"Laban Ainsworth was born on July 19, 1757, in Woodstock, Connecticut. He attended Dartmouth College (Class of 1778) and served briefly as a chaplain in the Revolutionary Army. After hearing him at the Dartmouth commencement, a committee of Jaffrey residents asked him to come to Jaffrey. He was ordained minister on December 10, 1782.

"Parson Ainsworth was very popular in Jaffrey. In 1787 he was maried and brought his wife Mary to town, an event marked by feasts and celebrations. Tragedy struck in February of 1788, however, when Ainsworth's house (at the corner of Main Street and Gilmore Pond Road) burned to the ground, injuring Mrs. Ainsworth and killing Isaac Spofford, son of a church deacon. The people of Jaffrey took it upon themselves to provide the minister with a new home, which has remained in the family ever since.

"Parson Ainsworth was a member of the Masons, the Jaffrey Library Society, the Washington Benevolent Society, and was superintendent of schools. He was one of Jaffrey's most prominent citizens, and advised in matters both secular and spiritual. He served the Town faithfully until his death in 1858. His service of 76 years as minister in the same town is said to be unmatched by any Congregational minister in America"

From The Jaffrey Meetinghouse brochure, by Peter Lambert ©1999 Town of Jaffrey, NH