New Hampshire

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See Branches of Plymouth Brethren to explain abbreviation types (although in short: OB (& TW-P) are Halls & Chapels within the "open brethren" (although GH's (generally) maintain a separate network from the Chapels). EB/TW/TW-N are "Careful" Brethren (similar to OB Halls), and BC are (generally) independent community churches with early or indirect PB influence, and will (usually) not consider themselves "Brethren").  AA/CA refers to assemblies of African or Caribbean origin, or predominant demographic, although all ethnicities are overly welcome in any assemblies.

The above primer link expands on the abbreviations, and also contains introduction to this (and other) sheets within the overall History. There have been scores of branches with their own distinctive networks and strengths within the history of the PB, and many branches continue to flourish today, and while no assembly or gathering is identical to the others, each is thought to maintain a fervent desire for simplicity in gathering around the Lord Jesus, though practices and secondary doctrines may vary culturally and/or preferentially as autonomous (yet inter-dependent) local churches.

Assemblies are sorted geographically, and will, D.V., eventually have further history within. Red links on Brethrenpedia are presently undeveloped, and blue links contain data. Appreciate patience with our progress, and if you'd like to help, please contact any of the editing team, preferably via social media.


Northern NH

Northwestern NH

Grafton County

Lebanon

Lyme

Southern NH

Southcentral NH

Hillsborough County

Hudson

Manchester

  • Manchester Gospel Hall, NH (OB) +1922-1936+
    • @ 19 N. Main St. +1922-1927+. There was no listing in 1941 or 1943 in NH for assemblies, however Chalmers' memorial was held at the assembly in 1943, he lived in Poughkeepsie, NY several years before he died.
    • c/o Thomas Nesbitt Chalmers @ 21 N. Main St. +1922-1936+ (b. 1875 Causewayhead, Stirling, Scot.; emig. 1911; d. 1943 Poughkeepsie, Dutchess, NY), son of George Chalmers & Marion Meed Chalmers. Employed at the Schatz Bearing Corp. several years. Wife: Jeanie Simpson Hunter Chalmers-Farquhar (b. 1895 Scot. - d. 1978). Jeanie's 2nd husband was William G. Farquhar.
      • Thomas' memorial at MGH c/o Alfred Allendorph Schoonmaker II (1910-1990 Poughkeepsie, NY), son of Alfred Allendorph Schoonmaker I (1880-1936 Poughkeepsie, NY) & Addie Florence Mallory Schoonmaker (1881-1961 Poughkeepsie, NY).
        • In 1874, Alfred II's grandfather Silas Snyder Schoonmaker (1851-1919) founded a funeral home in Red Hook, led by four generations of family leadership, most recently with Al Schoonmaker III (1944-2019) who served 1971-2019. The A.A. who officiated Chalmers' memorial was affiliated with Christ Episcopal. The Schoonmaker family was historically Dutch Reformed, and among the earliest pioneers of Kingston, NY starting with Hendrick Jockemsen Schoonmaker (b. 1560 Germany - d. 1627 Rockland Co., NY) with his wife Elsie Jansen Schoonmaker van Breestede (b. 1630 Germany - d. 1684 Kingston, NY) whose great-grandmother Engeltje Marritje Jans Wouterszen (b. 1540 Germany - d. 1647 Esopus, Ulster, NY) settled in 1636. Kingston was New York's first capital as an independent state.
    • 1926 USCoRB indicates there were 13 in fellowship (5 men, 8 women), including 3 S.S. teachers presiding over 10 students, totaling 23. as well as 10 S.S. students (with 3 teachers). They spent $218.48 on Hall expenditures, and $265.00 on the Lord's work, totaling $483.78.
    • 1937-12 LaL: "J.D. Ferguson recently visited Vermont and New Hampshire. This is his second gospel tour of Vermont, he hopes, D.V., to return in 1938. He had meetings in Richford, Westburke and St. Johnsburg, Vt. On his return to Canada he had good meetings at Lennoxville, Quebec."
    • 1938 LaL: "J.D. Ferguson labored in the gospel in Ottawa, Richmond, and Osgoode Sta. during January. Now he has before him Vermont and New Hampshire states. Prayer is requested."

Nashua

Merrimack County

Concord

  • Concord Home Fellowship (KLC-EB) +2016+

Pittsfield

Southeastern NH

Belknap County

Barnstead

  • Central Barnstead Gospel Fellowship, NH (OB) 1963-1965; 1968+
    • The Center Barnstead Gospel Center 1963
    • @ home of Selden Rollins 1968
    • c/o William Woodwarp 1964-1965;
      • possibly spelled Woodward. Wilbur Harvey Woodward (1880-1975)???
    • c/o Selden Bartlett Rollins, Jr. 1968+ (b. 1929 Gilmanton Ironworks, Belknap, NH - d. 2001 Concord, Merrimack, NH), son of Selden Bartlett Rollins, Sr. (b. 1874 Gilmanton, NH - d. 1948 Gilmanton Ironworks, NH) & Eva Maybell Jones Rollins (b. 1895 Gilmanton, NH - d. 1955 Wolfeboro, Carroll, NH). Wife: Belle Joan Parker Rollins (b. 1930 Detroit, Wayne, MI - d. 2021 Boscawen, Merrimack, NH), daughter of Leon Dwight Parker (b. 1878 Fitchburg, Worcester, MA - d. 1952 Wolfeboro, NH) & Bella M. MacLeod Parker (b. 1896 Whitton, Compton, QC - d. 1950 Concord, NH).

