St. James Church Summerfield taken ca. 1910.

Front row left to right: David Sheehan, Ambrose Curley, unknown, Walter Curley, Felix Murphy, John E. Mulligan, Michael Lam be, Jack Cash, James Gillis, Peter Lawless, Alfred Curley and William Deighan.

Some of the others in the picture are: David Murphy, Jack Lawless, Barnaby Croken, Walter McCourt, John White, Joseph White, Patrick Cash, Louis O’Connor, John McEntee, Peter Deighan, David Allen

Sheehan.

Among the young ladies from the Parish who entered various religious orders were: Gladys McCourt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis McCourt; Eileen McEntee, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John McEntee; Mary Catherine White, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John T. White; Margaret Croken, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Croken; Hilda Moynagh, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Moynagh; Joan O’Connor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis O’Connor; Mary Faustina Driscoll, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M.P. Driscoll.

FREETOWN UNITED CHURCH formerly FREETOWN METHODIST CHURCH As far as available records show there was no church building in Freetown before 1860. Many of our forefathers reported there were instead, cottage prayer meetings conducted by lay preachers and devoted laymen for many years before 1860.

The indenture for purchase ofthe land from Edmund Crosby of Freetown and Sarah Ann Crosby, his wife, shows the purchase price of the land was five shillings “for a site for A Wesleyan Chapel”. This was supported by William G. Strong, merchant of Bedeque; George Crosby, farmer of Freetown; Samuel Bagnall, farmer of Bedeque; David Rogers, farmer ofFreetown; Edmond Crosby, farmer of Freetown; and George Miller Wright, miller of Dunk River Mills. The original signers for the Church Trustees were George M. Wright and George Crosby.

In 1862, Edmund Crosby gave the land on which the present church building stands. For the next two years work progressed on the structure, and in late 1864 the Freetown Methodist Church opened its doors for services. It was dedicated to the worship ofGod in the spring of 1865. Little is known about the Dedication Services except that two babies were baptized: George Hedley Crosby and Thomas Picton Rogers.

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