In Ye Olden Times: Ministerial Tax and Baptist Persecution

Howdy neighbor! Last month, I referred to the Tythingmen of Bridgton, those old religious watchdogs of the pre-1820s age when state law formally upheld the tenets of the Christian faith, most particularly the state-sanctioned Congregationalism native to Massachusetts. When I introduced them, I focused primarily upon the Tythingmen’s role as enforcer of state laws against sabbath-breaking, profanity and other unchristian behaviors, but part and parcel with these duties was arguably a more important (and certainly more practical) consideration — that of religious tax-collector. For each year in Bridgton, as in all other towns here in the old District of Maine, until our independence from Massachusetts in 1820, every land-owning citizen was required, as a part of his annual tax, to pay a portion toward the support of the Congregational Church. This was called Ministerial Tax, which being collected by the town was then paid out directly to the Congregational minister to cover his salary and church expenses.

While the early records of Bridgton’s first church were sadly lost many years ago, certain pieces of testimonial evidence still survive attesting to the long and often difficult practice of collecting ministerial tax here in Bridgton and our neighboring towns. To begin with, it is important to note that the law as it stood at the time of Bridgton’s incorporation in 1794 made no distinction as to creed or belief; all members of a town owning land sufficient to warrant their payment of tax were equally obliged to give a portion of that tax for the support of the Congregational minister settled in their parish. Simply living in Bridgton automatically made them members of Bridgton’s parish, and so this annual tithe was required of all taxpayers irrespective of whether or not they were actually part of the congregation. The mere fact that Congregational services were put on for the public good was what they were taxed to support; any personal difference of faith was not accepted as a cause worthy of exempting anyone from this civic obligation.