Our recorded history is best found starting in 1830's with John and Sara Waite in Adams NY.
The family tree and word of mouth history completes this information.

The Obit by John Waite explains his father was a Baptist minister in Lorraine
- so this is the starting place for our search for Richard the Baptist.

01/25/08 Hello Ralph,

You need to be aware that the marriages were performed in the Church of
England, one in Heyford parish church, and the other in Paulerspury parish
church. The births were recorded in Towcester Baptist Church.

(previous email: Bans of Marriage between Richard Wait of ye Parish of Woolverton Bachelor
& Charlotte Scott of this Parish spinster were published 5th, 12th and
19th of April 1801

The said Richard Wait of ye Parish of Woolverton Bachelor & ye said
Charlotte Scott of this parish spinster were married by Banns 12 May 1801
Richard Wait made his mark, Charlotte signed
Witnesses John Smith, Mary Waite, and another I couldn't read.)

It was at that time in England the law that all marriages had to be
performed in the Church of England. Baptisms were optional, but as there
were no birth certificates, some form of record of birth was advisable,
hence the non-conformist registers of births / baptisms. Burials were
either not in consecrated ground (and no record made), or in the
churchyard, and if in the churchyard, there was either a service taken by
the vicar, or no service. The non-conformist ministers were not allowed to
officiate.

Does this help? Mary Taylor UK

In the towns around Towcester there are hardships reflected in the church notes..

The Church Book throws some interesting light on Towcester:

1811 We have cause for thankfulness that our prayer meetings are tolerably well attended. It is almost entirely the poor who attend these meetings. At Pury there were many who attended on Sabbath evenings

1813 Membership 57. Enlarged the gallery to 19 feet in length: still chapel full.

1819 Circumstances of a painful nature to record. S. Harris married a Methodist and has left us. Aaron Gibbs acts unworthy of his profession. Our old friend Scott has become embarrassed in his circumstances, and now left off coming to hear the Gospel with his wife and daughter, nearly twelve months.

The trade is so bad some of the poor cannot pay for their seats. [Lace making was suffering because of the end of the war, and French lace once more available]

But the chapel is full.

1827 No employment in Towcester. Our friend Snedker with his family is removed to Northampton. Two other families also, through want of employment.

1831 8 baptised - 2 received much opposition from parents. They were threatened with not being allowed to attend. Threats that they should no more return home have evaporated into air. Membership 95.

1835
Jan 27 Lydia Scott died suddenly
Aug 28 Rachel Miles died in child-bed. Membership 115. 7 baptisms

1838 John Barker records that when he came there were 30 members, all but two had since died. He had baptised 148, 12 had transferred in. Of these 34 had been removed by death, 8 dismissed and 8 withdrawn or excluded. In all, including the two old members, membership was 112.

The search for Richard and Charlotte Waite
who married in the Paulerspury Baptist Church in 1801.

Weston by Weedon Baptist Chapel was the mother church of Towcester Baptist
Chapel. The pastor at Weston used to preach in Towcester occasionally -
until he fell off his horse. Shortly after, the Baptists in Towcester
(about a dozen of them) decided to form their own church, and call their
own pastor.

Although there were Baptist Colleges at this date, they were very few, and
most Baptist pastors had no formal training.

One of Towcester's early pastors was called to the ministry in this way.
John Barker came from the Baptist Church at Walgrave in Northamptonshire.
From the Church Book of Walgrave Baptist Church:
1796 1 Dec At the Church Meeting this evening Br. Stephen Cox began in
prayer, sung a hymn, Br Timy Smith prayed, sung again and then in a humble
manner Br Stephen Barker spoke from Ps 90 v12. He took up two ideas and
made some pertinent remarks much to the satisfaction of all that heard
him. This was a pleasing and profitable session and we could not but bless
God for the appearance of acceptable gifts in one of our youngest members.
1796 29 Dec Br. John Barker and Br. Denton prayed. Br Stephen Barker spoke
from Habakkuk 2 v 3 - pertinent and much for edification.
1797 12 Jan Br. John Barker delivered some acceptable ideas from James 5 v
16. It was a pleasing and profitable season.
1797 Feb 16 Br John Barker delivered an acceptable sermon from Matt 22 v 42
1797 Mar 30 A letter was read from the church at Moulton asking leave of
us for our Brethern John and Stephen Barker to go and preach to them.
Leave was given.
1797 Apr 7 Our Brethern John and Stephen Barker delivered a short but
satisfactory account of their views of the Ministry; their leading motives
for their engaging them; their consciousness of inability and each
concluded with desiring the prayers of the Church for steadfastness in
their faith and practice and success in their work.
1797 Dec19 Our Br. Stephen Barker returned from Henley-in-Arden Warks
where he had spent one month by the invitation of that Church. In a
letter, they said they found him acceptable, and wished his return after
his brother John Barker had supplied them for four Sabbaths
1797 Dec28 Br. Stephen Barker was encouraged to accept the invitation from
Henley.
1798 Brother Barker set out for Henley on 16th January, after a service on
the 15th.
1798 The church prayed for Stephen Cox, as he was also entering the ministry.

