1
10
72
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/7776/F104_F2_E27_1954.pdf
28ca235e15e045a5a0d507302fbe4e31
PDF Text
Text
NOTES SUPPLEMENTARY
TO ABSTRACTS
OF
PROBATERECORDSOF FAIRFIELD COUNTY~CONN.
1745
- 1777
From the WILLIAM A. EARDELEYCollection
Long Island Historical
Brooklyn,N.Y.
1954
Society
.
�7 1f Jc
Copied for
Harriet
the Society by
Stryker-Rodda
�1.
1745
HICKOX Benj of Norwalk,
will
June 17,1745
wife Sarah;
E son Silas--2/5
of my Real Est.
son Ezra--2/5
of my Real Est.;
grandson
Silas
Clark son of my dead dau Sarah;
youngest
son
Bethel--1/5
of my Real Est.
Grandson
Nathan
Hickox,
Grandson
Ezra Hickox,
Dau Abigail;
sons Silas
& Ezra to be ex. "Before
Thos. Fitch
Apr.
Witness:
, wm. Gaylord,
Danl Trowbrid ~ e,
Richard
March~
Will probated
Dec. 3,1745.
HAWLEYDanl
takes
inv.
HUMPHRYRev. Mr.
~ erry of Stratford.
Danl
Est.
Mr. Benj
of Derby
Brooks
witness
of
will
Stratford
of Seth
HANFORD Hannah of Norwalk will
Feby 21,1744/5:
son
Theophilus
Hanford,
son Thomas Hanford,
son Elnathan
Hanford,
receive
the two bonds
that
Saml Cluckston
holds
of
mine. Dau Elizabeth
Waren wife of Edmund Waren Jr.
sons
J ames Kelly,
Jona.
Williams,
Saml
to be Ex. Witness
before
Saml Fitch,
Justice
Hanford,
testify
Jany 14,1745/6
Will probated
Feb. 18,1745/6.
HANFORD Saml wjtness
HILL Thos
witness
above
will
HUBBART Zach.
witness
HINMAN Eunice
dau.
HOWES Ebenz.
Brinsmade
of
HULL Saml.
HUBBELL Rich.
Stratfield.
HILL Thos.
wife
ex.
Est.
Curtiss
Est.
Jerusha
HOW Robt.
of Stratfield
Whelear
& Robt.
Chau(n?)
inv. July 1st 1746.
dau.
Stratford
of will
of
died.
cey.
of Fairfield
Stratford
brother-in-law
Martha
Abigail
of Wm. Hill
of
of
of Mrs.
Est.
of Fairfield
Sturgis
Jerusha
called
inv.
Inv.
Sturgis
Zacha.
inv.
HUBBELL Capt. Rich.
Shelton
of Stratford.
HUBBELL Rich.
will
of
takes
take
HILL Esther
Jerusha
of Stratford
Stratford.
takes
will
German
Stur~is
of
of Mary
Sturgis
Elizabeth
of Stratfield.
de s d,
Wells,
made Ex.
Mrs.
by Zacha.
of
F Birfield.
of Fairfield.
by Elizabeth
Basset
Inv. June 13,1746
Abi~ail
How Adrnr.
of
Stratfor
by John
swares
to
d.
�2.
1746
HANFORDMary wife of Thos. Hanford
John Saymore (Seymore) of Norwalk
of Norwalk
HANFORDElnathan
Saymore
witness
will
John
HILL Thos. Sheriff
of Fairfield
John Saymore of Norwalk
HUBBELL Saml Jr.
HA~1FORDSaml.
witness
Justice
HULL Cornelius
will
County
Isaac
&
Dau. of
of Norwalk
see will
Jennings
of
of Fairfield
at Norwalk
appraises
certain
land
of Moses Ward deed.
1747
HAWLEYMr. Saml of Stratford
deed. Inv. Jany 1, 1746/7
& A•••• Ward. Mtg . from Joseph
Goodwin-Thos. Bardslee
Mts;. from Edmund Hays for his blacksmith
tools--3/4
of
acre and small house purchased
of Edwd. Hawes--15 acres
Woodbury--1/3
of half a Right in the Indian Purchase
at
Town near Patituck-1/3 Right is so purchased.
Obediah
son of (cie'c1f'd and Admr . swares to Inv. July 3,1746/7
HAWLEYObediah
by
an
at
New
Hawley
son & Admr. of above.
HAWLEYMr. James dec'd of Stratfield
Inv. finished
Fe.2,
1746/7 by Joseph Booth & Thop? Nickhols.
Bldgs & homestead
24 acres-7
acres by Irelands
Brook--13
acres in ye Plain-5 acres in Wakles Field --16 acres by Luffs--12
acres at White .
Plain--15
acres at Golden Hill--Size
in ye Marsh etc.
Eunice Hawley admx. on her husbands
est.
swares to inv. Fe. 3,
1746/7
HA11FORDSarah
called
HOYT Abram witness
Joseph Bouttonsen
inv.
Bouttonsen
inv.
witness
Est . of Andrew Patterson
of above & dau.
will
of Nor'e.la.lk.
of Est . of
son in law to Mr. Thos.
HANFORDRuth wife
Norwalk.
HAWLEYDanl.
by Joseph
wlll
' takes
of Norwalk.
HUBBELL Josiah
takes
Stratford,
dec 1 d.
HANFORDPhineas
dau.
Scrivener
of Mr.
Mr. Abel Birdsey
Thos.
of
of Norwalk.
Scrivener
of
of Stratford.
HARVEYThos. of Fairfield
dec 1 d. Inv. Sept. 1, 1747 by James
Smedley & David Downs. l¼ acres of Homestead with house
& barn.
2 3/4 acres next a,.dj. - 19 acres adj . John Banks home
lot--3
acres bog meadow adj. Saml . Whitney --abt.
l¼ acres
salt meadow at Sasco--12
acres of woodland what was given
by Mr. Thos. Staples
of F. dec 1 d. $103 Right in Common--
�3.
done by Bond of Jos.
Bradly,
to Inv. Oct. 6, 1747.
HALL John
takes
HALL Richard,
inv.
est.
Mr.
Rev.
John
Mr.
Goodsell
Nathl.
Ex.
Tucker,
swares
dec
1
d.
ditto.
HARVEY Thos.
of Fairfield
will
July
24, 1747. Sister
Mary
& Kept House for me;
Sister
Martha who has always
lived
Deforcest
wife
Sister
Abigail
Peet and her dau. Abi~ail
of Samuel Deforest
all my prop . at death
of above sisters.
Friend
& Minister
John Goodsell
to be Exec.
Witness:
Saml. Whitney,
Joseph
Rowland,
David Thorp,
testify
Aug. 17,
same date.
1747, Will probated
1747
Son Nathl.
land
HAYES Mr. James of Norwalk will
April
& Poplar
Plain;
meadow & sedge at Canfields
at Smiths Hill
Island
on w. side & ye path leadiru;
to said island.~
127
or upper Div . Son James:
land at
Right
in Com.mona~e in left
CanannRem. of land on Canfields
Island
E. side with
path • .;!;. ye other
half
of l~nd where I lived
called
Lubton's
Lot.~
100 in Commons.
Son Thomas: Rem. of Home Lot. Land at
Canfields
Island
not before
given . N. Y. Cove Lot.
N . Y.
Indian
Field.
Land at Wolf Pit Hills
-100 of Commons,
~eadow at Rocky Snring
Creek.
To dau. Mary, Eunice,
Rachel,
Elizabeth,
Allyn,
rem. of est.
Messrs.
Saml Cluckstone
&
Elnathan
Hanford
to be Execs.
Witness:
James Fitch,
Jr.
Sarah Hanford,
Hannah Hanford,
Testify
Oct, 12, 1747 before
Saml. Heri'ord
Justice.
Will probated
Dec. 1, 1747. Inv.
Oct. 28, 1747 by Saml. Fitch
·. Saml. Comstock.
Cove Lot
4 acres.
10 acres
at Wolf Pit Hills.
6 acres
at Canfields
Island.
29 acres
at Smiths Hills.
6 acres
in Indian
Field .
½ house & home lot--1 home lot where James Hay livesto
42 acres
at CananMeadow & sidge w. of path ye leads
Canfields
Island
& ye. west of so. Island.
ditto
on
-¾ acre at Rocky Sprirni;--60
acres
at Bauld Hill.
E. side.
HANFORD Elnathan
Exec . of above will
HANFORD Sarah witness
of above will
HANFORDHannah witness
above will
HA.~FORD Elnathan
witness
will
of Mr.
will
HUMPHREY Rev. Mr. Danl. witness
HUBBELL Saml.
of Fairfield.
Jr.
takes
inv . Est.
..,_
1 748 ( see
HAYES Nathl.
witness
HANFORD Elnathan
HARVEY Thos.
of Fairfield.
will
Saml Groman of Norwalk
Rev. Mr. Saml Cooke
of Mrs.
Sarah
Thompson
a 1 so p • 6)
of Mr . John
Fitch
Jr.
of Norwalk
ditto.
called
Cousin
& Exec.
of will
of John
Staples
.
�4.
HAWLEYEzra
takes
HIGENS Abraham
inv.
Jr.
Est . Stephen
adm.
est.
Gershom
Burritt
of
Lockwood
Strat:field.
of Norwalk.
HAWKINS Sarah dec'd
dau. of Saml. Davj_s of Stratford
Hawkins
called
Grandchildren
chil d ren Sarah & Mary
HILL Abigail
wife of Joseph
(Dimore)
of Fajrfield.
Hill
& dau .
her
by him.
of Capt.Mses
Dimon
HA1'JFORD Thos.
of Norwalk will
Sept.
2, 1747.
Wife Mary
1/3 moveable
est.
use 1/2 home & 1/3 real
Est .
Son Thos.
DW.G BarD & Homestead;
son Gershom,
dau . Mary; dau. Elizabeth;
dau. Catherine.
Wif e & Capt.
Saml. Cluckston
to be execs.
Witnesses
Theophilus
Hanford,
John Bouton,
Blnathan
Hanford.
testify
Sept.
2:-:l,1747 before
James Lockwood,Justice.
Will
probated
Feb. 2,1747/8.
Inv. before
Feb 2,1747 by John Raymond
& Joshua
Raymond .
l¼ acre of salt
mec;;dow, 2½ acres
of wood
land at Rhotan;
19 acres
at Hayes Hill;
1/2 acre & ~O rods
of aalt
meadow adj.
to it;
11½ acres
E. side of road from
Cozers Field
New Lot;
acres
at Coziers
Field
exclusive
of
ye Widow Coziers
thirds;
17i acres
at ye Middle
Clabbard
Hills;
43/4 acres
at Wolpet Plain;
5¼ acres at Rhoten; 4 acres below
18 acres
called
ye Smelt Lot;
2 acres
& 3 rods
Smiths
land;
Land; 5¼acres
at Clabboard
Clabbord
Hills
below Kello~s
Hills
near ye Hoad; 2 acres
at Clabbord
Hills
n. of Capt.
Keelers;
10 acres
n. side of Road as you to to Kello;s.
Exee. swareth to Inv. Feb 2,1747/8
2l
HANFORD Theophilus
HANFORD Elnathan
witness
ditoo
above
w~.11.
HALL Sarah wife of Saml. Hall
& dau.
of Mr.
of Fairfield.
HALL Sml. called
son in law & mr-de Exec . by
and takes
inv.
of Est.
of same.
HANFORD Mr. Elnathan
HANFORD Mr. Phineas
HANFORD Mr.
Ex . of will
of Jabez
witness
of said will
Saml.,Justice
HANFORD Elnathan
takes
at
inv.
HANFORD Sarah witness
will
HAN1i'ORDElnathan,
also
Crane
Silliman
II
II
of Norwalk
Norwalk
Est . of Mr.
of Thos.
Isaac
Mourhouse
HAWLEYStephen
takes
inv.
of New Milford
of Wilton
Mr. David Deforest
HULL Ensign John
by Ensign
Lemuel
Equal E . purchase
part
of sd. farm
Robt.
Sherwood
of Norwalk.
of Norwalk.
& Newtown
Est.
of
of Reading
dec•d.
Inv. as it was appointed
Sanford
& Mr. Wm. Lea Dec. 3, 1741 viz.
The
on his Farm Cont.
abt.
60 acres;
remaining
being ye West side together
with ye Land or
�5.
lake which he purchased
of Theophilus
Hull being
40
acr~s.
Dwling &- Barn on s .aid .Farm 10 acres
at Aspetuck
Neck; 31 Acres at Flat Ridge.
Jany 7,1748 Stepfhn
Burr
Abigail
Hull ex. sware to inv.
&
HAYES Nathl.
of Norwalk
dec'd
inv. Dec . 1,1748 by Asabel
& Isaac
Sherwood.
Dwlg, Barn & abt. , 18 acres
of
Raymond
Homestead,sedge
& meadow at Canfield
Island
abt.
40 acres
Land & Swamp above Smiths
Hill--abt.
18 acres near ye Bauld
Hills;~
127 Right in Commons.
Sarah Hayes & Elnathan
Hanford
Admrs . sware to inv . Jany 3, 1748.
HULL Abigail
Ex . of Est.
HANFORD Elnathan
of Ensign
Admr . of
Inv.
Est . of
HIDE John
Fairfield.
Est.
of
Inv.
Hull
Est . of Nathl.
HIGENS Abraham takes
Fairfield.
takes
John
Hayes
Benj.
Ephraiam
of
Reading
of Norwalk.
Couch
Bradley
dec'd
of
dec 'd
of
1749
Inv. Jan.
20,1748/9
by John Raymond
&
small
sloop;
his right
in commage; his
Right
in Commonage 5.11.0
HANFORD Thos. addr.
Joshua
Raymond.
1/2
part
of his Fathers
HOOKER Giles
of Stratford.
take
HAWLEYJonathan
HULL Danl.
takes
inv . of Farmin~town
wjtness
will
Inv.
of Es t.
HULL Cornelius
Admr.
1748: takes Inv
HULL Jabez
HUNN Mr.
Nathn.
of
witness
witness
HALL Joshua
takes
inv.
HILL Wm. Jr.
ditto.
of Wm. Smith
of
of Mr.
of
Wm.Rumsey
est.
will
will
of
Est.
of
James
of Joseph
of Mr.
dec•d
Shelton
of Fairfield
of Fairfield.
Gorehaus
Olmsted
Benj . Williams
of Benj.
John
Stratford.
of Wm. Rumsey Est.
of Est.
of James Gorehaus
(1748) admr.
HANFORD Elnathan
Est.
Williams
of Fairfield.
of
Norwalk.
of Readlng.
of Reading.
HULL Deacon Theophilus
of Reading
(1748) Parish
Fairfield,
will
June 7, 1 748~: wife Sarah,
son Theophilus;
dau. Lydia
ye wife of Saml. Smith 10 acres
rest
to Saml . Smith;
brother
in law Se.ml Sherwood Esq . of Fairfield
& my wife
&
my son Theophilus
to be ex ••. witnesses
Stephen
Betts ,
Nf!thl.
Hunn testify
Oct. 31,1748 before
Sanl.
Sanford,
Saml. Sherwood,
Justice.
Sarah Hull accepts
ex. Dec. 1,174Es,
witness
Saml. Sanford
& Sarah
Sanford . Will probated
Nov. 1,
1738.
�6.
171.LS
___,___.__
HUNNNathl.
witness
HITCHCOCKJsph
above will.
witness
HAWLEY'
Danl . take
HALL Amos takes
of Norwalk.
will
Inv.
inv.
of Thos.
of Est.
Nash of Fairfield.
of L:i~nt.John
of WallinR:ford
._.
Est.
Wilcockson
of Ji!r. Nathl.
Street
HANFORDSaml. witness will of ditto.
HANFORDHezekiah
ditto
HALL Isabel
dit to
takes inv . of ditto.
HANFORDElnathan
HALL John of Stratford,
will Mch. 26,1749. Wife Abigail ,
Hawley wife of Ezra Hawley; sons Elnathan,
John,
dau. Abigail
Jabez. Wife and my f riend Stephen Hubbeell both of Stratf ield
to be Exec. Witness:
Nathan Beards lee, Andw. Beardslee,
Wm.
Odell. Testify
May 1,1749 before Wm. Burr , Justice.
Will
probated
May 2,17~.
1751
HALL Saml.
Dist . Est.
of Dra.Isaac
Wheeler
of Stratfield.
1741 (sic)
HILL Thos. of Fairfield
Ex. of will of Anthony
Noguier dec'd has received
of Peter Therp of Fairfield
June ll,174i
being ye
on House & Homelot of said
Thorp near Hides Pond bounded n.W. S.E. & s.w. by
highways & N. C. by ye School Lot so called,
abt. 2½ acres.
1741 HIDES POND & School
HILL Wm. takes inv.
HALL Joshua
ditto.
