History tells us that Thomas Goold was used of the Lord to establish the first Baptist church in Boston. It also says that Brother Goold died on this day in 1675. That little body of believers was persecuted by the colonial government and its officially-recognized religious denomination: the Congregationalists. Because the Baptists disassociated themselves from the state church, and refused to support their ministers, they were castigated as anarchists – hostile to the welfare of the colony. Among the first members of Goold’s Boston church, and one who was persecuted, was William Turner.

In the year that Goold passed away, one of America’s least known wars began. King Philip and his Indians attempted to drive the Europeans from New England. As towns were burnt and lives were lost, the colonial government begged for a militia to rise to its defense. Brother Turner gathered a company of volunteers, most likely entirely from the church of which he was a member. This caused a problem for the government: to give Turner a commission would be the acknowledgment that the Baptists were not antagonistic to law and order, so initially they refused. But as the war continued and more Americans were lost, Massachusetts finally agreed to accept the Baptists’ company. On May 18, 1676, Captain Turner with 150 men surprised a body of 700 or 800 Indians. The battle near Deerfield, Massachusetts was such a decided victory that the enemy was never able to rally their strength again. Sadly, Brother Turner was slain during the battle. In commemoration of his sacrifice, a nearby town was named “Turner’s Falls,” becoming a begrudged compliment to the maligned patriots. And, although not stopping the persecution, no longer could the Baptists be charged with disloyalty.

– Source: This Day in Baptist History II, Cummins and Thompson