1802 May 20 Our Brother Barker lately dismissed to the Church at Towcester
was ordained to the pastoral office over them. The congregation upon the
occassion was very large and much seriousness and attention was
discovered. A. Payne [Pastor at Walgrave, and Elizabeth's father] was 1797
Dec19 Our Br. Stephen Barker returned from Henley-in-Arden Warks where he
had spent one month by the invitation of that Church. In a letter, they
said they found him acceptable, and wished his return after his brother
John Barker had supplied them for four Sabbaths
1797 Dec28 Br. Stephen Barker was encouraged to accept the invitation from
Henley.
1798 Brother Barker set out for Henley on 16th January, after a service on
the 15th.
1798 The church prayed for Stephen Cox, as he was also entering the ministry.
1802 May 20 Our Brother Barker lately dismissed to the Church at Towcester
was ordained to the pastoral office over them. The congregation upon the
occassion was very large and much seriousness and attention was
discovered.

I should mention that what these days is called "induction" into a church
was at this date called "ordination". They were ordained to the ministry in
a particular church, not to "the ministry" as a whole. John Barker stayed
at Towcester until his death. Another early member of Towcester Baptist
Church, Richard Lowe, also became a minister via this route.

So, no formal training, but rather a sense of calling backed up by a
testing of relevant gifts for the ministry. William Carey from
Paulerspury, who was the first missionary to India, also had no formal
training, but taught himself Latin, Greek and Hebrew with whatever local
help he could find. Freedom of worship was only granted in England in
1689, so we are talking about a time of only 100 years since being a
Baptist was actually illegal.

Woolverton will be Wolverton - spelling was not their strong point! No
compulsory education results in some weird and wonderful spellings.
Towcester itself (pronounced "Toaster") is also spelt Toster, Towster,
Tocester, Tossiter and many more ways.

The nearest chapel to Wolverton would be Stony Stratford Baptist Church.
This was started before the 1689 Act of Toleration, so the members
occasionally had to escape from the chapel before it was raided! However,
there is no guarantee that Richard was a Baptist much before he was
married. He may alternatively have been Church of England or even
Independent. All I can say with some certainty is that his birth is not
recorded either at Towcester (any church) or at Potterspury Independent
Church. The early Stony Stratford Baptist registers do not appear to have
survived. He may well have been baptised in an Anglican church, however.
And Richard may only have been working in Wolverton, rather than having
started life there. It would be helpful if you could try to locate his
death / burial in Lorraine (?possibly) and ascertain an approximate age
for him. Without that, extensive work to make sure all possible Richards
are found, and eliminated may be necessary - there seem to be all too many
of them round here.

I am very much aware that you are not only trying to research in a foreign
country, but across 200 years and in a totally different church culture
(at that date, it is pretty foreign to us to!). So while I am trying to
explain as simply as I can, it may not be simple enough. So come back if
there's anything you don't understand.

Mary

You introduced new facts:
> Woolverton (assume not wolverton) Buckinghamshire.as a living place for
> Richard Wait
> Weston for a Baptist chapel - but relationship not defined
> Scott name for Charlotte Born Dec 21 1775
> John and Mary Scott as her parents
> Richard and Charlotte marriage date 1801 12-May Paulerspury
> Paulerspury Baptist church began 1784.
>
> The attached obit in 1892 of his son John Waite indicates his father was a
> Baptist minister.
> The open question is what was the way for Richard from Woolverton to become
> a minister within this UK background.
> How can we get more records for Richard, birth and more.

These are from the records of Towcester Baptist Church. Towcester Baptist
> Church was only started in 1784, and being a Baptist was no easy thing at
> that date. They were viewed with suspicion, and discriminated against.
> During the time Richard and Charlotte were having children, there was a
> minister called John Barker resident in Towcester, and it is obvious that
> people travelled a long way to services. Before the Towcester congregation
> started, Towcester people were members at Weston Baptist Chapel, which was
> miles away.

In the Northants Marriage index, I have:
>
> Richd WAIT of Woolverton Charlotte SCOTT 1801 12-May Paulerspury
>
> The Baptist register does have several children for a John & Mary Scott of
> Paulerspury, and adherence to the Baptist cause had a tendency to run in
> families. Charlotte Scott's birth is recorded in the register:
> Charlot Scott d John & Mary Scott Paulerspury Northants Born Dec 21 1775
>
> Wolverton is over the county border in Buckinghamshire.

If Baptist people from Towcester came to the Westin Baptist Chapel to attend church it is easy to see that Richard could meet Charlotte (born 1775) in in this situation.

As the Paulespury Baptist church in 1784 came into being it she would have been 9 years old and it would be natural for Richard to move/visit Paulerspury to be near her and for their marriage when she was 26 in 1801. He also may have been a minister in training.

When he came to the US as a minister it is not clear if she survived and came with him to Lorraine NY

Woolverton to Towcester Paulerspury Baptist Church was 108 miles or 2 hr 24 min today