Lot,
see
above.
of Est . of Mr.
Seth Wheeler
l?tf-9: HANFORDHannah received
in Dist.
Allen Jr, as Heir of Ann Burr .
of Est.
of Fairfield.
of Gideon
HAWLEYObediah dec'd of Stratford
Est. of Messrs.
Saml.
Adams Esq . & Capt. ,Danl. Hide both of Stratford
appt. to a ssis
ye widow Sarah Hawley of Stratford
as she is guardian
to her
chj_ldren on dividing
land & lien in common & undivided
with
other persons being part of Est . of said Obediah late husband
to ye said Sarah.
HIDE Capt.
HILL . Thos.
Danl.
Dist.
appt.
to assist
administration.
Est . of Commonage Edward Adams dec'd
l7i~ltHOYT James acknowledg~~.at
re~e~
rrom ttannan Saymore \his
of F.
ijorwalk July 28,1712/3)the
wives Mother & uaraian
t
�7.
of the
legacy
left
by his
wives
father
.
HAWLEYSarah of Stratford
widow appt. guardian
to Bethia
guardian t o Saml.
Gideon Elias & Mathew Hawley & was elected
Fredrick
Hannah Richard & Rachel Hawley all minors of Stratford Oct 2,17.52.
HARVEYThos. dec'd of Fairfield
Est. of Court is informed
that Mr. John Goodsell
of S. Fairfield
who was appt . ex.
of ye last will of sd. dec'd is non compos mentis.
Court
appoint
Saml Deforest
of Stratford
amr. on sd. Estate
Mch 27 17.53.
HULL David a minor of Fairfield
makes choice of Thaddeus
Burr of So. Fairfield
as Guardian :Mch. 24.17.53.
of Stratford
will July 12,17_52.
17.52: HUBBELLMr. Josiah
W"lfe Me.rtha; dau. Elizabeth
Willcoxon,
Abiah Curtiss,
Hannah
Brinsmaid
& sons Saml. Hubbel land in rest
of his homelot
next to Joseph Wells; son Ebenz . Hubbel; son John Hubbel,
son Josiah
Hubbel, dau. :Martha Hubbel; Witnesses
Theophilus
Nickolls,
Wm. Patterson,
Agur Tomlinson,
testify
before Edmund Lewis, Justic,
Aug. 18,17.52.
Inv. Oct. 29,1752 by
Benj. Lewis & Wm. Patterson.
Ex. swares to Inv. Nov.7,17.52.
No date: HOLBERTON(HOLBUTON)Mr. John dec'd of Fairfield,
Dist.
of Est by Robt. Fairchild
Jos. Booth & Jos Nickols .
to Widow Mary, to eldest
son Thos. Hilburton,
2nd son Wm.,
dau. Mary.
17_51: HUBBELMary called
17.52: HULL Ebenz.
of Fairfield.
dau.
of Reading
17.52. HULL Danl . takes
inv.
17.52. Hanford Phineas takes
dec 1 d _of Norwalk.
by Saml.
w~tness
of est.
inv.
Wells
will
of Stratford
of Joseph
Meaker
of ditto.
Est . of Reuben
Taylor
17.53. HODSDONWm. of Fairfield
, will Dec. 1,1749.
Sons David,
~imothy;
dau Mehitable
and Hannah.
Wife Margery,
sole ex.
all est.
Witnesses
Saml. Prines,
Danl. Summers, .t£unice
Summers, testify
Jany 8 ,1 '53 before Wm.Burr, Justice.
Will
nrobated
Jany 9,1753.
1752. HAWLEYMr. Henry of Stratford
will Feb. 18 ,1752. Wife
Mary as per marriage
contract.
Dau, Hannah Thompson wife of
Daniel Thompson; dau. Mary, wife of Peter Curtiss;
Dau.Eunice
wife of Jonathan
Curtiss;
dau. Comfort, wife of Nehemiah Hawley,
�8.
granddaun;hter
Mary Hawley ye dau. of Abel Hawley by his wife
Desire
Hawley;
dau. Abigail
Hawley,
the land near Oranoque
11 acres when she is 18;
west of Ehprm. Wells house lot
about
ex. to sell
100 acres
in Parish
of Judes
to pay · debts;
son
David Hawley,
land in 6 Miles
Distance
frm S; son Piersons
my now dwls house;
son Henry land next to his farm;
son Danl
new house & barn on his land;
son Enos the money he borrowed
of John Judson.
Sons David,
Henry & Persons
to be ex.
Witness
Capt.
Danl.
Porter,
Danl.
Booth , Zechariah
Booth,
testify
John Thompson,
Justice.
Will
Nov . 28 & Dec. 5,1752 before
probated
Dec. 5,1752.
Inv. Dec 2l\1752 by Stiles
Curtiss
& Zach Booth.
For land see Inv . pa~es 408-409.
17.52.
RAWLE£ Comfort
of Stratford.
Hawley
1752.
HAWLEYMary dau. of Abel Hawley by his wife Desire
called
granddbughter
by Henry Hawley of Stratford.
1752.
:-IAWLEYJoseph
1753.
HINMAN John
1753.
HALL Mr.
Hawley
1753.
John
wife
takes
of Nehemjah
Inv.
Ex . of will
Joseph
witness
Hawley
& dau.
.r.!.;st. of Wm. Barrit
of Mr.
will
John
of Mr.
of Fairfield.
French
John
Henry
of
Stratford.
"
French
HUBBEL Danl. witness
release
of Ex . of will
Burr
by Ebenzr.
Dimon of New Haven.
of
Col.
1746.
HAWLEYMr. Nathan
of Stratford
admr. of Est . of his
son Abraham Hawley dec•d
and said deefd 'havi ng left
one
&
a
widow
Hannah
Hawley
who
was
appt.
child
Lemuel Hawley
guardian
of her above sd. son & who has married
Timothy
Willcoxson
of §d. Stratford
. Mr. Nathan Hawley admr. of above
released
by Timothy Willcocks
& Hannah Willcocks
of
above said legacies
Oct. 22,1746.
Witness
M. Hawley,
Jos.
Blackleach,
Peter
Curtiss.
1746.
HAWLEYMable
1751.
contents
Guardian
H~NL"'IT Nathan
acknowledges
the receipt
of ye full
of ye foreisoinc;
from Timothy
Willcockson
as
to Elemuel
Hawley .
1752.
HICKOCK Ezra
Norwalk.
wjtness
witness
above.
will
Mr.
Alexander
HAWLEY Gideon makes Dist.
of Sst . of David
order
of ye court
June 6,1727.
1753.
dec
1
HALLEY Oliver
takes
d of Stratford
.
Inv.
of
Rissigne
Bearslee
Est . of Robert
of
as per
Turner
�9.
,,
1753- HUBBEL Ezlon of Stratford
will
Jany 17,1751
being
of land
about
to go on a voyage.
Wife Mary dwlg & 4 acres
100 acre lot at Kent . Niece
Isaac
Hubbel son of C-ot.
Ezra Hubbel of Stratford.
Capt.
Ezra Hubbel & Mr.·
Ezra Hawley to be Ex. Witnesses
David Brooks , Eliphalet
Curtiss,
Ezra Hubbel
testify
Jany 6,1753
before
John
Thompson,Justice
. Will probated
Jany.
9,1793.
HAWLEY Joseph
dist
. Est . of
1753- HAWLEYEunice
widow
by Woolcot
& Aaron Hawley
· Sept.
4, 1750.
Bbenzr.
Ferry.
of Stratford
both minors
chosen
as
of Stratford,
1753- HUBBEL David
Hubbel of Fairfield
of Fairfield
appro.admr.
1753- HUBBEL Saml.
Hubbel of Fairfield
01· Fairf'ield
1754- HOLBERT Thos
Holbert
of Norwalk
af Norwalk dec 1 d Est.
of
appr.
admr. Jany 24,1754.
1754-
& Nathl
a minor
dec'd
July
HA\•lLEYNathl
of Stratford
Hawley both of Stratford
1753
called
.
daughter
- HILTON Mary called
1753 - HIDE John takes
house)
of Fairfield
.
1753-
HEBBARD Nathl
. ex.
of
1753 - HILL widow Sarah of
Elizabeth
Burr of Pairfield
1753
- HOSMER Thos,
1753 - HAWLEY Frances
Blockman
of Stratford
will.
1753
- HARPIN Jean
Justice
Saml .
to
David
Ebenezer
Inv. July
17,1753
Dwling & lot,108
Ezra Hawley one of
by Nathan
Granddaughter
Inv.
Guardian
dec 1 d Est . of Mary Hawley
appr.
admr. July 15,1754.
1753- HFBBEL Esbon dec 1 d of Stratford
& Robt . Fairchild.
by Theops.
Nichols
acres
at Kent,
3/16 of sloop Lillie.
ye exec.
1753- HAYS Sarah
house)
of Fairfield
Est . of
31,1750.
appt.
Guardian
2,1750.
Oct
adj,
Estate
of
Moris
(More-
by sa~e.
Nathan
Moris
(More-
same will.
Fairfield
.
at
left
Hartford
legacy
by widow
.
takes
inv.
of est.
of' Ebenezer
and HAWLEY Saml witness
to same
wltness
will
1753.HULL Saml . takes
inv . of
Morehouse
of Fairfield
.
of
est.
Joseph
of
Affort
(Lugt?)
of
Stratford
Abijab
.
�10.
1754- HAWLEY Henry of Stratford
chosen
as Guardian
Abj_gail Hawley of Stratford
July 21,1754 .
1754. HURD John
Hurd of Stratford
of
Stratford
dec'd
appr.
admx. July
1754- HllLL Elizabeth
Barlow of Fairfield
dec'd
appr.
by
Est of Widow Sarah
2,1754.
of Fairfield
Est . of
admr. July 5,1754
1754 HANPORD Gershom a minor of Norwalk
makes
Apr . 2,1754.
Nathaniel
Benedick
as Guardian
David
choice
of
makes choice
1753 - HOLBERTON Thos. a minor of Fairfield
of Hez . Hubbel of Fairfield
as Guardian
June lH,1753.
1753
- HUBBEL Hez . of Fairfield
1751 HILL Thos . takes
of Fairfield.
1753 - HIDE Danl
Stratford.
chosen
inv . of lot
takes
inv.
Est.
1754 - HUBBLE Aaron,
Ebenezer,
wife of John Parreck,
called
Middlebrook
of Fa irfield.
1754 - HILL Nathan
of Fairfield
, also
witness
of
guardian
David
by above
Redfireld
of Mr . Robt
.
dec'd
Wheeler
of
David,
Sarah Parre ck,
grandchildren
by Jonathan
will
of
Jonathan
dau.
by James
:Middlebrook
HENDRICK Pete r
1754-
HANF'ORD Sarah
called
1753 - HUBBEL Martha
wife
Beardsley
of Stratfield.
1753 - HULL Saml called
Beardsley
of Stratfield.
1754 - · HINMAN Ebenz.
of Stratford.
1753
of
brother
witness
- HALL Lyman witness
Abel
and made
will
will
Hubbel
of
& dau .
of Norwalk
.
of .John
Ex . by John
Obediah
of Joseph
1753 - HUNN Rev. Mr . Nathl . inv. of
to estate
of Joseph
Perry
of Fairfield
St . John
Perry
sundries
.
Beardsleee
of
Fairfield
belonging
1755 - HEATON Saml. est.
of bein~
settled
by a Court
of
Apr . 26, 1736. Saml. Heaton
and Sarah Heaton,
Probate& heirs
of (beirn~ of age have received
of) their
children
& their
mother
Agnes Heaton
admrs.
uncle
Jonathan
Tyler
& afterwards
Jonathan
Tyler
givinq;
up his
of sd est.
power of admr. to our present
Fathe r in Law Peter
Benedict
Release
before
Zechariah
Mills,
Justice,
Feb. 9,1757-8.
received
their
of said admrs.
Jany 23,175.5 they having
nortious,thWitnesses
David Gregory , Abigail
Swain,
before
::;aml. smi · , Justice
or the .1-'etice.
-
.
�11.
1753 -
Burr
HUBBLE Richard
of Stratfield.
1754.
Saml.
witness
HUSTEAD Anne wife of
Seymour of Norwalk.
1753 -
Fairfield.
HALL Lyman witness
will
Peter
will
of widow
Hustead
of Peter
Catherine
& d au.
of
Bulkley
of'
1754 - HURD Elizabeth
dec'd
dau. of John Outman
Judah Hurd & Elizabeth
Straford
and her dau½hers
le~acies
by said John Outman.
left
1 754. - HIDE Abij ah witness
Straf'ord,
and also
will
of John
Outman
of
Hurd
of
HURD Abraham
1753 1753 Robt.
HAWLEY Sarah
dau . of Mr . Robt.
HUBB~LL Hannah wife
of' Stratford.
Wheeler
1753 - HAWL8Y Bethiah
Mr . Robt. Wheeler
of
of John
Wheeler
Hubbell
wife of Matthew
Stratford.
of
Stratfnrd.
& ctau of Mr .
Hawley
& dau.
of
1753 -
HULL Sarah widow will of Fairfield
Jany 16,1743/4
sons George , Nathl,
Cors.,
Ebenezer ; granddaughter
Sarah Sanford;
daughter
Martha;
son John Hull dec 1 d, a
Bible
to each of nis children
and a hat for his youngest
boy; daughter
Rebecca , Martha mentioned
above,
Elizabeth,
Capt.
Moses Dimon Jr.
& my son Danl Sher
and Eleanor.
wood to be exeds.
witness
John Goodsell
and Mary
Thorp testify
June 25,1753 before
David Rowland,
Justice.
Will Probated
June 25,1753 .
1753 - HAZARD Saml & Anah nis wife of Stratford
acknow
ledge
receipt
in full
from Saml Whiting
of Stratford
which s aid
Guardian
to said Anah of her portion
of estate
Whitins
bad in his hands Nov 25,1753. Witness
Theop .
Nichols
and Elnathan
Wheeler .
1754 -
HILL Thos. witness
dec'd
of Norwalk
1753 -
HOYT Danl . dist
, dec ' d, also
HOY1IlJames
Comstock
Norwalk
1757
.
. est
release
of
of John
ex.
of
Raymond
Capt.
Jr.
Saml .
of
HIGGENS Abraham of Fairfield
will
Jany 14,1744
to Church of Christ
in Fairfield
West Society . Wife
dau.
Sarah;
Daughter
Sarah,
has had part
of pnntion;
Mary, 1/4 acre in West Society
of F. bd.nw by Benj .
Couch & Saml Couch their
meadow, ne by Common Land
�12 •
her death
and to extend
into
the creek
or pond & after
to go to my son Abraham.
Son Saml all ••• lands
in the
woods where he now dwells
in said Fairfield
witu the
bldgs
on & 1/2 of meadow which I did not give to Mary;
dau. Martha;
son Abraham-all
my homestead
land that
I
have not ~iven by deed of gift
to my daughter
Mary,
about
24 acres
with y barn & bldgs.
not disposed
of
and rest
of salt
meadow not disposed
of.
Sons Saml. &
Abraham Higgens
to be execs.
Witnesses
Nathl . Hebbard,
Stephen
Godfree
and Solomon Couch testify
Apr.19,1757,
will
probated
Apr . 19,1757.
1757 - HAWLEY Saml . dec'd
of Stratfield
dist.
of Est .
of Feb . 9,1757
by Joseph
Booth,
Hez . Treadwell
&
Thads.
Gre,:;ory.
To widow,
1/3 homelot
s.w.side,
1/3
Golden Hill
lot E . side,
2 acres
below Ezra Hubbels
beginning
at ye bank 8c runnin~
bit Ezra Hawley & John
Hubbell,
1/3 land west of Rocky Hill,
1/3 land below
ye Narrows
on s. end next to Jabez
sum..rners,
wheat
lot near Thos Lake on n. side adj.
Hawley,
1 3 of the
I s land,
Nook on n . side next to Mr. Sterling
1/3 of ye
To Molley,
2/3 of bldgs.
Brusny
Pasture
on ye N. end.
& homelot
adj.
to Frenches,
4 acres
in town lot adj.
Zachariah
Treadwell
and 2/3 of all the above 1 and .
½3
1757 - HURLBUTT Mr. Gideon
dec 1 dl of Fairfield
inv.
of
Est.
of. Anr 25,1757
by John Andrews & Thos. Nash.
Homestead
with bldgs
& 7 acres,
2 a. by barn,
12 acres~
at Compon, 6 acres
adj.
