History of the Reed family in Europe and America

362 WILLIAM KEADE OF WEYMOUTH,
pastor of the Congregational Church and Society in West
Bridgewater ; being only the third minister of that ancient
parish. In the same year, he married Hannah Sampson of
Middleborough. His children were — John, born Sept. 2,
1781 ; Daniel, Aug. 29, 1783 ; Hannah, Dec. 15, 1785, died
Feb. 20, 1786 ; Solomon, born March 22, 1788 ; Hannah,
July 7, 1790 ; Sally, March 21, 1793, died April 27, 1797 ;
Caleb, born April 22, 1797 ; and Sampson, June 10, 1800.
His wife died in 1815 ; and, in 1822, he married Mrs.
Phoebe Paddock, sister of his first wife.
Mr. Reed was a man of remarkably clear and discrimi-
nating intellect ; was known and acknowledged by the
strong minds of his time as a master of logic, — of the great
art of thinking and reasoning correctly. In the earnest
theological discussions between the Hopkinsians and the Ar-
minians at the large clerical gatherings of fifty years ago,
he always stood forward as the champion of the Liberal doc-
trine. By his ready exposure of sophistry, and his clear and
forcible statements, the success of his argument was gene-
rally triumphant and crushing.
Soon after the adoption of the Federal Constitution, the
almost unanimous sentiment of his Congressional district
pointed to him as eminently qualified, by his ardent patriot-
ism, his sound judgment, and his readiness and power in
debate, for the office of representative in Congress ; and,
in 1794, he was elected to fill the office, which he held for six
years, through three successive Congressional terms ; at the
close of which time, lie declined a re-election. In 1803, he
received the degree of Doctor in Divinity from Brown Uni-
versity. Several of his occasional discourses were published ;
and, about the year 1805, he published a duodecimo volume
on the subject of Infant Baptism.
In his intercourse with men, Mr. Reed's manner, notwith-
standing his high intellectual claims, was always marked by