Rockingham County

Newfields

Newmarket

Strafford County

Barrington

  • Sunnyside School Assembly, NH (OB) +1958; 1960-1962
    • @ Sunnyside School, 3 mi. west of Barrington on Routes 4 & 9
    • c/o Phillips Nelson Elwin Strout +1958-1962 (b. 1905 Beverly, Essex, MA - d. 1978 Pittsboro Christian Village, NC). Also lived in Deptford, NJ), son of Fred Elwin Strout (b. 1877 Manchester, NH - d. 1954 Daytona Beach, Volusia, FL) & Jennie Mildred Rolfe Strout (b. 1884 Portland, Cumberland, ME - d. 1976 Daytona Beach, FL). Fred Strout had left Manchester before 1880. Wife: Clara Belle Ashley Strout (b. 1910 Traverse City, Grand Traverse, MI - d. 1999 Pittsboro Christian Village, NC), daughter of Albert Edward Ashley (b. 1868 Thurlow, Hastings, ON - d. 1943 Oakville, Grays Harbor, WA) & Jennette Eva Smith Ashley (b. 1878 Traverse City, MI - d. 1948 Elma, Grays Harbor, WA). Clara Strout had some affiliation with Collingdale Bible Gospel Chapel in Springdale, PA, associated with Andrew Lees.

Southwestern NH

Cheshire County

Jaffrey

  • East Jaffrey gospel work (OB) 1938-1939
    • 1938-12 LaL: "Hugh Thorpe had a week of gospel meetings in a hall in East Jaffrey, New Hampshire. This is a pioneer effort. As the result of a few meetings last summer, a husband and wife professed salvation. Three others who profess to have been saved years ago are not content with the "systems". To our knowledge this state is without an "assembly" as we know them. Pray for this work."
      • Hugh Thorpe evangelized (with Joe Pearson) in Crapaud, Prince Edward Island in 1932 which, followed by Russell Harris, John Spreeman, Herb Harris & Albert Joyce, resulted in the first assembly being planted there in 1934. Thorpe also ministered in 1922 in Barbados, and Port Howe, Nova Scotia.

Keene

  • Keene Gospel Hall, NH (OB) +1922+
    • @ 20th & Dickerson (Dickinson?) Sts., Downtown
    • c/o Dr. Albert Atherton Taft +1922+ (b. 1867 Hancock, Hillsborough, NH - d. 1946 West Swanzey, Cheshire, NH), son of Dr. Albert Hamilton Taft (b. 1837 Nelson, Cheshire, NH - d. 1906 Winthrop, Suffolk, NH) & Mary Louette Atherton Taft (1845-1924 Winchester, Cheshire, NH). Wife: Ermine "Minnie" Mercier Taft (b. 1879 Springfield, Hampden, MA - d. 1939 Keene, NH), the youngest of 17 children of Edward Mercier (b. 1830 Saint-Roch-des-Aulnais, QC - d. 1908 Springfield, MA) & Lucie Archambault Mercier (b. 1834 St. Jude, St. Hyacinthe, QC - d. 1911 Springfield, MA). Dr. & Mrs. Taft had no children of their own.

The Taft family emigrated from London, England & Louth, Ireland to the U.S., arriving in Braintree (now Greater Boston), MA in 1667. With regard to relation to the 27th President of the U.S., William Howard Taft (1857-1930), Albert's g5-grandfather Robert II (1674-1748) & Pres. Taft's g3-grandfather Joseph (1680-1747) were brothers, sons of Robert Taft (b. 1640 Leinster, Louth, Ireland - d. 1724 Mendon, Worcester, MA).

Albert's parents moved to Winchester by 1880 where Albert Sr. established a medical practice. Albert grad Winchester High & Dartmouth, interned a year at the Mary Hitchcock hospital, then in Hanover. He also spent a year at the Carney and St. Elizabeth hospitals in Boston. Subsequently he served as medical superintendent at Long Island & Deer Island hospitals for poor Irish immigrants. About 1906, Dr. Taft settled in Keene where he established a private practice where he remained until retiring in the late 1930's, and living with relatives until his death.

  • Keene Meeting Room, NH (TW-EB) +1962+
    • c/o Omer Henri Vadnais (b. 1905 L'Ange Gardiene, Rouville, QC - d. 1997 Westmoreland, Cheshire, NH), son of Polydore Vadnais (1863-1953) & Celina Coiteux Vadnais (1888-1946). 

Omer emigrated to the U.S. in 1947, and later to Keene (from Weare, NH) in 1955 where he was employed under MacMillin Construction as its superintendent, retiring in 1975. Likely in fellowship with the assembly in Boston while residing in Weare. Omer was converted to Christ, with his wife, Adele Nadeau Vadnais (b. 1901 Saint-Ann, Berlin, NH - d. 1960 Keene, NH) from Roman Catholicism somewhere after 1927 when they had a Catholic wedding in Hampden, MA, and by 1931 they were residing in Verdun, QC both affiliated (census-wise) with the PB, presumably in fellowship at Natural History Hall in Montreal, although there was also an open meeting in Verdun by 1936 (and perhaps as early as 1931) so there is that too.  One of their children was Valerie A. Vadnais Jangro (b. 1935 Montreal, QC - d. 2009 Jessup, MD), active with the Evangelical Free.

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