Yes, in those days people took religion very seriously, and the connection between state and religion (”establishment”) had not been broken. I have recently been reading about the history of New England, which was basically founded as a theocratic society by the Puritans. Dissidents like Quakers were persecuted and even killed. The wording of the First Amendment was designed to prevent disestablishment of religion in states where it existed (like MA), while forbidding establishment of a single church nationwide.
That was the New England perception of the so-called “Establishment Clause,” with several State Churches enduring into the early nineteenth century.
Compare and contrast to others, particularly in the south, where the State Church was disestablished immediately or very nearly so.
You can certainly tell where the religious dissenters had settled (or were driven, as the case may be).