This collection contains 6 incoming and outgoing letters and documents (20 pages) concerning a dispute between Joseph Foster of Warner, New Hampshire, and the Warner Congregational Church. Foster exchanged letters and signed statements with the church's pastor, Jubilee Wellman, about his attempts to atone for (unspecified) improper financial conduct.
The first item in the collection is Foster's signed statement confessing to financial transgressions (January 17, 1835), and the remaining 5 items relate to allegations later lodged by James Straw, a fellow church member, concerning Foster's atonement. Straw believed that Foster had not fulfilled the terms of his official confession. Reverend Jubilee Wellman later presented Foster with a formal list of charges and provided minutes from a meeting that had convened to discuss Foster's actions. After being found guilty by a unanimous vote, Foster wrote to Wellman, expressing his sadness at being estranged from the congregation (September 1, 1835). The final letter is Wellman's response to Foster, in which he gave further information about the charges and evidence against Foster and encouraged him to seek repentance (8 pages, September 21, 1835).
Joseph Warner, an elderly resident of Warner, New Hampshire, belonged to the Warner Congregational Church in the early 19th century. He had multiple sons. In 1835, he became involved in a dispute with the church over alleged financial misconduct. Though he confessed to indiscretions, some church members believed that Foster had not properly atoned for his actions.
Jubilee Wellman was born in Gill, Massachusetts, on February 20, 1793. After studying theology in Bangor, Maine, he preached at the Congregational Church at Frankfort, Maine (1824-1826) and the Congregational Church at Warren, New Hampshire (1827-1837). He continued to preach in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts for the rest of his life. Jubilee Wellman died on March 18, 1855.