Saml. Couch, Gideon's
home
&
lot 1 0 acres,
3 acres
at Petticoat
Lane, 8 acres
20 rods at Clapboard
Hill,
9 acres
& 22½ rods
at Break
9 acres
at Petticoat
Lane Point,
3 rods salt
Neck Hill,
meadow at backside
ye Island,
1 a, 20 rods at Lon~ Point
salt
meadow, 3 rods of Me~dow at ye Stone Briage
& 1/2
Hill , 1-} acre by Widow Couch,
3
acre at ye Buryirn;
acres
at ye Island,
1 1 acres
at n. end Homestead , 20
acres
at n. end of ye new Lot Square
with John Cr1apmans,
& ye Barn unto
square
with ye upper
end of Jon
13 acres
Chapmans lot,
1i acre orchard,
26 acres
swamp beginning
pasture.
Gideon
& Natnl .
at hiv,hway up to Wm. Frosts
Hurlbutt
Execs .
1756 - HULL Hezakiah
dec'd
Aug.11,1756
by Danl Bradley
Jr.
his part
in ye land next
N, tnan
Hull his part
in 1 and
one rod½,
in wide.
To Isaac
wide.
To Sarah Hull next to
1757 HALL ••. died.
Esq. of Stratford
of Fairfield
Dist
of ~st ofAdams. To Jabez Hull,
3 rods wide. To
to Isaac
beginning
on ye west side
Hull next to Nathan
3 rode
Jabez Jr.
3 rods wide.
& Nathl
Dau~ so called
by Col Edmund Lewis
sons called
grandsons
by him
& her
�13.
1755 - HYAT Ebenzr.
Norwalk .
takes
inv.
est.
of
1757 HIGGINS Abraham dec 1 d of Fairfield
by Stephen
Godfrey
and Nathl . Hebberd
1757
HEBBERD Nathaniel
t~kes
above
Deborah
Inv.
.
Ferris
of
May 26,1757
inv.
1 757 - HENDRICK Andrew . Mary & J emma all
of Fa1.rf ield
make
choice
of Mary Hendrick
of Fairfield
as Gardian
July 4,1757.
1757 - HUNT Joshua
a minor now of Fairfield
of East Chester,
N. Y. makes choice
of Saml
Fairfield
as Guardian . May 9,1757.
1757:HURLBUTT
Nath . Hurlbutt
sometime
Sherwood
past
of
Adria of Fairfild
a minor makes cnoice
of Fairfield
as Guardian
Mch. 28,1757.
1757 - HIIN"FORDnezekiah
Danl.
Smith of
Norwalk
.
of Norwalk
chosen
as
of
guardian
by
1756 - HAIT widow Mary acknowledges
at Stanford
the receipt
of ner lea;acy from Mrs . Sara..ri Weed ~x of' will
of her borther
in law Saml . Weed dee I d of Norwalk .
1767 - Hf.l,IT Jonathan
Weed ex.
ye 3d.
witness
release
1757 - HAWLYMr • .l:'.:lijah
of Mrs. Sarah Ressigue.
of Ridgefield
1757 - HULL Saml.
Fairfield.
est.
dist.
appt.
pf Abijah
1757
both
- HURD Jonathan
dec'd
est.
of stratford
appt.
admrs.
1757
- HA1:JLEYJoseph
1757
dec'd
- HUN~ Rutn widow of Fairfield
dau.
of Boston
see agreement
of heirs.
1756
HUTCHINSON T. Judge
dists.
of
Mrs.
to
Dist . Est.
Morenouse
Sarah
dec'd
of Saml Hurd & Abraham
Au~ . 23d 1757.
est.
of
of Probate
of
Hurd
Wm. Burrit.
of John
of Boston
Read,
Esq .
.
1757 - HUBBLE Jabez
of Fairfield
a minor made ward of
Benoni Dimon alias
Gilbert
of Fairfield
Dec. 12,1757
1757 - HURD Jonathan
dec 'd of
by Saml. Adams & Saml Deforest
17S7 - HUBBLE Eunice
Sanford
of Fairfield.
1757 - HUBBLE Tamar
Sanford
of Fairfield.
wife
wife
Stratford
inv.
Sept.
. Saw mill,
etc.
of David
of Ebeezer
Hubble
Hu~ble
& dau.
& adm.
17,1757
of Thos.
of Thos
�1757 -
by Jon
HURLBUTT Hannah wife of GL l eon Hurlbutt
Taylor
3rd of Norwalk.
1757 - HANFORD Elizr.
Norwalk .
witness
will
1757 -
H~LL Wm. Jr. takes
inv.
Lyon of Fairfield
(Reading)
of
of
John
& dists
1757 - HAWLEY Francis
takes
Blackleach
dec'd
of Stratford
inv.
.
est . of
1757 -
HILL RUhamah witness
will
Jeremiah
1755 -
HUBBLE Saml.
widow.
1757 -
HULL Danl.
to
his
dists.
part
witness
dec'd
1757
HAWLEY Oliver
of Stratford.
of
Stratford
1758
HUBBLE Saml.
takes
inv.
1757 -
Sherwood
1758
HULL Cornelius
est.
of 1'11ary
1757
HALL Richard
of Stratfield
admr.
Lacy
1758 -
Hill
1758 -
HOIT Nathan
Fairfield.
Norwalk.
1754
Saml.
HIDE John
175d -
ta L..
es
takes
takes
HENDRICK Jno.
appt.
witness
of
Fairfield.
Obidiah
Wheeler
dists.
est.
of Jwseph
Fairfield
Thorp
Thorp
chosen
guardian
est.
est.
of
of
est.
of John
will
of
French
Fairfield
of Fairfield
by
Benj .
Nichols
Saml.
Morehouse
of Nath .Shaw
of
Ruscoe
of
of Fairfield
of Fairfield.
l 75c~- RAWLY Thos.
goes on bond of' Sarrll . Fulsom
admr. est.
of Jno Backus of Stratford
dec'd.
of
Stratford
1793 -
of
est
of
between
HAWL.t<:;"Y
Mr . Danl dee' d of Stratford
his widow & 3 sons as per his will
.
widow Mary Thorp
I~natius
of
of
.
by John
of Nathan
inv.
admr.
est.
Osborn
as
1
Joseph
chosen
guardian
Nov . 15, 1757.
inv.
inv.
Capt.
of Peter
of
of Mr . Natha
of
Stratfield
1758 - HULL Cornelius
of Fairfield.
3rd
Burr
goes on bond
Thorp dec'd.
of
.
. est.
sister
of John
est.
HULL Danl.
of Fairfield
a minor of Fairfield
Taylor
of Est . of
will
called
dist.
by order
of,
.
�of Couy>t March 6,1755 by Abrm . Beardslee,
Justus
Hinman &
Eph. Beach . to son Ephm. Hawley,
part
of farm at Stratford
called
Stlagonywomps
etc,
etc.
to son,
eldest,
Oliver
Hawley , land purchased
with David Hurd, etc.
To youngest
son Edward Hawley •••.•••
for land etc.
see dist.
To widow
Elizabeth.
1758 - HINMAN Justus,
dist.
above
estate.
175 1-- HITCrCOCK Joseph
of -'.J:lorwalk will
of July
7,1758.
To w ife Jane as perm arriap;e
a1sreement.
to son Joseph.
to dau. Sarah her children
viz Joseph
Banks,
Justus
Banks,
Rebe ckah Banks.
To son Joseph,
Hannah Banks , Sarah B anlts,
mentioned
above,
to somJohn,
Samland
dau. Sarah Johnson
(mentioned
above,
rem. of est.
Friend
Saml. Fitch
Esq .
& my sons Josenh & John to be ex.
Witnesses
,
of Norwalk
Isaac
Isaacs,
Saml . Brown, Thos.
Gruman testify
Oct. 17
R.c. Nov.
14, 17 5 >-3before
Joseph
P l u.tt,
tTUstice.
Will prob.
Nov. 14, 1758.
1758 - HAWLEY Mattnew
of
takes
Stratford.
inv.
of
est.
Josiah
Wilcockson
1793 - HAWLEY Danl. dec'd of Stratford
est.
of Court
appts .
Epnm. Beach,
Justus
Hin.~an & Abrm . Beardslee
all
of
Messrs
Mich 6,175'"3 to ye widow & 3 sons of
Stratford
to dist.
est.
dec'd.
1758 - HIN1''-',.ANJohn
Stratford
HURD
admx.
Jonathan
goes
est.
of
addl
on bond
of John
of Bathsheba
Nichols
dec'd
Nichols
of
of Stratford.
inv.
1758 - HURD David of Stratford,
will
July
2,1758.
Wife Susanna,
1/2 of est.
she to pay my granddau.
Mary
Bostwick~
30 when of age.
Only surviving
child
Betty
Bostwick,
son in law Joseph
Bostwick
prob.
had
grandson
David Bostother
children
than
those
mentioned;
wick,
prop.
of my wife after
her
death;
to E3mathan
Hurd
Bostwick
brother
of above grandson
(under
age prob);
to
Ellaabeth
Bostwick,
to Rev. Christopher
Newton,
Rector
& son in law
of Church of En~. at Ripton , to wife Susanna
Joseph
Bostwick
to be exec.
witness
Ebenr . Hurd , Timo
Willcokson,
Joshua
Judson,
testify
Nov. 30,175 8 before
wjll
prob . Dec . 5,1758.
Inv.
Saml. Adams , Justice,
Dec. 2,175 51 by Saml Adams & Zachariah
Clark:
1/2 house &
barn,
6 acres adj, 4 acres
of meadow, 30 acres
by Joseph's
Ring,
97 acres
on w. side of Highway by the Homestead.
1758 - HURD Ebenr.
witness
17~e - HAWLEY Rebeckah
1758 - HOLLY John
Marshall
of
of Greenwich,
will
dau.
Stamford
dec'd.
of
of David
Benj.
appt.
Hurd
Blackman
to
dist
01· Stratford.
of
. est.
Stratford.
of John
15.
�16.
1759 - HILL Saml.
dis ts.
est.
1758 - HUBBEL Anna called
dau.
Stratford.
1759 - HURD Mr. Ebenr.
1759 HUBBELL Saml.
inv.
1759 - HUBBELL Elnathan
Wakely
of
of
Stratford
1759 HILL Thos . Esq.
John
Carter
1759
dec'd
.
1
d of N .
17:.?:\- HILL Wm. takes
Readin~,
also
HALL Joshua
inv.
••
ditto.
of
est.
est.
of
of
elected
addl . inv.
est.
F.
of Wm. Patterson
elected
Gray
of
of
dis ts.
inv.
1759 - ffiJLL Anna dau . of John
Nichols
Wm. Patterson
Stratford
.
takes
1752 - HA.NH'ORDEln . takes
dec
est.
of Fairfield
of F.
a minor
HANFORD Phineas
Cluckstone
will
of Norwalk
Ressiguie.
by David
by Mr.
witness
takes
1758 - HEACOCK Ezra
of I~natius
widow
as
as
Sarah
Guardian
Guardian
by
of Danl . Mills
est . of
of Fairfield
Mr.
Capt.
Saml
(Beading).
Ebenr . Prindle
at
175e - HUBBELL C.pt . Richard
of Stratford
, will
Dec . 3,1751
wife Abigail , son John,
abt . 20 acres
near his house bd.
s . by Hic:i;hway , w by my 1 nd & Nathan Booth , n . e . by Nathan
& se . by Benj . Coggeshall
& Jones or Dunlaps land.
Rubbells
55 :t,o ds in length
of land on ye plain
from Button
Wood
Island .
To son Wm. if he does not marry and have heirs
To son Nathan,
daughters
his est . to go to John & Nathan.
:Mehitable
Curtiss,
Hannah
Mary Shelton , Abigail
Hurd,
Smith,
grandson
Richard
Hubbell .
Son John to be sole exec.
WitnessSarnl
. Snel ton, Miles
Jordan , Saml . Adams, testify
Ichabod
Lewis , Justice,
will
prob . Jan .
Dec . 22,1758 before
2, 1759.
1758 - HURD Abigail
called
1759 - HINMAN John takes
of
Stratford
.
dau . by above .
inv . est.
of
Stephen
Riggs
1759 - HUBBELL Capt . Richard dec'd of Stratford
inv
24, 1759 by Saml . Adams & Elisha Wheeler . 33 acres
12 acres on Plains
. part , 40 acres
from ye
house,
55 rods wide, 9 acres
to ye lots
called
Booth being
lot . 7 acres
called
ye Hog~ Pasture,
5
acres
called
dec'd
. Mch .
E. of
River
ye Booth
ye
.
�17.
Dutch Clover
lot,
barn,
ye old room
Nathan Booths
abt.
3 acres
more,
7 acres Orchard
in ye House,
to ye Lane that
1 acre.
John Hubbell,
ex.
1759 HUBBELL Nathan
of Norwalk .
Jr.
admr . est.
175H - HULL Cornelius
dists.
1758 - HULL Mary wife
of Jabez
dec'd
Thorp
of F.
dec'd
of F.
of
Hull
eldest
.§ydau.
- 2nd dau.
1760 - HANFORD Elna . witness
will
John son of Thos.
Smith of N.
of Matthew
1759 - HANFORD Thos.
Smith
of
N.
called
Kimberly
dec'd
est . of Widow Mary Thorp
17~8 - HERNS widow Elizabeth
1759 -~NFORD
Gideon
& ye old
leads
to
of
of Joseph
Hanford
brother
of Widow Mary
ditto.
Betts
of N. prob.
& made
ex.
of N.
nephew
by Matthew
1761 - HURD Capt. Nathan dec'd
of Fairfield
est.
of Peter
Stevens
of Fairfield
ex. of said est.
released
by David Platt
in r ight of his wife Rachel
of Ridgefield
dau. of said
Capt. Hurd .
1760 - HUBBELL Thaddeus
in right
of his present
wife Ruth
Hubbell
acknowledges
the receipt
of her legacy
from the
est.
of her dead father
Nathan Betts
dec'd
from Saml &
Nathan Betts
of N. Ex. of said
est.
1760 - HUBBELL Thaddeus
of Norwalk nas received
from his
father
Asau Raymond of Norwalk all
that part
given to
Sarah Betts
dau. of N-athan Betts
of sd. Norwalk dec'd.
as it was in the hands of Asau Raymond as Guardian
to sd.
Sarah Betts
& ye sd. Hubbell
has now undertaken
sd
Guardianship
Mch. 31,1760.
Witnesses
Joel Pettit
and Saml . Betts .
1760 - HAYT Ruth
Lockwood
Lockwood.
wife of David Hayt called
of Norwalk dec'd.
see discharge
1760 - HOYT Elizabeth
w ife
Joseph
Lockwood of N. dec'd
1761
of Nathan Hoytt
see as above.
dau. to Joseph
of ex. of sd.
called
dau.
to
- HIDE J~hn dec'd
est.
of his sons John & Joseph
being
are released
by.
John & Eunice
Wilson , Ebenr . &
Sarah Banks,
David & Mary Coly,
Saml Sherwood Jr.
& nachel
Sherwood,
under dates
of Apr . 14,1761 and Aprl 15,1761
call
sd. John Hide their
dec'd
father.
Also released
by
Abigail
Hide widow of sd. John Hide of the portion
due
her by virtue
of a contract
made before
marriage
dated
ex.
�18.
Mch.
Geo.
22,1736/7.
Batterson.
June
15,1761.
Witnesses
1761 - HAYNES Mr ••.•• dec'd
called
by
Norwalk
Grandfather
to his children
beth,
Hannan,
Issabel,
Mary , Sarah,
the equivalent
of sd Bartlett
's est.
have had of the above grandfather's
1761
- HANFORD Elnathan
witness
1762
dau.
- HECOCK Sarah wife
by James Wakelee
of
1762 - HITCHCOCK Joseph
Norwalk .
witness
Adams,
John Bartlett
of
Saml. Bartlett,
Elizasaid children
to nave
that
they should
estate.
will
of Joseph
Stratford
Nathl.
of Thos.
Hecock
in his
will
of
Betts
of
of Woodbury called
will
dated
1745.
Isaac
Isaacs
1762- HANFORD Hezekiah
Norwalk .
witness
will
of
David
Benedict
1762 - HAl;FORD William
of Norwalk .
witness
will
of David
Benedict
1763 H' LL Anna called
dau.
in his will
dated
1755.
by r::har•les
1763
- HURD Ebenr.
will
1762
- HAIT Jonathan
witness
Justice
of
1762 - HALL Abel called
lee of Stratford
~
friend
1761-HULL Stephen
Trubee
of Fairfield.
inv.
takes
of
Lane
Chas.
of
of
of
Stnatford
Lane
of
Stratford.
Stanford.
& made
of
N.
est.
ex.
of Hannah
of widow
Beards-
Abi~ail
1761 - HALL Nathl
dec'd
of Fairfield
est.
of. Inv.
Sept
25,1761
by Isaac
Bennet
& Abm. Bonismade.
House,
barn
&
23 acres.
6 acres
Filesome
Hill
in Common with Ebenzr . rlall
1761
- HALL EBenzr . see
1771. HALL Francis
Seeley~
by Nathan
above.
dec'd
John
of Stratford
inv.
