I am Peleg Burroughs. I am a Baptist preacher, born in Newport on June 5, 1748 to Samuel and Mary Greene Burroughs, but I changed my birthdate to June 16th to fit the new calendar. I grew up worshiping at the Second Baptist Church and was baptized on February 26, 1767. Although my church rejected me after I wed the widow Kezia Burdick West in 1772, they finally accepted my confession and received me back into full communion in 1774. The next month, it being April, “the Church took into consideration the gifts of Brother Peleg Burroughs as a minister of the gospel and concluded that they were profitable and that he have Liberty to preach in the meeting house next fifth day.”
The next year, I was called to preach in Tiverton, and although I did not want to go, I felt that if it was my calling, I would go, and so I headed to Tiverton with my wife and child. We were blessed with seven more children; the first of which was born in Little Compton, but the others were born in Tiverton where I live next to the Old Stone Church.
I kept a journal of my time there, starting in 1778, and I have included entries from that cold December herein.
[Note: the following are exact entries from his journal, so all “misspellings” are his.]
12 Mo.-2nd. 4thof the week. This day was held a church meeting at which was many brethren and several sisters, who first came to a unanimous resolution and appointed messengers (C.H., J.L. and P.T.) to admonish all such as have been absented themselves from church meeting and publick meetings without a suficient reason, and to let them know that if they continued to neglect (after some time of patience) they must be excluded from their fellowship. Next, they unanimously cut off and excluded Job Briggs from the church (until satisfaction be made by repentance) for the forementioned faults, and his late scandalous conduct in his family. Many other things were lovingly and in great agreement of judgment conversed upon, some exhortations given by the brethren one to another, and on the whole I have been comforted, and suppose this to be the best church meeting they have held since I came among them; they also seemed to receive my exhortation so well, that I am in some hopes they will meet together next First day without me, as I expect to be absent, having purposed (if the Lord will) to set out on a journey tomorrow, which was the reason of holding church meeting today.
1778-12 Mo. -11th. 6th day of the week. Yesterday sennight I sat off on a journey . . . [I am only including the Tiverton portions here; this journey was to Warwick (where he preached), Providence, and Swansea.]
13th. First day of the week. Yesterday afternoon I visited Brother John Taber once more, and being willing to conclude by his expressions that his mind had got much more humble and tender than it was when I saw him before (tho’ he has not yet made acknowledgment) I prayed with him with much freedom and assistance; had much talk with his son Earle, and towards night (with my wife) visited the widow Sanford, where I was taken with great pain of the cholick, which is not yet quite removed; nevertheless, I was enabled to attend a meeting today (tho’ it has rained hard all day) at the house of Othniel Campbell at the request of Cion Sebery, whose daughter-in-law (his son Aaron’s wife) deceased there about 10 o’clock the night before last, and spake to the people from Eccles. 2:16 (How dieth the wise man? As the fool). Deacon Sawyer also went to prayer.
I must not omit to record that, since I came home from my journey, I have been informed by my wife that a few of the brethren and Sisters of this church did meet together last First day (according to my desire expressed in my exhortation to the whole of them) and spent some hours together in the meeting house, reading and conversing, she also being with them; but when a motion was made that some one should go to prayer, the brethren were so backward that one of the sisters (R.B.) was constrained to proceed in it. O, that this small and feeble attempt and beginning may be but, as it were, the forerunner and seed of more great and glorious things. Can these dry bones live? O Lord God, thou knowest; come from the four winds, O breath! (O spirit divine, come!) and breathe upon these slain and they shall, and will, live unto God even so. Amen.
17. 5th of the week. The day before yesterday, having business to do so abroad as far as David Cook’s , Fobes Little’s, I took occasion to visit several others of my friends and neighbours going and returning chiefly on foot, it being exceeding cold weather. I spent sometime yesterday also in visiting round the 4 Corners and going to mill, and today have been confined by rain to work in the house, having Benjamin Barker (son of Peleg) and William Bliss (son of William) to visit me.
19th. 7th of the week. Yesterday I visited the Widow Wait and Philip Taber and besides doing much business; and today visited Pardon Taber, John Weeden and the Widow Fish, sick, with whom I prayed.
20th. First day of the week. Was enabled to preach some uncommon truths with uncommon assistance and utterance to a large assembly from Luke 1:79 (To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace.) Asa Jones from Royalston present with us and in the evening he spake to a few who attended meeting in my dwelling house, and tarried with me all night. I labored hard with him and at length partly convinced him how wrong it is for a disciple of Christ to engage in outward war.
22. 3rd day of the week. Yesterday (accompanyed by Asa Jones) I went on foot to attend the funeral of John Perry (aged 23) at the house of D. Dwelly; after the meeting was set, which consisted of a great number of People, Daniel Rogers first rose and spake some time and prayed; then Asa Jones spake a few minutes, after who Brother Rogers spake again a considerable while, and after he had held his peace, I thought duty to rise and give my hearty assent and amen to the chief that had been spoken, and after suming up the matter, went to prayer; after which Asa Jones made another short speech, and lastly D. Rogers spake again, addressing himself principally to the mourners by way of exhortation. I tarried at Dwelly’s all night and came home to day after visiting and praying with several families by the way. A tedious day to the flesh, by reason of the snow which fell last night and extreme cold today.
27th. First day of the week. For 4 days past it has been so extreme cold that I have been almost wholy confined to my own family (and friends who were with us) and had enough to do to supply them with wood and take care of my cow, except a little time I redeemed to visit Brother Hart and Stephen Browning’s child, sick; also on 6th day I visited Brother John Taber once more, and on that night a N.E. storm of snow began, and continued all day yesterday and most all last night, so cold and violent I do not remember the like, by reason of which I did not go yesterday to meeting at Benjamin Fishes, as I purposed to do, and nobody came to my house (or the meeting house) today; and indeed I have had as much and more worldly business to do today than I could well perform (emptying my house of snow, making paths, cutting wood) consistent with that attention to spiritual dutys which I endeavor to give every day, and in consequence of my having observed yesterday as a Sabbath. Yet the disappointment of meetings is a great cross to me. Since the storm within mentioned, I think I have heard of near 200 peoples perishing therein, an awful proof that stormy winds fulfill the word of God!
[December entries from Peleg Burroughs’ Journal 1778-1798, The Tiverton R.I. Years of the Humbly Bold Baptist Minister, edited by Ruth Widler Sherman, published by the Rhode Island Genealogical Society in 1981]