Trustees of New Hampshire &C. Methodist Church v. Methodist Church

The issues in the present dispute must be determined in the light of the historical development of the functions and conduct of both the plaintiff and defendant as corporate religious organizations chartered by the General Court of New Hampshire. Although the Methodist Church was organized in this country in 1784 and members of that faith first “appeared in 1792” in this state, it was not until 1807 that Methodism was recognized by the General Court “as a distinct religious sect or denomination . . . entitled to all the privileges and immunities which any other denomination is entitled to by…