Lacey Au~ . 22,1761.
1761 - HUBBLE Gershom Jr.
Treadure
dec ' d of Stratford.
takes
1761 - HUBBLE Nath . takes
Norwalk.
inv . of
Richd.
1761 TT..ALL
Stratford.
takes
1 761 - HIT,L Wm. Jr.
Aquila
Knap of F.
inv.
of
inv.
est.
and HALL, Josh.
of
of
est.
est . of
of
Saml.
of John
take
est.
inv.
Jacob
Betts
Lacey
est.
of
of
of Hrs .
.
�19.
1761
HALL Josh.
takes
inv.
of Mrs . Aquila
est.
Knap of F.
1761 - HA""FORDTheop.
ditto
John
Levake
of N.
1761 - HILL
Wm. Jr.
ditto
Elias
Betts
of F.
1761 - HILL Wm. Jr.
ditto
Danl.
Meaker
1761 - HINMAN Amos
ditto
Wid Abi~ail
of F.
Elmer
of Stratford
1760 - HILL John dec'd of Fairfield.
Inv. Mch 19,1760 by
Saml & Nathl
Burr.
Homestead
& Bldgs
291.5.0.
Lands.
hi~hway within
gate,
12i acres
at Barlows
Plain . Land &
Bld~s at 2 Mile Rock.
Land by Onepemiss
Gold in Hills
&
Wards Lon1 Lot abt.
26 acres,
land sold to Benj.
Barks .••
1761 - HILL Wm. Jr.
Fairfield,
dec 'd.
HALL Josh.
1761 - HUBBLE Nathn.
of N.
takes
Also
Jr.
inv.
of est.
takes
inv.
of Lt.
est.
Saml Fairchild
of Mr . Wm.Belden
1757 - HIGGINS Abrahm dec'd inv.
23, 1757 by Nathl ~'ebberd & Steph
of remainder
of est.
Sept
Godfree , homestead
of 32
acres,
3 acres of salt meadow at Comps Creek, 39 acres
in Greens
Long Lot where Saml. Higgins
now lives.
1757 - HIGGIN S Saml.
see
1757
takes
HEBBERD Nathl
1760 - HANFORD Elna
of N .
takes
1761 HILL John dec'd of
of May 25,1761 by Saml
1~ acre of salt
meadow
sons Nathan
Hill,
Isaac
Hill
and Sarah Hill
above
above
inv.
inv.
of
est.
of Mrs.
Joseph
Betts
Fairfield
distribution
of estate
Burr & Saml Squire
Jr. to Widow
in ye homestead.
David Hubble . To
Hill,
Joseph
Hill , to dau. Esther
1761 - HULL Peter dec'd
of Fairfield
, inv. Mch 20,1761 by
Bradley
Jr.
houses
& barn
& 5 acres,
Gershom Banks & Jos.
70 rod of land adj. 7 3/4 acres in Old Homestead,
etc.
1759 - HILL Joseph
Wheeler
of F .
takes
inv.
of est.
1761 - HIDE Mr . John dec'd of Fairfield
by John Andrews , Benj.
Rumsey & David
notes
& land.
of Mr . Joseph
inv. Feby 16,1761,
Bunks see inv. for
1761 - HULL widow Elizabeth
dec'd
of Fairfield
6,1761 by Gershom Banks & Joseph Bradley
Jr.
. Inv.
6½ acres
Apr .
of
of
�20.
adj.
&
ye M511 River near & adj.
acres
upland
adj.
above.
ye old
1761 - HURD Nathn . Jr. dec 1 d of Fairfield
1761 by Isaac Bennet & David Hall.
Josiah
1761 - HILL David
takes
1761 - HANDFORD Hez.
of N.
above
takes
of est.
takes
will
inv.
of Thos.
est.
1761 - HRNFORD Saml takes
inv.
Norwalk,
also
HUSTED, Jonth.,also
HANFORD Theoph.
Jr.
1760 - HANDFORD Saml.
Executors
of' Estate
admin .
of Nenemiah
1761 - HUBBLE Capt. Saml. dec 1 d of Pairfield,
25,1761 by Saml Burr & Nathan Bulkley
1761 - HALL Nathl
27,
inv.
July
Bornsmade
inv.
inv.
1763 - HANFORD Wm. witness
70 rods
Homestead.
of
est.
guardian
of Martin
inv.
Mch.
Benedict
Jos.
of
Rogers
of Norwalk.
Brinsmade.
Solomon
Waring
of
for Mary Kellogg
releases
the
Kellogg
of Norwalk
Jany 7, 1760.
of Norwalk will
Dec. 3, 1762 wife Dinah.
Sons Elijah,
Benajah;
eldest
son Saml. by trade
a BlackdaW;hters
Abi~ail
Finch,
smith;
sons Nathan,
Ebenezer;
Dinah Hoyt,
Susanna
Green,
Mehatable
Fitch,
Adah Hoyt,
Eunice
Hoyt.
Wife Dinah & Saml & Elijah
Hoyt to be exec.
Witness
Abijah
Comstock,
Theop.
Fitch,
Hez. Cole,
testify
Dec. 20,1762 before
Joseph
Platt,
J.P.
1762 - HOYT Benajah
1763 - HOYT Moses witness
I
1763 - HANDFORD Elna
will
takes
Norwalk.
of
inv.
of est.
1767 - HUBBLE Jeremh.
ditto
Charles
1763 - HANDFORD Hayns
ditto
Mr.
1762 - Hollin~sworth
Fairfield.
1761 - HAWLEYCapt.
inv.
of
Saml
Olmsted
Jos.
ditto
1761 - HANDFORD Phineas
of N.
takes
Merritt
of
of
Joseph
Cornwill
of
est.
Betts
of
Stratford.
Smith
of New Fairfield
inv.
of Norwalk.
of Jos.
Lane
Capt.
estate
late
of N.
1761 HALL Elnath . takes
inv.
Stephen
Wakeman of Fairfield.
Saml Raymond
of
Fairfield.
Squier
dec'd
Est.
of David
of
see
of
Olmsted
�21.
1761 - HUBBLE Gershom
of Stratford.
Jr.
1760
- ditto
- HITCHCOCK Ezra
1 760 - HAWLEY Sarah
takes
1760 - HILL Wm. takes
F. (Reading)
inv.
of
Capt.
now Saran
1760 - HUBBL~ Mathw.
at Woodbury .
1761
takes
est . of
Thads.
Nichols
inv . of
Mead
est.
of
Sarah
John
1761 - HAWLEYLeml. dec'd
of North Stratford
6, 1761 by Saml. Hawley & Agar Beach.
1761
- HAWLEY Saml
takes
above
1761 - HULL Hannah dec'd
by Gershom Banks & Jos.
& Edwd.
dec'd
1761
Jr.
- HUBBLE Gershom
1761 - HUBBL ,; Mr. Saml
of Stratford.
1761
- HITCHCOCK Ezra
1762 - HILL Wm. takes
of F.
1761 - HAWLEY Caut
Hezekiah
Treadwell.
1763 - HURD Tamar
of Stratford
.
Ezra
called
Theop.
inv.
. witness
of est.
will
1761
est.
- HUBBLE Ruth wife of Thaddeus
of Nathan Betts
of N.
of Norwalk
of F.
Apr.
15,1761
inv.
Mch 23,1761
of Wm. Patterson
of Ebenezr
exec.
by Mr.
- HEBBERD Nathl
1763 - HOLLil'TGSWORT.tIJoseph
Capt.
Joseph
Squier
of F.
July
Mead of N.
of Stratfield
dau.
of
inv.
above
1763
1761 - HANFORD Phineas
Nathan Betts
of
N.
inv.
take:;3 inv . of est.
addl
Crawford
inv.
of Stratford,
Lacey.
takes
ditto
Nicholls
inv.
of Fairfield
Bradley,
Jr.
1761 - HUBBLE Ebenezr.
by Gershom Hubble Jr.
of N.
of N.
Beers
John
Risden
dee' d of Stratford.
inv . of est . of Mr.
- HANDFORD Pnins ••• ditto
Saml
James
of George
Hubble
of will
to
of
Leavensworth
Cable
see
distributes
ap"t.
Mallory
dist.
est.
dist.
of F.
of
of
est.
of
�22.
1762 - HUSTED Jonathan
of N.
of
N. dists.
est.
of
Job
Lockwood
1760- HUBBLE Saml.
of Stratford
.
dists.
est.
of Wm. Patterson
1761 - HAWLEY Ezra
of Stratford.
dists.
est.
of
Charles
Burret
dec•d
1763
appt.
admr.
of
est.
David
Tuttle,Jr.
- HICOCK Ezra
1761 - HAWLEYLeml. of Stratford
Mch 3, 1761 Andrew Hawley appt.
1760
Hull
- HULL Elizabeth
anpt.
admr .
1760 - HULL Peter
a]bpt. admr.
1761
appt.
dec
- HURD Nathan
admr.
1d
1761 - HULL Hannah
Ezekiel
Hull appt.
est.
of F.
1761 - HUBBLE Ebenzr.
dec
Hubble of F. appt.
admr.
1760
est.
of,
d,
est.
1
dec'd,
- HAWLEYFrederick
est
est
est.
appt.
of,
of.
3,1760
3 1760,
Mch 3,
dec'd
of F.
admx. ··
dec'd
admr.
estate
of,Dec.
of,Dec.
of,
- HALL Nathl
dec'd,
of F. apnt.
admx.
1761 - HULL Thads.
Jr.
appt.
admr.
dec 1 d,
admr.
est.
estate
1760 - HUBBLE Saml.
Abir.;ail
Hubble
appt.
1761
Hall
ctec'd
of
dec•d
1761,
Stephen
Stephen
Josiah
Brinsmade
of Nov 24,1760
of,
Feb.
June
of,
Hull
widow
7,1761,
15,1761-
Rebeckah
Mch . 12,1761,
Ebenzr.
17~1761
Hull,
June
admr . est.
Seth
of Sarah
Nicholls
1763 - HOYT Adah and Eunice
Dinah Hoyt of N. as Guardian
mi>nors of N. make
May 3,1763.
choice
1763 - HOYT Nathan
of Dinah Hoyt Apr.
minors
made wards
and Eben
5,1763.
of Norwalk
1763 - HAWLEYmolly
a minor of Stratford
makes choice
Robt.
Ross of Stratford
as Guardian
Oct 10,1763.
1760 - HILL Isaac
Bulkley
of F. as
a minor
Guardian
bf F . makes choice
of
May 5 ,1760 or 1763.
Nathan
of
of
.
�23.
1760 - HALL John of F. chosen
guardian
by John Merrit
of F.
1761 - HULL Moses a minor
of F. Sept. 4, 1761
of F. made ward of John Dimon
1761 - HULL Peter a minor
of F. Sept. 8 , 1761
of F. made ward of Thos.
1762 - HOBARTJoseph of F. makes choice
F. as Guardian Apr. 8, 1762
1762 - HILL Thos.
appt.
guardian
1762 - HAWLEYDanl appt.
1762 - HAWLEYJoseph
Mallet
of Reading
Stratford
of North
1762 - HAL~ Danl a minor
Sept. 17, 1762
1761 - HULL Ann a minor
Nov. 16, 1761
of
of Zachariah
appt.
Mallet
guardian
of
of Danl.
of F. made ward of Abel Hall,
of F made ward of Jerusha
1763 - HICOCK Ezra of N. appt.
Tuttle
of John Finch
to Ebenz . Wakeman of F.
guardian
Stratford
Dimon
of N.
guardian
of Aaron
Hull
&
Eliz .
1762 - HILL Thos. a minor of F. grandson of Thos. Hill, Esq.
makes choice of David Rowland Esq. as guardian Mch 2, 1762
1762 - HALL Mabel
Eben.
~all
& Rebecca minors
of F. Sept 7, 1762
of F. made wards
1762 - HALL Sarah
Danl.
Silliman
a minor of Stratfield
of F. as guardian June
1761 - HOLL0WELLHannah of F. chosen
Saml.
Smith
of N.
makes choice
15, 1762
guardian
1766 - HURLBUTPhebe deed of N. Stephen
Sept 2, 1766
admr.
by Will
Hurlbut
1766 - Hendrick James deed of F. Inv. Sept.
Solomon Gray & Jabez Disbrow . Saml Hendrick
of
of
&
of N. appt.
2, 1766 by
swares
to Inv.
1766 - HANFORDHannah wife
of Phineas Hanford called
dau.
of Moses Comstock of N.
1766 - HANFORDDinah deed wife of Saml Hanford called dau.
of Moses Comstoqk of N.
1765 - HAWLEYMiss Mary deed of S.
Isaiah
debts
Inv. Oct 15, 1765 by
Brown~ Abner Judson.
Saml Hawley Admr. a/c of
and credits
allowed Sept. 8, 1766
1766 - HUN"NRuth widow of the late
Rev Nath}} Hunn Will
of exhibited
by Col. John Reed Executor of same.
Court
Sent. 9, 1766 Disapproves
of same she having insane memoria
�1766 - HUT\fNRuth widow of Rev.
Nath~~
1766 - HALL Sarah
of Joseph
of Readin~
appt.
admr
Sept.
witness
22,
will
1766
1766 - HAWLEY Francis
appt.
Comifr.
1766 - HULL Cornelius
appt.
to
1766 - HILL Joseph
of F.
as
guardian
a minor
Oct. 21,
of F.
Booth
Est.
dist.
Read
of
S.
of Henry
Est.
makes
1766
John
Hunn.
Judson,decd
of Joseph
choice
of
Banks
Is&ac
of' F.
Hill
Inv.
of her Est.
as shown
1766 - HUNN Ruth deed of Reading.
by Will:
Read Esqr at his House in Boston
Oct 6, 1766 by
Saml. Downe, John Green & Joseph
Russell,
& acknowledge
same
before
Edward Quincey
J.P.
Inv.
of Reading
Est . by Peter
Fairchild
& James
Ro~ers
Oct . 26, 1766. Farm at Hopewell.
Col. John Read admr.
1766 - HUBBLE Jabez
of
Stratfield
appt.
1766 - HALE Richd.
takes
to
Inv.
dist.
of Est.
of Rhoda
Fairchild
- - - -
1766 - HOWS Eben;
deed of Stratford.
The admr of estate
Ebnt Howes exhibited
the Inv.
which is now on file
& rep
the Estate
to be insolvent.
Court appts
Nov 6, 1766, Theophl.
Nicholl
Esqr . i>,, Mr. ,Joseph Brown com:nisrs.
1 766 - HURD Abraham
allowed
Dec 2 1766
deed
.of stra
tford
ace ts
of Debts
fl~
Credi
ts
1766 - HECOX Benj
deed of N. The executorsS~las
& Ezra Hecox
by Wm Bennet
Jr from all future
demands
on sd.Est.
released
Dec 8,
1766
1766 - HILL Sarah
Dimon
Esq .
wife
of
1766 - HILL Saml . called
Dimon & refused
same
1766 - HILL Saml takes
1766 - RAWLY Thos.
1766 - RAWLY Ezra
Jr
1766 - RAWLY Lieut.
Inv.
of
left
Ez.
Kill
son-in-law
son
Beardslee
Saml.
called
& made
Est . of Mr.
Ezra
legacy
Executor
dau.
Rawly
by Moses
Parrack
legacy
by David
of will
Executor
Elnatban
left
by Moses
of
F.
by David
Beardslee
of David
Beardslee
1767 - HUSTE~ Jonathan
Smith
of
of N. appt.
admr on Est.
of Ephm.
N. & Saml . Bennedict
Jr goes on his bond.
1766 - HANFORD Phins . takes
Inv.
Est . Nathll
. Fitch
deed
of N.
�1767 - HURD Abram deed of Stratford.
Inv. being
exhibited
Court orders
the Est.
to be dist.
to his widow & children,
ye E. son to have south portion.
Feby 25, 1767 by Saml
Mr Nathan Booth
Adams Esqr,
Cpt. Henry Hawley%
1767
HAWLEY Capt.
1767
field
HAWLY Elizabeth
widow
dau of John Gold deed
1766
Henry
- HULL Cornelius
1767 - RAWLY Ezra
Stratford
deed
- HANFORD Theophs.
to dist.
1$67
- HUSTED Jonth.
1767 - RAWLY Ezra
Stratford
to
to
of
1767
HUBBLE ,Tabez
of F.
1767
- HUBBLE Gideon
to
Est.
Inv.
dist
.•.•
of
est.
deed
Israel
of Ephrn.
Est.
of
appt.
to
dist.
of Ridge-
Banks
Burret
Smith
on Est . of Ephm.
Stratford
appt.
Rawly
Joseph
dist.
takes
appt.
above
of Thomas
of F.
of N. admr
1767 RAWLY Capt.Ezra
David Lacy of F.
dist.
dists.Est.of
appt.
