Enoch Mudge (1776–1850) was the first native

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

er to be ordained as a Methodist minister.

Biography

Born in Lynn, Mass. to Enoch and Lydia (Ingalls) Mudge, he was converted under Jesse Lee, the pioneer of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

in New England, and entered the ministry in 1793.University of Toronto website, ''Author: Mudge, Enoch''
/ref> He labored as an itinerant preacher in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

until 1799, when his health gave way and he was forced to retire. He settled in

Orrington, Maine Orrington is a town on the Penobscot River estuary in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,812 at the 2020 census. History Orrington was originally part of Condustiegg or Kenduskeag Plantation, which also included the ...

, and was twice chosen Representative to the

General Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days ...

, in 1811-12 and 1815–16. In 1811 he had much to do with passing the "Religious Freedom Bill," which repealed a law requiring

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

taxpayers of any denomination to pay taxes to support the

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

. In 1814 he was chaplain to a Maine militia regiment that participated in the

Battle of Hampden The Battle of Hampden was an action in the British campaign to conquer present-day Maine and remake it into the colony of New Ireland during the War of 1812. Sir John Sherbrooke led a British force from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to establish New I ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. In 1816 he moved back to Massachusetts and resumed preaching. From 1832 to 1844 he was

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of the

Seamen's Bethel The Seamen's Bethel (or Seaman's Bethel) is a chapel in New Bedford, Massachusetts, New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, located at 15 Johnny Cake Hill. It most often served as a chapel that the many sailors visiting New Bedford would atte ...

New Bedford New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...

. There

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...

heard him preach, and Mudge was one of the models for the character of

Father Mapple Father Mapple is a fictional character in Herman Melville's novel ''Moby-Dick'' (1851). A former whaler, he has become a preacher in the New Bedford Whaleman's Chapel. Ishmael, the narrator of the novel, hears Mapple's sermon on the subject of Jon ...

in ''

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

''.

Publications

*''The American Camp-meeting Hymn Book: containing a Variety of Original Hymns'', published 1818 *''Lynn, a Poem written in the Year 1820'', published 1826

Family

He married Jerusha Hinkley Holbrook in 1797 and they had four children. Enoch Mudge was the father of Thomas H. Mudge and the uncle of Zachariah A. Mudge. His papers are held at Boston University. Boston University website, Archives section, ''Mudge, Enoch, 1776-1850''
/ref> *

References

External links

Enoch Mudge Biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mudge, Enoch 1776 births 1850 deaths Politicians from Lynn, Massachusetts 19th-century American Methodist ministers Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives War of 1812 chaplains