1767
appt.
appt.
Danl
to
Est.
of N &
Smith
Burret
dist.
of
of N.
of
Est . of
of David
Lacy
of F
(same)
1767 - HUSTED Jonth.
goes
as guardian
of her children
on bond
of Mehitable
1767 HULL Elizabeth
deed widow of Nath!}
Hull
called
sister
of David Burr of F. her children
Smith
of
N.
deed of P .
have portion
1/8
1767 HYATT Ebens:
of N '.Jill
July 22, 1766 - Wife Elizabeth,
dau Ann (4),
dau Becca (6) unmarried;
son Ebenzr(2)
Land on
(4), son John (1),
son Thomas(3),
Strawberry
Hill;
son Daniel
son Gershom (5),
dau Elizabeth
(1),dau
Sarah
(2),dau
Mary(3),
sons John & Ebenzr
to be
dau Abigail(5)
. Wife Elizabeth~
Executors.
Witness
,Jabez Raymond, Hezekiah
Fitch,
Thos Fitch
Jr
testify
Apr 17, 1767 before
Joseph
Platt
J.P .
1767 - HAIL Hannah deed
Joseph
Booth of Stratford.
wife
of
Richard
1767 - HYATT Mr Ebenzr
of N. Inv.
Elizabeth,
Raymond !!,-,Davd Comstock.
tors.
Hall
••.
dau
of deacon
Apr 21, 1767 by Jabez
John & Ebenzr
Hyat execu-
�26.
BOOK 1754 - 1764
1761 HUBBLE Math?i:1 takes
of Stratford
.
Inv.
of Est.
of Sarah
Nichol
1761 HECOCKDanl . same
1763 HUSTED Peter
1762 HANFORDPhin.
s
Inv . Est.
of Danl Tuttle
of N.
II
II
" Thad~ Taylor
1763 HUBBLE Jer .
II
II
11
:Mr. David
1761 HUBBLE Elna th
11
Tl
11
Joseph
1761 HUSTED Jonth
II
"
"Job
1763 HOYT Benajah
Fitch & Lindel(?)
II
The op . Jr
1763 HA1'l7:70RD
Lockwood of N.
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
Inv . Mch 30 , 1762 by Isaac
takes
1762 HILL Wm takes
Inv . Est . of Ebenr
1760 HUB~LE Nat hll
Jr
Inv . Est
takes
"
II
1761 HULL Yr.Thads deed
Mallery
?::, Josh
Hall
of F .
above
1762 HA!JFORDElna . takes
of Danl
Cable
of Amos Elm.or of
Mallery
of F .
s.
of F .
Inv . Est . of Saml . Cole of N.
1761 HAWLEYOliver
takes
of N.
"
Inv . of Est.
takes
of
"
1760 HINMAN Justus
1761 HALL Josh
Sanford
"
1762 HURD Cant . Nathan of F .
Burnet Pr ,Josiah Brinsmade.
176 1 HULL Stephen
of N. Stratford
Inv . of Est . of Thos . Waring
1763 HANFORDSaml takes
1763 HUSTED Jonth
Beardslee
Inv . of Est . of Epth
takes
1
s.
of
Inv . Mch 24 , 1763 by Theophs
deed of N.
Fitch
1761 H -1.TCHBarnabas
Readin~ at Kent
Beach
II
11
Mr David
Custiss
Inv . Au~ 2t5, 1761 by John
Inv .
Inv . Est . of widow Mary Street
1760 HlJLL Stephen
"
II
II
!I
Joshua
1761 HALL Joshua
Readinri;
"
II
II
II
Mr . John
1761 HULL Seth
"
"
1763 HOYT 1\Jath 11 Adrnr. Est.
of S .
fl
II
of James
"
fl
Disbrow
Finney
II
Raymond of
:~.
of N.
of F .
of
�27.
1759 HyTDRICK David
deed of F. Inv. Dec. 6, 1759 by
1 Adams & 'l1 hau , Mor8s.
cash r0cd or Capt."'.·!hiting.
Court allows
ye widow necessaries
to su~port
ye 2 children,
one about
3 yrs & 7 mos ?c ye other 15 months old at ye
of sd deed,
David. Hendrick
death
Nathan
1762 HILL Wm Jr
takes
of Nathll
Inv.Est
Booth
1764 HUSTED Jonth
!I
II
Tl
1761 HUBBLE Thads
"
II
II
1761 HUBBLE, Thads
II
II
II
n Wm Williams
1760 HULL Stephen
ll
Tl
II
Tl
1762 HUBBLE Nathan
1763 HALL Abel,
deed
1761 HUBBLE Elnathan
North
Stratford,
deed.
1762 HUBBLE, Ebenr
Stratford,
Timothy
tr
Grau-e Williams
John
of Hannah
takes
takes
deed.
II
of N. Ad.Inv.
Admr Est
of F. d ecd
Inv.Est.
Inv.Est.
of
Betts
N
of
F
Davis,
deed
Jany
11, 1762
of
deed
Ebenzr
of Lt.
1763 HOYT A.dab 8· Eunice of N make choice
(sllardian
May 3. 1763
N. as
Foot
II
deed
of F.
Beardslee
II
of
Stratford
of
Hez Treadwell
of
of
of
Dinah
Hoyt
1763 HUBBLE Elisha
by 3lisha
Wheeler
son of Hanna:h Hubble,,..,....., : called
nephew
of Stratford,
brother
of sd Hannah
1763 HILL Danl
F . chosen
of
1763 HOYT Nathan
of
guardian
N appt.admr
by Aaron
Wood of N.
Est . of James
Raymond
deed
of N .
1761 HIDE r,r John deed of F. Cour 11 orders
Apr 9, 1761 Messrs
John Andrews,
Benjn Rumsey & Na th
Adams to dist
ye Est.
to
widow ~c children
of deed !:c to his grandson
John Hide as per
Ebenr Banks,
will.
Dist May 6, 1761. To Sarah wife of Capt.
To Rachael
wife of Mr. Saml Sherwood
Jr,
To Eunice
wife of
John Wilson.
To Mary wife of David Coley;
To John Hide;
To
Joseph
Hide;
To Joseph
Hide son of John Hide Jr - widows Thirds
1761 HUSTED .Tonathn
dist.
1761 HANFORD Theoph
Jr
Est . of
waring
It
II
II
11
Solomon
deed
II
II
of N.
II
II
1762 IIDRD Capt Nathan deed of F.
dist
Mch 31, 1762 by Isaac
Bennet,
Nathll
Seelye
Jr & Josiah
Brinsmade.
To dau Abi9:;ail
Hurd. To dau Eunice
Hurd Jackson's
Long Lot etc.
To Heirs
of'
Mary Stevens
deed wife
of Peter
Stevens
P,c
dau of deed.
1761
HOLLINGSWORTH ,Joseph
1761 HUSTED Jonth
dist.Est.
1762 HENMAN Amos
II
II
dist
Est . of John
of
John
Betts
II
Widow Abigail
Thompson
deed
of N.
Elmer
of
S.
of
F.
�28.
1759 HANFORDEleazr deed of N. Court orders May 1., 1759
Joseph Platt
Esqr,- John Platt
i-. Isaac
Sherwood all of N. to
dist.
the estate
yt was set out to the widow of sd Hanford
Feby 28, 1760) To Phineas 2 shares,
between ye children
(Dist.
To Eleazer Hanford one share. Mary wife of Elisha Alvord
Hejrs of
one share. Heirs of Eunice Whitney deed one share.
In tne dist.
of Feby 28 1760 are
Sarah Darrow deed one share.
Heirs of Sarah Darrow deed, Heirs of
mentioned ~son Phineas,
Other prob have
Eunice Whitney, Mary wife of Elisha Alvord.
had share
1761 HUBBLENathan deed of N. Dist Nov 30, 1761 by David Lambert
·'1.c Hez Deforest
as per will.
E son Thad 8 Hubble, 2nd son Na than
Hubble, Jrd son Gershom Hubble, 4th son John Hubble, 5th son
Peter Hubble, 6th son Abraham Hubble. Lands laid out to Christopher Godfree mentioned.
1763 HALL Joshua
deed of Reading
of Reading
dists
of Readinp; dists.
1763 HILL William
1764 HUBBLE Elisha
heir
of Elisha
1761 HULL Hannah deed of
Bradley Jr, Gershom Banks
Nathll Hull,
2nd brother
Ezekiel
Hull 4th brother,
of Elizabeth
Bun(?)decd,
sister
of deed.
1753 HIDE John dists
of Nathll
. Est.
Est . of "
Wheeler
II
see dist.
F. dist.
Apr 5, 1761 by Joseph
. To E. bro ther Stephen Hull, To
To children
of Peter Hull deed, ~o
To Silas Hull 5th brother,
To Heirs
To Easther Barlow wife of Saml Barlow
Est . of Gideon Mor6house
"
" Thads Bun of F . deed
1757 HUSTED Jonthn"
"
11
1 757 HANDFORDTheoph.
"
II
1762 HILL Eunice
of F.
of Nath 11 Hill
1759 HILL Thos.
dists
wife
Mr Martin
1761 HUBBLEGershom dist.
II
above
II
Kellogg
II
II
1761 HUBBLE Ebenezr deed of Stratfield.
17 1761 by C'ershom Hubble, Abel Hall
Ebenezer,
Jeremiah,
Timothy, Abijah,
Rebeckah, Hannah
1761 HALL Abel
Booth
II
deed of N.
"
dau of Rebeccah
II
!I
Wakeman
Dist of Est of Aug.
Edwd Lacey To widow,
heirs
of Patience
deed,
&
est.
II
1759 HOLEBURTON
Mr John deed of Stratfield.
Dist Jany 1,1759
by Joseph Booth & Joseph Nicholl . To widow, Mary Holeburton,
E. son Thomas, 2nd son William,
dau Mary Holeburton
1760 HIGGINS Abraham dist~.
1762 HILL Eunice
deed of F.
wife
Est
of Nathan
of Capt.
Hill
Thos.
Nash deed of F.
dau of Stephen
Wakeman
�29.
1762 HUBBLE Elnath.
dists
Stratford
1759 HULL Danl
Fairchild
deed
Est
of F. apptd.
of F .
1754 HOBART Joseph
of
1754 HAWLEY Elijah
witnesses
deed
of N.
(see
dist.
1760 HIDE John appt.
1762 HANFORD Capt.
1755 RAWLY Joseph
of
to
Danbury
& agrnt)
to
Joseph
dist.Est.
heir
of
Thos
of heirs
Est.
of
Phineas
dists.
Est.
dists.Est.
of
Ebenzr
of
1753 HOYT Danl
II
II
II
1753 HOYT James
'T
II
II
ti
1761 HILL Thos.
Esqr.
II
Tl
Nathan
1761 HUBBLE Jabez
deed
of F.
son
1761 HANFORD Theophilus
Solomon Waring of N.
1761 HUSTED Jonatn.
John
of Martha
Jr
appt
Ritymond
Hubble
dist
Est.
deed
of
1777 HUBBELL Mr . Andrew deed of Stratford.
Bradford
& Elijah
Hawley.
Matthew
Hubbell
11 1777
sware to Inv.
Sept.
1777 HAWLEY Elijah
takes
above
deed
deed
to
Inv.
Banks
deed
II
Gold
deed
of F.
d ecd
of N
deed
II
of N appt.
to
&. Mary
Thos.Rockwell
John
Ferry
of
Rockwell
of Epm Bears
1762 HALL Abel dist . Est . of Enos Beardslee
Gold
deed
of Mr . Thos.
agmt
dist.
Beardslee
dist.
of
of
N.
II
II
Stratford
of F.
dau
of Nathan
Est.
Solomon
of
Waring
of N.
Inv.
by Henry
& Panock
Hubbell
�30
INDEX OF PERSONS ADAMS Edward 6; Nathl
AFFORT Joseph
indicates
{l-
more than
one ref'erence
12, 18, 27; Saml 6,13,15,l&l-,25
9
ALLEN Gideon 6
28; Mary{Hanford)28
ALVORD Elisha
ANDRE\TS John l?.,19
BACKUS Jno 14
BANKS David 19; Ebenr 17; Gershom 19~!-,21,28; Hannah 15;
John 2,29; Joseph 15,24,25;
Justus 15; Rebeckah 15;
Sarah 15; Sarah (Hide)l?;
Sarah(Hitchcock)l5
BARDSLEE Thos 2
BARKS Benj 19
BARLOW David 10; Easther
(Hull)28;
Saml 28
BARRIT Wm8
BARTLETT Elizabeth,
Sarah 18
BASSET Elizabeth
Hannah,
Issabel,
John,
Mary, Saml,
1
BATTERSON Geo 18
BEACH Agar 21; David 26; Eph. l~iBEARDSLEE Abrm l~~; Andw 6; David 24:i-; Enos 29; Hannah 18;
Joseph 26, 28; Nathan 6; Obediah 10
BEARDSLEY John l~~;
Martha
10
BEARS Epm 29
BEARSLEE David 8
BEERS John 21
BELDONWm19
BENEDICK Nathaniel
10
BENEDICT David 18; Peter
BENNEDICT Saml Jr
BENNET Isaac
10; Thos 20
24
18, 20, 27; Wm Jr
24
�31
BETTS Elias 19; John 27; Joseph 17, 20; Mrs Jos. 19;
Na than 17-i:-,21; Nathan Jr 17 ;_ Ruth 17; Saml 17-::-,18;
Sarah 17; Stephen 5; Thos lo
BIRDSEY Abel 2
BLACKLEACH Capt.Jes.
8,14
BLACKMANBenj 15; Rebeckah
BLOCKMANEbenezer
15
9
BONISMADE Abm 18
BOOTH Danl 8; Hannah 25; Joseph 2,7,12,24,25,28;
Nathan( Na thaniell?)
16, 17, 25, 27, 28-:;.;Zachariah
BORNSMADE Josiah
8-::-
20
BOSTWICK Betty(Hurd)l5;
Elnathan
Hurd 15; Mary 15
BOUTON John 4
BOUTTONSEN Joseph
2-::-; Sarah
2
5; Jos .Jr.19-::-, 21, 28
BRADLEY Danl 12; Ephraim
BRADLY Jos 3
BRADFORDHenry 29
BRINSMADE Jos.20;
Josiah
BRINSMAID Hannah
(Hubbell)
BROOKS Benj l;
BROWN Isaiah
David
20,22;
BUN Elizabeth
BURNET Isaac
Zacha.l
7
9
23; Joseph
BULKLEY Nathan
22,26,27;
24; Saml 15
Peter
28; Thads
11
28
26
BURR Ann 6; Catherine
11; David 25; Elizabeth
Col.John 8; Nathl 19; Saml 19-?:-,20; Stephen
Wm 6,7
BURRET Charles
22; Danl 25; Israel
BURRrT Wm 13
BURRITT Stephen
4
25
9,25; John 14;
5; Thaddeus
7;
�32
CABLE Danl
26;
CARTER John
George
21
16
CHAPMAN John
12
CHAUCEY Robt
1
CLARK sarah(Hickox)l;
Silas,l;
Zachariah
CLUCKSTON,CLUCKSTONE c~.Saml
COGGESHALL Benj
COLE Hez 20;
COLY David
15
1,3,4
16
Saml 26
17;
Mary
(Hide)
17
COMSTOCK Abijah
20; David 25; Dinah 23;
Moses 23-::-: Saml 3; Capt. Saml 11, 16
COOKE Rev.Saml
COUCH Benj
COZIER
Saml 11,12;
7; Eliphalet
9; Eunice(Hawley)
7;
7; Mary (Hawley)
7; Mehitable(Hubbard)l6;
Peter
7,8
26
(Hanford)
Saml 4;
Sarah
DEFOREST Abigail
DISBROW Jabez
DOWNS David
28
4
(Peet)
3; David 4; Saml 3,7,13
4; Benoni 13; Ebenzr 8;
4,11;
Sarah 24; Thos 23
DIMON .Abigail
Capt.Moses
Saml
widow--12
21
David
DARROW Sarah
Do,mE
12;
4
CURTISS Abiah(Hubbell)
Eunice l; Jonathan
Stiles
8; Zacha.l;
DAVIS
Solomon
4
widow
CRAWFORD John
CUSTISS
23;
3
5,11;
CRANE Jabez
Hannah
23:
24
2
DUNLAP --16
ELMER Abigail
ELMOR Amos 26
19,27
Joshua
26
John
23;
Moses
24;
�33
FAIRCHILD Mary 29; Peter
Lt.Saml 19; Thos 29
FERRIS
Deborah
FERRY Ebenzr
FINCH
24; Rhoda 24; Robt 7,9;
13
9,29
Abigail
(Hoyt)
20; John
23
FITCH Hezakiah 25; James Jr 3; John Jr 3; Lindel(?)26;
Nathll
24; Saml 1,3,15;
Thos l; Thos Jr 25;Theoph 20,26
FRENCH --12;
John 8-!:•; Joseph
14
FROST Wm 12
FULSOM Sarnl 14
GAYLORD Wm 1
GERMAN Martha
1
13
GILBERT Benoni
GODFREE, GODFREY Christppher
GOLD Elizabeth
25:
28; Stephen
John 2_5; Martha
12,13,19
29; Nathan
29-i:-
GOODSELL John 3-l:-,7, 11
GOODWIN Joseph
2
G OREHA
US
_5.-::-
James
GRAY Anna 16; John 16; Solomon 23
GREEN John 24; Susanna
· GREGORY David 10;
(Hoyt)
20
Thads 12
GROMAN Saml 3
GRUMAN Thos 15
HAIT
Jonathan
HALE Richard
13,18;
widow Mary(Weed)
13
24
HALL Abigail
6• Abigail
(Jr)6;
Anna 6;Anna (Lane)l8;
Abel 18, 23, 28-i:-,29; Danl 23; David 20; Ebenezer 18, 23;
Elnathan
6,20; Francis
18; Hannah (Booth) 25; Isabel
6;
John 3,6-!:-,23; Jabez 6; Joshua 5,6,16,18,19.;:-,2&:-,28;
Joseph 8; Lyman 10,11; Mabel 23; Nathl 18,20,22;
Rebecca 23; Rebeckah 22; Richard 3,14,18,25;Saml;
4,6;
Sarah (Silliman)
4; Sarah 23,24; Wm Jr 5; --(Lewis)l2
HALLEY Oliver
8
�34
HANDFORD Elna.20;
Hayns
Saml 20; Theoph 28
20;Hez.20;Phineas
20,21;
4; Dinah (Comstock)23;
Eleazr 28;
HANFORD Catherine
(Jr)2g;
Elizabeth
1,4; Elizr
14; Eunice 28;
Eleazer
Elna than 1, 2, 3,l-,4-::-,S;l-, 6, 16, 17, 18, 19, 26; Gershom 4, 10;
Hannah 1,3,6;
Hannah (Comstock) 23; Hezekiah 6,13,18~
John 17; Mary 4,28; Mary(Jr)4;
Mary(Saymore)
2;
Phineas
2,4,7,16,21,23,24,26,28:
Capt.Phineas
29;
Ruth (Scrivener)
2; Saml 1,2,3,4,6,20,23,26;
Sarah 28;
Sarah (Bouttonsen)
2,3,4;
Sarah (St John) 10;
Theophilus
1,4,19.25;
Theophilus
Jr 20,26,27,29;
Thomas 1,2,4,5,17;
Wm 18,20
HARPIN Jean
9
HARVEY Abigail
3; Martha
HATCH Barnabas
26
3; Mary 3; Thos 2,3~:-,7
HAWES Edwd 2
HAWKINS Mary 4; Sarah
(Davis)
4; Sarah
(jr)
4
HAWLEY Aaron 9; Abel 8; Abigail
8,10;Abi~ail(Hall)6;
Abraham 8; Andrew 22; Bethia 7; Bethia
(Wheeler)ll;
Comfort 7,8; Danl 1,2,6,8,14,15,23;
David 8; Desire&:-;
Edward 1_5; Elias 7; Elijah
28,29-::-; Elizabeth
15; Enos 8;
Ephm 15; Eunice 2,7,9;
(Capt.)Ezra
4,6,12,21,22;
14,24; Frederick
7,22; Gideon 7,8;
Frances 9;Francis
Hannah (2 different)7~:-,8;
Henry 7,8~:-,10; r:apt.Henry
25":-;
James 2; Jonathan
5; Joseph 8,9,13,23;Lemuel
8~:-,21,22;
M.8; Mabel 8; Mary 7,9; Mary (jr)7,23;Mary
(III)&l-;
Mathew 7,11,15;
Molley 12;Molly 22; Nathan 8-:~-;Nathl 9;
Nathl (jr)9;
Nehemiah 7,8; Obediah 2,6; Oliver 14,15,26;
Persons,Piersons
8~:-; Rachel 7; Rebeckah (Blackman)
15;
Richard 7; Saml 2,7,9,12,21~:-,23;
Sarah 6,7,21;
Sarah (Wheeler)
11; Stephen 4; Woolcot 9.
Capt--20;
widow -- 12
RAWLY Elijah
13; Elizabeth
Ezra Jr 24; Lt. Ezra 24;
Thos. 14,24,25
(Gold) 25; Ezra 24,25;
Capt Ezra 25; Joseph 29;
HAY James 3
HAYES Allyn 3; Elizabeth
3; Eunice 3; James 3; James(jr)3;
Mary 3; Nathl 3~:-,5:f; Rachel 3; Sarah 5; Thos 3
HAYNES Mr --18
HAYS Edmund 2; Sarah
HAYT David
17;
HAZARD Anah 11,
Ruth
(Moris)
(Lockwood)
Saml 11
9
17
�HEACOCK Ezra
35
16
HEBBARD, HEBBERDNa thl
HEATON Agnes,
Sarnl,
9, 12, 13, 19~:-, 21
Saml(jr),
HECOCK Danl 26; Joseph
HECOX Benj,
Ezra,
Sarah
18; Sarah
Silas
10
(Wakelee)
18
24
HENDRICK Andrew 13; David 27; James 23; Jermna 13;
Mary 13; Mary(jr)
13; Peter 10; Saml 23
Jno 14;
HENMAN Amos 27
HERNS Elizabeth
(Thorp)
17
HICKOCK, HICOCK Ezra 8,22,23
HICKOX Abiisail,
Ben'j, Bethel,
Sarah {jr),
Silas 1
HIDE Abi1a,1 17; Abijah
John 5,9,14,17,lq,28,29;
Mary 17; Rachel 17
Ezra,
Ezra
(jr),Nathan,
11; Danl 10; Capt.Danl
John (jr)17;
Joseph
Sarah
6; Eunice
17, 18;
1
17;
5; Abraham Jr 4
HIGENS Abraham
HIGGENS Abraham 11; Abraham (jr) 12; Martha
Saml 12; Sarah 11; Sarah (jr) 11
HIGGINS Abraham 13, 19,
12; Mary 11,12;
28; Saml
HILL Abigail
( Dimon) 4; Esther 1; 19; Eunice (Wakeman) 28-~:-;
Isaac 19.z.22,24; John 19-~-; Joseph 4,19-·:-,24;Nathan
10,19,28-::-;
Nathll
2~; Ruhamah 14; Sarah 9,19; Sarah (Dimon) 24;
Thos qr)23;Saml
14,16,24;
,Thos l-ii-,2,6-::-:.10,ll/;-6,23-::-,28;
1.Jm1, 6, 16, 21-,., 26, 2~, Wm Jr 14, 18, 19-,,•,27
HILTON Mary 9
HITCHCOCK Ezra
Jos. 6
21~:-; Jane,
John,
HINMAN Amos 19; Ebenz 10; Eunice
,Justus 14-'.:, 15, 26
HOBART Joseph
(Curtiss)
l;John
15
8,15,16;
23,29
HODSDON David,
HOIT Nathan
Jsph,Joseph(jr),Saml,sarah
Hannah,
Margery,
Mehitable,
Timothy,
14
HOLBERT Ebenezer
9; Thos 9
HOLBERTON,HOLEBURTON,HOLBUTON,HILBURTONJohn 7,28;
Thos 7,l0,28;Wm 7,28
Mary 7,28; Mary(jr)7,28;
Wm 7
�36
HOLLINGSWORTHJos 20,21,27
HOLLOWELLHannah 23 ·
HOLLY John 15
5
HOOKER Giles
HOSMER Thos 9
HOW Abigail,
Robt 1
HOWES Ebenz 1,24
HOWSEbenzr
24
HOYT (HOYTT) Abigail 20; Abram 2; Adah 20,22;
Benajah 20,26; Benajah(jr)20;
Danl 11,29; Dinah 20,22;
Dinah(jr)20;
Ebenezer 20,22; Elijah
20;Elizabeth
(Lockwood)l7; Eunice 20,22; James 6,11,29;
Moses 20;
Nathan 17,20,22,26;
Mehatable 20; Saml 20;Susanna 20
HUBBART Zach 1
HUBBEELLStephen
6
HUBBELAbel 10; Anna (Patterson)l6;
Danl 8; David 9·H·;
Ebenz 7; Esbon 9; Ezlon 9; Ezra 9-::-,12; Capt. Ezra 9 ;Hez 10!:-;
Isaac 9; John 7; Josiah 7; Martha ?;Martha (beardsley)lO;
Mary 9; Mary (wells) 7; Martha 7; Saml 7, 9~:HUBBELLAbiah 7; Abigail 16; Abigail(jr)l6;
Andrew 29;
Elizabeth
7; Elnathan 16; Hannah 7,11,16;
John 11,12,16,17;
Josiah 2,7; Martha 7; Mary 16; Matthew 29; Mehitable
16;
Nathan 16; Nathan Jr 17; Panock 29; Richard 1-::-,16;
Capt.Richard
1,16-l:-; Ruth(Betts)
17; Saml 16;Saml Jr 23;
Thaddeus 1 7•:'<-;1rJm16
HUBBLE Aaron lO;Abigail
22; Abraham 28; Abijah 28;
David 10~13,19; Ebenzr 10,13,21,22,28;Ebenzr
Jr 22,28;
Eunice (Sanford)lJ;
Gershom 2&:-;
Elisha 2~; Elnath.26,29;
Gershom Jr 18,21~:-; Gideon 25; Hannah 28; Jabez 13,24,25,29;
Jer.26,26;
tTohn 28; Joseph 20; Mathw 21,26; Nath .18,28;
Na.thn(Nathll?)Jr
19,26,28;
Patience
28; Peter 28;
Martha (Gold)29;
Rebeckah 28; Ruth 21; Richard 11;
Saml 14,::-, 21, 22-::-; Capt. Sanll 20; Sarah 10; Tamar 13;
Thaddeus 21,28; Timothy 28
HULL Abiga:il 5-::-; Ann 23; Anna(Gray)l6;
Cornelius
2,5,11,14,::-,
17,24,25;
Daniel 5,7,1~~,29;
David 7; Easther
28;
Ebenz 7,11; Eleanor 11; Elizabeth
10,11,19,22;
Ezekiel 22,28; George 11; Hannah 21,22,28;Hezakiah
12;
23; John 11;
Isaac 12; Jabez 5,17; ,Jabez Jr 12;Jerusha
Ensign John 4,::-; Lydia 5; Martha 11; Mary (Thorp) 17;
Moses 23; Nathan 12; Nathl 11,25,28;
Peter 19,22,23,28;
Rebecca 11; Saml 1,9,10,13;
Sarah ~~,11,12;
Seth 26;
Seth Jr 22; Silas 28; Stephen 18,22~,2~~,28;
Tamar {Leavensworth)21;
Thads 22,26; Theophilus~~;
Theophilus{jr)5;
Elizabeth
(Burr) 25
HUMPHREYRev Danl 13
�37
HUNN Rev Na thl
HUNT Joshua
5,v.-,6, 10, 23, 24; Ruth (Read)
13, 23, 24.ii-
13
HURD Abigail
(Hubbell)
16;Abigail(jr)
27; Abraham 11,13,
24,25; Betty 15; David l~!-; Eunice 27; Ebenr 15,16,18;
Elizabeth
(outman)ll;Elizabeth(jr)ll;John
10;
Jonathan
13-::-,15; Judah 11; Capt.Nathan
17,22,26,27;
Nathn Jr 20; Mary 27; Rachel 17; Saml 13; Sarah 10;
Susanna 15
HURLBUT Phebe 23; Stephen
23
HURLBUTTAdria 13; Gideon 12,14;Gideon(jr)l2;
14; Nathl 12,13
Hannah(Taylor)
HUSTEAD Anne (Seymour)
11; Peter
11
20,22,24,25-::-,2fo·,27-::-,28,29;Peter
HUSTED Jonth
26
HU1'CHINSON T .13
HYAT, HYATTAnn, Becca, Abigail,
Daniel,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth(jr),
Gershom, Mary, Sarah, Thomas 25
Ebenzr 13, 25-::-; Eb enzr Jr 25-,:-; John 25-,:15, 18
ISAACS Isaac
JENNINGS Isaac
2
JOHNSON Sarah
(Hitchcock)
15
JONES --16
JORDAN Miles
16
JUDSON Abner 23; Henry 24; John 8; Joshua
KEELER Capt.4
KELLOG--4
KELLOGGMartin
KELLY James
20,2&:-;
Mary 20
1
KIMBERLY Gideon 17
KNAP Aquila
18,19
LACEY Edwd 21,28;
John 18-:i-
LACY Benj 14; David 2 5-::LANE Anna 18 • Charles
LEA Wm4
'
l&:-, 20
LEAVENSWORTHJames 21; Tamar 21
LEVAKE John 19
15
25
�38
LE\tlIS Benj 7; Edmund 7; Col.Edmund
LOCKWOODElizabeth
17; Gershom
Joseph 17; Ruth 17
LYON Nathan
James
4;
16;--12
Job 22,26;
14
MALLERY,MALLORY Ebenzr
21,26;
MARCH Richard
1
MARSHALL John
15
John 26
23
MALLEr Danl 23; Zachariah
MEAD ca ~t.
4;
12; Icabod
Thads 21; Theop 21
7
MEAKER Danl 19; Joseph
:MERRIT John 23
MIDDLEBROOKJonathan
10
MILLS Danl 16; Zechariah
9,13;
MOREHOUSEAbijah
10
Gideon 28; John 14; Nathan
9; Sarah 9
MORES Thad 27
MORIS - see MOREHOUSE
MOURHOUSEThos
4
NASH Thos 6,12,28
NEWTON Rev Christopher
15
NICHOL, NICHOLL, NICHOLS, NICHOLLS, NICKOLS,NICKOLLS
Bathsheba 15; Ignatius
14,16; John 15; Joseph 28;
Sarah 21~~,22,26; Theop 2,7,9,11,24
NOGUIER Anthony 6
ODELLWm 6
OLMSTED David 20 ,; Joseph
OSBORN Jeremiah
5; Saml 20
14
OUTM
AN Elizabeth
11; ,Johh 11
PARRACK Elnathan
24
PARRECK John 10; Sarah
(Hubble)
10
PATTERSON Andrew 2; Wm 7~:-,16-~-,21, 22
�39
PEET
Abigail
3; Abigail
PERRY Joseph
PEI'TIT
Joel
l~'";
Seth
(Harvey)
3
1
17
PLATT David 17; John 28; Joseph
15,20,28;Rachel(Hurd)
17
PORTER Capt Danl 3
PRINDLE Ebenr
PRINES
16
Saml 7
QUINCEY Edward 24
RAYT'
'"OT\JD Asabel 5; Asau 17; Jabez 29,:-; James
John Jr 11; Joshua 4,5; Saml 20
13,23,24-l:-;
Ruth 13
RESSIGUE, RESSIGUIE, RISSIGNE
Alexander
READ, REED Col.John
26;
John 4,5,29~:-;
REDFIRELD David 10
RIGGS
Stephen
8; Sarah
13,16
16
ROCKWELL Tho s 29.;:ROGERS James 24; Nehemiah
20
ROSS Robt 22
ROWLANDDavid 11,23;
Joseph
3
RUMSEY Benj 19; Wm 5.;:RUSCOE Saml 14
RUSSELL Joseph
24
ST. JOHN James 10; Sarah
10
SANFORD Epth 26; Eunice 13; Ensign
Sarah 5, 11; Thos l~:-
Lemuel 4; Saml
5;
SAYMORE Anne 11
SCRIVENER Ruth 2; Thos 2
SEELEY Nathan
SEELYE Nathll
18
27
SEYMORE Hannah 6; John 2; Mary 2; Saml 11
SHAWNath.14
SHELTON Elizabeth
1; John
5; Mary(Hubbell)
16;
Saml 16
�40
SHERWOODDanl 11; Isaac 4,5,28;
Saml 51:-,13; Saml Jr 1 7
John 14; Rachel(Hide)l7;
SILLIMAN Danl 23; Robt 4;
4
Sarah
SMEDLEY James 2
16;
SMITH --4; Danl 13; Ephm 24,2~~; Hannah (Hubbell)
20; Saml 5,10,23;
Lydia (Hull) 5; Matthew 17"':-; Merritt
Will 23; Wm 5
SQUIRE Capt.Jos.20~
21; Saml Jr
19
STAPLES John 3; Thos 2
STERLING ~,r --12
STEVENS Mary (Hurd)
STREEr
27; Peter
Mary 26; Nathl
STURGIS Jerusha
27
6
l"'~; Mary
SUMMERS Danl 7; Eunice
SWAIN Abigail
17,
7; Jabez
12
10
John 3rd 14":~; Reuben 7; Thads
TAYLOR Hannah 14;
THOMPSON Danl 7; Hannah (Hawley)
THORP David 3; Elizabeth
Nathan 14; Peter 6,14
26
7; John 8,9,27;
17; Mary 11,14,17~:-;
Sarah
Mary(jr)l7;
TOMLINSONAgur 7
TREADURE Jacob
18
TREADWELLHez.
12,21;
Zachariah
12
TROWBRIDGE Danl 1
TRUBEE Abi'sail
18
TUCKER Rev Nathl
TURNER Robert
3
8
TUTTLE Aaron 23; Danl 26· Eliz.23;
TYLER Jonathan
10
WA:Kh'LEEJames 18; Sarah
'
David Jr
22
18
WAKELY David 16
WAKEMANEbenz 23; Eunice
28"'~; Rebeccah
28; Stephen
20,28
3
�41
WARD A.2;
Moses
WAREN Edward
2
l;
Jr
WARING Solomon
WEED Mary,
(Hanford)
20, 27~:-, 29~:-; Thos
Saml,
WELLS Abigail
Elizabeth
Sarah
1
26
13
1; Ephraim
8; Joseph
7; Mary 7;
Saml
7
~I'rlEELER Bethia
11; Elisha
16,28;
Hannah 11; Isaac
6;
Elnathan
11; Joseph
19; Obidiah
14; Robt 10, 11{~;
Sarah 11; Seth 6; widow--14
WHELEAR John
WHITING
1
Capt . --27;
WHITNEY Eunice
Saml 11
(Hanford)
28;
WILCOCKSON Lt . John 6; Josiah
(Hubbell}
WILLCOXON Elizabeth
WILLCOKSON Timo 15
WILLIAMS
WILSON
Benj
Eunice
Saml 1,3
1,5
7; Hannah~~;
5-::-; Jona.l
(Hide)
17;
John
17
Timothy&}
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Notes Supplementary to Abstracts of Probate Records of Fairfield County, Conn. 1745-1777
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Eardeley, William Applebie, 1870-1935
Stryker-Rodda, Harriet
Description
An account of the resource
41 pages
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1954
1745-1777
Subject
The topic of the resource
Public Records--Connecticut--Fairfield
Probate courts -- Connecticut -- Fairfield
Inventories of decedents' estates -- Connecticut -- Fairfield
Fairfield (Conn.) -- History
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
F104.F2 E27 1954
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
William Applebie Daniel Eardeley (1870-1935) was a prolific genealogist born in Brooklyn, NY. Over the course of his career he amassed an extensive collection of genealogical information primarily in New York and Connecticut. The Brooklyn Historical Society has made Eardeley’s collection available to researchers on microfilm.
http://brooklynhistory.org/library/wp/eardeley-genealogy-
collection/
For a list of publications see:
http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n90638083/#identitiesoverview
Transcribed by Harriet Stryker-Rodda
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_F2_E27_1954/#page/1/mode/1up">Page turner version</a>
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
11b7bad1-d4d9-4b13-a225-67b26e54c10b
CT Room rare
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/6030/BV4260_C6_B3_1840.pdf
8a40c67cf67edf6a9a9be78eb5701354
PDF Text
Text
---
--·
----~
THE GOO
DLYHERITAGE
OFCONNE
CTICUT
A
DISCOURSE
TN TH R
FIRST
CHURCH
!
I
IN
NEW
ON
I
TI-I~ N K S GI Vl NG
I
i /
HAVEN,
NOV.
,
I
BY
19,
LEONARD
DAY ,
1840.
BACON
.
l
I
I
~;====--==
= ======
-~
�/
�(
THE GOODLY
HERITAGE 0]' CONNECTICUT,
A
DISCOURSE
1N THE
F IRST
CHURCH
IN
NEW
HAVEN
ON
T HANK
NOV,
BY
•
S GIVING
19,
DAY ,
1840,
LEONARD
BACON
G \ll NI)
~~'---= AL
soc
NEW
P RINTED
HAVEN
BY
•
:
B . L . HAML EN .
1840.
.
,
�•
�DISCOURSE.
PsALM xvi, 6.-The
lines are fallen to me in pleasant place s, yea,
I have a goodly heritage .
THE Psalmist is speaking not in pride, but in thankfulness. He is gratefully and joyfully acknowledging
God as his protector, his portion, and the source of all
his blessings. "The Lord," he says,-" The Lord is
the portion of mine inheritance and my cup : Thou
maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places, yea, I have a goodly heritage."
Let us adopt as our own, to-day, this grateful sentiment of ancient devotion, once breathed from lips that
were moved by the Spirit of God. We too may say,
as truly as the pious lsraelite,-and we ought to say it
with the same fervent acknowledgment of God,-The
lines are fallen to us in pleasant places. He who has
made of one blood all nations of men, to dwell on all
the face of the earth, and who hath determined the
times before appointed, and marked out by lines of his
own the bounds of their habitation,-hath given to us
a goodly heritage.
We may contemplate the pleasantness of our appointed place, and the goodliness of our heritage, either
as citizens of this great confederation, so fast advancing
to a foremost rank among the nations of the world,or as citizens of that particular State which we inhabit
and which we call our own; a State too small to maintain its independence alone, and yet free, sovereign,
�\
I
4
and safe from foreign aggression; a State unknown to
diplomacy, ancilunheard of in the cabinets of Europe
and the congresses of her sovereigns; a State without
a navy, or an army, or a fort of its own, or an ambassador at any foreign court; and yet with a strong, firm
government, and a system of laws and institutions, under which a population of more than three hundr ed
thousand souls, enjoy as much of peace and security,
and of the means of social happine ss and individual
well being, as any equal population on the face of the
earth. It is not as citizens of the United States, but
as citizens of the State of Connecticut, that we, this
day, at the invitation of our public authorities, meet
in the temples of our worship, to give thanks to God.
This is the thanksgiving day of the people of Connecticut. Let us, then, to excite and direct our religious gratitude, call to mind some of the particulars of
that goodly heritage which the God of nations has
given to the people of this State.
The theme, then, of which I propose to speak, is
our own State of Connecticut, and the privileges
which are included in our citizenship and inhabitation
here. It will not come within my design - and certainly it would be very inappropriate to the duties of
the day-to institute any vainglorious comparison between Connecticut and other States of this confederacy, or to undertake to strike a balance between our
advantages and those enjoyed by our neighbors. To
some extent, of course, we must speak comparatively ;
but that may be done without unkind disparagement
of the lot of others, and without any invidious or selfish
exaggeration of that which is given to us.
l
�5
The State of Connecticut-behold her goodly heritage. Look at her territory, suited to a free and active
people-at her history-at her government and laws,
the result of all her history-at the hereditary character of her population-at her schools and means of
ed ucation- at the equal distribution of comforts, and
of the means of happine ss, among her citizens-at her
religious institutions-and lastly at her capacities of
improvement and of progress.
I. Her TERRITOR Y , considered in respect to extent,
is small. It is but a little spot upon the map of the
Union; among the twenty six States, it is the least
but two. But he who knows the history of nations,
knows that what a free State may gain in power, and
in security against foreign aggression, by the extension
of its territory, is more than lost in liberty and patriotism, and in the safe and efficient working of its government. In proportion as a free State extends its territory, the power in the hands of the government is increased ; and with it the temptations to ambition on
the part of the rulers, and their opportunities and facilities for deceiving and corrupting the people, are greatly
augmented. In the same proportion, the individual
citizen loses his importance in the body politic, and the
sense of his responsibility, and of the extent to which
the common welfare is dependent on his fidelity. In
our narrow territory there is no such danger. The
representativ~ is not removed to a distance from his
constituents, nor raised above their heads; he is in the
midst of them, he is one of them, and they all know him.
In respect to the productiveness of the soil, the territory allotted_to Connecticut is ccmparatively poor. It
�6
yields nothing to man, but as the recompense of sturd:;
and continued toil. But upon such a soil, those rugged
and manly virtues, without which there can be no freedom, most naturally find their home. As he who eats
his bread in the sweat of his brow, eats it with the
sweetest relish, so he under whose hands the hard and
rocky soil, after many a painful and patient stroke,
grows verdant and beautiful as Eden, loves th~t soil
the more for all his labor, and is the more ready, if
need be, to water it and hallow it with his blood.
The compactness of this territory-its
moderate
irregularity of outline and of surface-is a part of the
goodliness of our heritage. No lofty mountain range,
no broad arm of the sea, divides our citizens as into
two separate and distant communities, or makes one
part of our State difficult of access to the other. Our
coast, indented with harbors, teaches our people to be
at home upon the ocean. Our broadest rivers, spanned
by bridges, whitened with sails, and resounding with
the dash of oar and wheel, instead of dividing, unite
us. The hills that break our soil ·into so rough a surface, nourish from perpetual springs the many streams
that glide with murmuring music to the sea; and these
streams, subdued and controlled by human skill, become industrious, like living creatures, and labor, unwearied and unfed, to supply the wants and multiply
the enjoyments of man.
Such a territory, in its limited extent, in its hard but
not ungrateful soil, in its compactness, and in its various
inciteme 14ts to industry, is well suited to be the abode of
a free, homogeneous, hardy, and patriotic people. To
the state of which we are members, the lines are fallen
in pleasant places,-yea, she has a goodly heritage.
�7
II. Her HISTORY, also, is such as is suited to exert
upon her people the best moral influences. The influence of a people's history upon its present character,
and upon its coming destiny, is of the greatest moment.
That community which has no history, has naturally no
self-respect, no dignity, no elevation or strength of character; it may be kept together till it grows· into a
whole, but while it has no past, it is an aggregation of
parts rather than a unity ; it has no common spirit.
That community which can not look back upon its origin with respect-whose annals are a continued record
of selfishness, crime and shame, is greatly deficient in
respect to that which constitutes a people's best earthly
heritage. How rich then is the heritage of our timehonored commonwealth. Her origin was not commercial merely, nor military, but religious. Men of God,
fleeing from the wrongs of the old world, came hither
to build an altar ; and as soon as their pilgrim feet were
planted on this soil, there sprang into being in the wilderness, the beauty of a civilized, free, Christian State.
And from our origin to this day, the changes which have
passed over us, have been only such as were suited
. gradually to perfect and establish all our institutions.
Our present existence, as a State, is not dissevered from
the past. And for us the past-that is, the past of our
own existence as a distinct community-is alive with
examples of stainless integrity, of noble public spirit, of
stern self-denial, of heroic self-sacrifice. The names
of such patriots in civil life as the Ellsworth and Johnson of the Federal Constitution, the Sherman and
Trumbull of the Revolutionary era, the Winthrop, the
Haynes, and the Eaton of our still earlier annals-and
.
�8
the names of such martyrs in the cause of their country,
as Wooster, and Hale, are to all Americans, but most
of all to us to whom they peculiarly belong, of priceless
value. What a power for good-what a treasury of
patriotic sentiments and . impulses, is there in the memory of that dire struggle for right, and for ancient and
chartered freedom, which marked the era of 1776.
III. Our POLITICAL SYSTEM, including both the form
of our government and the body of our laws, is not
with us an untried experiment; nor is it an experiment
of merely some fifty or sixty years standing. It is the
growth of two full centuries. Our town meetings, our
various gradations of magistracy, our annual elections,
our mode and forms of legislation, our principles of
civil and political equality, have not been brought in by
some violent revolution, the scheme of speculative politicians, seeking to pull down, that amid smoke and
ruin they may erect, if they can, some new and utopian structure of society. All these things, which in
other countries might be attempted in vain, are with
us of an old and steady growth. Our history, our
character as a people, and our political system, are all
intermingled by reciprocal connections and influences,
and can not be torn apart. Hence it is that our people
are not only theoretically free, free by the provisions of
the Constitution, but really free, and fully alive to the
sense of their freedom; and the political equality of the
rich and the poor, of the proprietor and the tenant, of
the employer and the emplcyed-their equality before
the law-their equal share in the protection and benefits of government-their equality at the ballot box-is
not only talked about, and recognized in speculation,
�9
but felt in all quarters as a palpable reality. There is
nowhere upon earth a political system which more completely answers the purpose of spreading its equal and
perfect protection over every family and every individual, or which is better suited to give scope and exercise
to all the faculties of every citizen, for his own and for
the common welfare.
IV. The HEREDITARY CHARACTER of our people is
another element of that goodly heritage which has
been allotted to our State. The industry, the inventive
ingenuity and skill, and the enterprising spirit of our
people, are proverbial wherever our name is known.
Nowhere upon earth, are there in an equally numerous
population, fewer unlaboring hands, or fewer unthinking minds, or fewer consumers that eat the bread which
they have not earned, than in Connecticut. Nor is this
the mere effect of an external necessity, but, to a great
extent, the genius and inbred character of the people.
Nowhere upon earth, is there a more perfect order and
tranquillity than in Connecticut. Nowhere is there a
inore profound or universal reverence for law. Nowhere is the idea of resistance to the law, of mob violence, of any public disorder, more generally or heartily
repelled. Nowhere is every palpable immorality a
more effectual badge of ignominy than in Connecticut.
Nowhere is pr~faneness more contemptible or disgusting to the common feelings of the people. Now here
is the spendthrift, the drunkard, the gamester, the adulterer, or the seducer, more despised and detested.
Now here upon earth is there more of security ag~inst
crime ;-nowhere is there more of innocence, purity
and affection, around the fireside ;-nowhere does the
• 2
(
�1
(
10
grass grow greener over the grave of buried love.
All this enters into the hereditary common character of
the homogeneous people of Connecticut, born of the old
Pilgrim stock.
V. Another part of the fair heritage of Connecticut,
is her SCHOOLS AND MEANS OF EDUCATION.
Some
of the neighboring States appear to have made a better
use of their advantages within a few years past, than
we have made of ours, and are thus outstripping us in
the course of improvement. But when we speak simply of means and advantages, what State upon earth
has more to rejoice in, or to account for, than our own.
There is not a human dwelling within the boundaries
of the State, which is not within a convenient distance
of a school-house. There is not a child to which its
parents or guardians may not give, without any considerable sacrifice, a good education for the duties of
life in a free and enlightened community. There is
not a youth upon a farm, or in a work-shop, who may
not by due diligence and self-denial find good means
and helps for self-education. Seats of learning, unsurpassed on this side of the Atlantic, open their doors,
not to the rich only, but to multitudes of those who in
other countries, or in other parts of our own country,
would be doomed to ignorance. Hundreds from other
States, and not a few from distant lands, resort to us,
that they may share in these means of education.
VI. It belongs to the goodly heritage of Connecticut, that the COMFORTS OF LIFE, AND THE MEANS OF
HAPPINESS,
ARE, in a degree rarely found elsewh ere,
EQUALLY
DISTRIBUTED
among her citizens. Some
of our people have more and others less; some enjoy
!
�11
a profusion greater than is for their real welfare, while
others suffer need, are poorly fed and thinly clad, and
shiver in winter over a scanty fire in dwellings through
which the keen wind whistles. But how few are the
very rich ; and how far would they be from being called
rich in other countries; a,nd how slightly would their
wealth be estimated in some other parts of our own
country. And of the poor, how few are there who
know what poverty is, in the bitter meaning of that
word, as it is known in European cities and provinces,
or even in the city of New York. Need I undertake
to say how great a public blessing this is ? " Give me
neither poverty nor riches," was the wise man's prayer,
"lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the
Lord ; or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name
of my God in vain." And if the happy medium between lazy, proud, luxurious riches, and squalid poverty, is the most desirable lot for an individual-how
happy is that State in which the extremes of wealth
and of want are equally unknown. In such a place,
so pleasant, have the line·sfallen to us.
VII. The noblest part of our inheritance-that which
under the providence and grace of God is the best security for the enjoyment and the permanence of all the
rest-is our RELIGIOUSINSTITUTi
t>Ns. The whole
structure of society here was originally framed with
the design of securing for a pure and free Christianity
the fairest opportunity for the exercise of its powers.
The division of our territory into towns, and the incorporation of each town into a distinct and complete municipality, in which the people are accustomed to deliberate on their interests as a local community, and to
�12
regulate their own concerns, not by their representatives even, but by their own votes and by-laws,-is
the best arrangement of society, in order to the voluntary establishment and maintenance, and the successful operation of Christian institutions. Thus it comes
to pass, that by a law stronger than any written enactment, every town, every village large enough to constitute a congregation, must have its church, its minister, its public worship on the Sabbath, or its inhabitants
will be ashamed to acknowledge their own residence.
The equality of the people,-an
equality kept up not
merely by the laws, but by schools in which all are
taught, by the equal distribution of property, by their
constant exercise of political power, and by. their constant mutual intercourse in the feeling of mutual dependence,-is far more efficient than any system of inequality could be, in preparing the whole people to
receive as their own, with a just appreciation, and to
enjoy with common interest and advantage, a 'competent and faithful Christian ministry. The people being,
not only in theory but in fact, of one rank, there is nothing in the structure or state of society to prevent the
pastor from being equally near and dear to all. Our
schools and academies, our village libraries, and the
vast circulation of books and papers, make intelligent
hearers ; and where there are colleges and theological
seminaries such as ours, intelligent hearers will demand
intelligent preachers.
Thus, amid all the changes
which time has wrought around us, our religious institutions show no symptom of decay. No where upon
earth can be found a population of three hundred thousand souls, in one compact territory, so well supplied
�13
with the teachings and the saving influences of true and
pure Christianity, as this populatiorr of Connecticut.
We have indeed our variety of sects, but with inconsiderable exceptions which need not be noticed particularly, they all receive one gospel, and worship one
God, through one Mediator whose blood cleanseth
from all sin. Such is the prevalence and living force
of true Christianity here, that those systems of false
doctrine which deny man's future accountability, and
take away the sanctions of conscience, find no permanent lodgment among us, no place for an organized
existence. We have, indeed, among our population,
men of loose principles, unbelievers, universalists, and
perhaps atheists ; and occasionally we see an effort on
the part of such men to organize, and to have institutions of their own. But how difficult is it, on this soil,
to build a synagogue of Satan; and when such a structure has been reared, and the people have had the opportunity of seeing its operation, how difficult is it to
keep the doors open.
VIII. But that which completes and crowns the
goodlin.ess of our inheritance, is its CAP ABILITY OF
It is ever characteristic of God's
IMPROVEMENT.
bounty, that the highest and best of his blessings are
not thrust upon men, to be possessed and·enjoyed of
course, but are rather put within men's reach for them
to attain by their own efforts, and thus to enjoy in the
exercise of their own faculties. This is the way of
God's bounty to us as a people. For two hundred
years, progress, continual progress, has been one of
the elements of our prosperity. And yet in no respect
have we even now reached the limit of the good m-
�14
volved in the capabilities of our condition. You have
only to look around you, and you see how much is still
to be done to make this goodly heritage fairer and
richer for ourselves, and for those who shall come after
us.
Our physical and material wealth, the riches of our
soil and territory, may yet, by judicious measures, by
scientific investigation of our resources, by skill and
enterprise on the part of individuals and of the public,
be incalculably augmented.
The resources of this
State, properly explored and developed, might support
half a million of inhabitants, without exhausting the
means of subsistence or of comfort. See what has
been done, or is now in the process of accomplishment.
Our soil, under the hand of skillful and unresting industry, is developing its riches, and rewarding the laborer with harvests more precious and more abundant.
Our mountains are revealing their hidden treasures,the quarry and the mine. Our water courses are resounding with new enginery, and new applications of
industry. Improved means of communication are almost annihilating distance ; the rapid car, upon its iron
pathway, winding along the hillside, or shooting across
our valleys, gives new compactness to our territory.
Commerce, impelled by new forces, brings to us in
greater profusion the gifts which are scattered from
God's hand in every clime.
And will not our history brighten as it advances from
one era to another ? New examples of illustrious virtue, of fidelity in places of public trust, of stern integrity, maintaining itself in the face of temptation, of
magnanimous self-denial and self-sacrifice for the pub-
�15
lie good,-and new illustrations of what can be done
by a patriotic, united, and determined people, are yet
to adorn our records, and to instruct and quicken the
minds of our posterity.
Nor is it to be imagined that our laws and polity are
incapable of improvement. What progress have we
seen within a few years past. Look at a single instance. Old barbarous punishments by mutilation,
branding, and scourging, have been struck from our
statute-book, and systems of penitentiary imprisonment
and discipline, more efficient as penalties, and far more
salutary in their effects on the offender, have been
introduced. And still from year to year, and from
age to age, that in our laws which has ceased to answer
its original intent, that which belongs to the harsher
legislation of less enlightened times, and that which
does not meet the actual exigencies of society, must
be changed or taken away. Representation must be
equalized; a balance must be wisely kept between the
sovereignty of the State as a whole and the rights of
the constituent parts; arrangements must be made from
time to time, to bring into the service of the State, in
places of legislation and of executive or judicial magistracy, the ablest and worthiest of her citizens. Far
distant be the day when the people of Connecticut
shall entertain the impotent thought that all they have
to do in respect to their laws and their polity, is simply
to enjoy and to admire the wisdom of their ancestors.
When a people's civil institutions, instead of living in
the people's life and growing with their growth, become
fixed, petrified, unchangeable, it is a symptom of approaching convulsion and death.
�•
16
So in respect to the common character of the people,-how much may yet be done for its improvement.
We have seen, for a few years past, the rapid progress
of one great moral and social reformation. Our people were fast becoming, in common with all th eir neighbors, an intemperate people. The cry of alarm was
raised, the intelligence and good sense, the self-respect
and the conscience of the people were appealed to,
and not only was the evil stayed, but the effect of that
ear.nest self-reformation will remain upon the hereditary common character. Connecticut will ever be the
more industrious, peaceful, and orderly in the habits of
her population, the more active, manly and energetic,
the more happy and contented, for this great effort.
And who will tell us that nothing now remains to be
done that shall make our people still better,-nothing
that shall make them, as a people, more intelligent,
more magnanimous and public spirited, more refined,
more happy?
The improvement of our schools has been, of late,
much talked of. Something has been done. How
much more may yet be done. Why may not the public schools of Connecticut, so magnificently endowed,
so encompassed with genial influences, be made, in the
quality and amount of the education which they shall
give to all the children of the State, superior to the
schools of al).y other community. Why should not
Connecticut be again, in this respect, and be forever, a
model State for all the world? And how much our
higher institutions of various names, may yet be made
to advance, it is not necessary to show in detail. As
Athens was of old "the eye of Greece," so Connecticut
�17
may be, from age to age, the eye of America. She may
make herself, among all our States, nay, among all the
States of earth, the richest in that most incalculable
wealth, the wealth of cultivated mind. She may make
herself an intellectual metropolis, an emporium of
knowledge, for the hemisphere.
That state of society in which the distribution of
wealth and of all the means of enjoyment shall be absolutely equal, is of course impossible, if it were desirable; but in proportion to the progress of society in all
other respects, will be its approximation towards that
condition in which suffering from absolute want shall
be unknown. We have the poor among us, the unfortunate, the shiftless, and the vicious; and the character of human nature itself, and the conditions under
which man is placed in this life, make it certain that
there will always be some such. But in proportion as
our commonwealth advances in the development of all
its capabilities, and in the use of all its physical and
moral advantages, those inequalities of condition, which
elsewhere deform and demoralize society, will become
more unfrequent and inconsiderable.
But to qur progress in all other respects, it is essential that there be a continual progress in respect to the
ascendency and power of true Christianity. We must
become, as a people, more generally and more thoroughly imbued with the fear of God, or our prosperity
in outward and material things, will be like the prosperity of fools, that destroys them. The multitudes in
all our towns that are habitual neglecters of public
worship, must.be gathered into ourSabbath congregations; and thus all our population must be brought un3
�18
der the actual influence of Christian institutions. Our
churches must grow in knowledge, in faith, in purity,
in devotion, and thus in the strength of numbers. Our
ministry, instead of aiming to do as well as their predecessors, must aim to do better, and must grow
stronger in learning, in skill to divide the word of truth,
in humble devotedness to their work, in that manly
freedom and simplicity of thought which is the best
security against errors, old or new, and in all that can
give them power for good. Why may ,not this be?
Why may not this little tract, upon which are already
accumulated so many blessings-upon
which already
is exhibited so much of the power of Christianity to
illuminate and quicken, to adorn and refine, and so
much of that Divine efficacy in saving men from sin,
which ever accompanies the living ·Gospe l,-be "filled
with the knowledge of the Lord?" Why may we not
hope, and labor in the hope, that this shall become in
the sight of God and man a holy land,-our hills like
those of Judah and of Galilee, and our green valleys
like the vale of Sharon ?
Such are the obligations to thankfulness involved in
our heritage, as citizens of Connecticut.
Who could
look to -day from one of our hill-tops, without some
grateful emotion? Look over the expanse of hill and
vale, and "waters glancing in the sun," on towns, villages, scattered dwellings, white spires, and here and
there a manufactory, shut for to -day in Sabbath stillness
-look, and remember how many happy family gatherings there are within the circle of your vision, how
many human hearts are beating with affection, how
many voices are uttered in true devot'ion,-and say,
•
�19
is not this a goodly heritage-" the glory of all lands ?n .
What words are more fit than those which were extorted from the unwilling prophet, surveying the encampment of God's favored people,"How goodly are thy tents, 0 Jacob!
Thy tabernacles, 0 Israel!
As the valleys are they spread forth,
As gardens by the rivers' side.
As aloe trees, which the Lord hath planted,
As cedars beside the waters."
•
What duties, now, rest upon those to whom is given
so fair a .heritage ? Every privilege, every blessing,
brings with it some inseparable duty.
First, there is the obvious duty of maintaining this
inheritance, that it may pass, unimpaired, to our successors. We hold it not for ourselves alone, but for
others also. While it is ours, for the time being, with
all its riches, to enjoy, we have no right to squander it,
to alienate it, or to let it waste away. It is an old entail; we hold it for our life-time only, as the trustees
of our ancestors for their and our posterity. We stand
between the ages that are past and all that are to follow, and through our hands the inheritance won by
our fathers,-the fruit of their toil and prayer, of their
heroic daring and self-sacrifice,-is to be transmitted
to those for whom it was designed and won as truly as
for us. He who does aught to impair this heritage, is
a traitor to past ages and to coming generations, to the
State whose existence is measured by slow centuries,
and to thatholy and eternal Providence which has committed to him this great trust.
�•
' '
20
I
But merely to maintain this inheritance, and to pass
it on to our successors as good as it came into our
hands, is not enough. There may be times when all a
people's energy will no more than suffice to maintain
and keep for their children that which their fathers gave
them. But such are not the times in which we livetimes of universal activity, enterprise and improvement. We can not do our part as citizens of a State
so privileged, in an age so auspicious, and so critical,
unless we leave the commonwealth better than we
found it. He who intends merely to do no harm, has
missed the only end worth aiming at, and casts away
the dignity and happiness of living. If you ,would
truly enjoy this inheritance, you must live for something
higher than merely to enjoy and to do no harm. No;
far from us be these low ignoble aims. It is our privilege and our duty to make this fair heritage fairer and
richer, so that those who shall enjoy it when we are
gone, may remember us in their thanksgivings, with
the same gratitude with which we remember our fathers.
The trust will soon pass from our hands. Many of
our families, to-day, will remember who it was that on
the last thanksgiving day was there, loving and beloved,
but now is there no more. So it will be, till these circles, broken and broken again, shall have disappeared ·
from earth. Blessed are they of whon1 it shall be said,
when the record of their life is completed, that having
served the will' of God in their generation, they rest
from their labors and their works do follow them.
�>
•
NOTES.
A, p. 5.
THE ancient republics, and those of the middle ages, were all origina lly of very small territorial dimensions. Their names are the
names not of countries, hut of single cities. In every instance the
extension of territory resulted in the gradual transference of power
from the many to the few, and its concentration in the hand s of the
chief or chiefs of the state, and thus in the subversion of freedom.
The attempt was once made to erect a commonwealth in England;
but how memorable was the failure. The attempt was once made
to erect a republic "one and indivisible" in France ;-who but a
madman desires to see that experiment repeated? Whether a popular government . can be extended advantageously over a wide territory or a vast population, in any other way than by the confederation
of small states, has never yet fieen shown by experiment . The confederations of Holland and Switzerland, and those of Grecian history, are, like our own union, illustrations of the natural connection
of the republican with the federative principle .
In our country the purest republicanism exists in combination with
the most perfect confederation. In respect to foreign nations, America-as they call us-is one State. In respect to each other, we are
twenty six free States, all equally sovereign. Each State is secure
against foreign aggression, in the strength of the great union . The
safety of the union against the concentration of power in the hands
of its chief magistrate or of his minions, whether by military usurpation or by gradual corruption and the decay of republican vigilance and energy in the people,-Ji es not so much in the distribution
of powers among the various departments of the federal government ,
(though this is invaluable,) as in the loca:, independent energy of the
State governments. The great and vital interests of society, the
most important objects for which government exists, are in the hand s
not of the Union, but of the States. The enlightened patriot , therefore, looks to the States rather than to the general--or as it should
rather be called, the federal government. Let each State maintain
freedom, justice, order, knowledge and public virtue within itself,-
;
�22
let each State sustain itself in the dignity of well-doing, and keep
alive in its own citizens the spirit of freedom and of patriotic activity, and all is safe. The corrupting tendencies of our system are
chiefly in the national government; the conservative power is with
the States.
At present, no considerable inconvenience is experienced, and no
danger is apprehended from the territorial extent of any of our
States. But when our large States shall be full of populationwhen the State of New York, for example, shall have ten millions
of people-then there will be dangers such as few now anticipate .
When each representative in the legislature of a State shall stand
the
for a constituency of from sixty to a hundred thousand-when
central administration of the State shall have in its hands the power
and the means of corruption which can not but exist, where a population nearly as large as that of England is to be governed-when
all this power and all the offices of such an "empire State," shall be
the prize to be struggled for at every election-when at the same
time the individual elector shall feel that he is only one individual
among two millions of voters-then it will be seen whether a large
State is as favorable to freedom and the well-working of ' a popular
government as a small one.
I can not but think that there has been no mistake in our national
policy greater than that of marking out at the west, and admitting to
the Union, State after State, each large enough, in territory, for an
empire.
B, pp. 7, 8.
To show how enlightened minds, in other States, think of the
unity of our colonial with our revolutionary and post-revolutionary
history, I take the liberty to introduce here the following sentences
from a letter of a friend at a distance.
"I envy a New England student of our American history. With
him the revolution begins before the Declaration of Independence, or
even the battle of Lexington; and he is not obliged to look at it as
an event occurring in spite of previous tendencies and influences.
It is all one steady current, from the spring to the sea. Not so, we
* * * * folks. I forget whether it is the Nile, or the Mississippi, or
both, which runs no longer in its ancient channel, but which deserting
its former bed, because choked up with mud and sand, has had to
�23
break a new way out. In this colony, -there was a kind of' Red
River raft,' which blocked up popular feeling. We had to rebel in
spite of ancestral opinions."
C, pp. 8, 9.
The religious views of the first settlers in New England, led them
to plant themselves in churches--each settlement an independent
religious congregation, dwelling in such neighborhood as permitted
them not only to meet on the Sabbath and on other occasions for
united worship and religious communion, but also to watch over each
other 's Christian deportment. Hence the political division of New
England into towns, each town being originally independent. Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield became one jurisdiction, by the voluntary combination of those distinct and independent settlements .
New Haven, Milford and Guilford, by confederation, formed the jurisdiction of New Haven Colony, to which other settlements, equally
independent, were afterwards admitted. The original towns are
older than the State; and in those towns, the original church is older
than the town.
The American structure of society has no peculiarity more remarkable, or more interesting to a philosophical foreigner-none, I
may add, more important to the whole system-than the existence
and municipal powers of towns, the arrangement by which every
citizen in the State is also a member of a local body politic, invested
with full power to manage its own affairs. We talk much-and foreigners talk much-of our democracy; but in plain truth, and in
the right use of words, the only literal democracy known to our political system, is a town, a parish, or a school district. With these
exceptions, our government is every where representative-an elective aristocracy; and the power of the people is simply that of electors. In the town the people act, not through their representatives ,
but directly; they inquire, they deliberate , they resolve, they enact
laws, they levy taxes, they make appropriations of money, they receive the reports and audit the accounts of their agents, they approve or disapprove the administration of their own local affairs.
The towns, then, are the fountain heads of our republican system .
. Ther e the whole people are continually trained to a practical acquaintance with the manag ement of public busine ss, and with the
principles and forms of government. There they become acquainted
�l
24
with each other's qualifications for the public service, and learn whom
to send as their representatives to the legislature of the State. There,
though the demagogue may prosper for a time, his arts are by and
by discovered, and in the end plain good sense and honesty win the
confidence of those who only want to entrust their interests to capable and faithful agents .
It has been remarked that should the national government be subverted or dissolved-should
the President and Congress be surprised and taken prisoners-society
would not , as in other countries,
under similar calamities, be dissolved; the State s would remain as
before. We may go farther than this. In those States which are
divided into towns, the State government itself might be subverted
and extinguished by some sudden shock, and still society would not
be disorganized . Society so constituted has no one seat of life;
violence may assail it; its government may be overthrown ; it may
be struck down wounded; and the feet of conquering armies may
tread it in the dust; but still-as in Connecticut under the usurpa tion of Andross-it
lives, and
"Vital in ev ery part,
Can not, but by annihilating, die ."
D, p. 14.
The exploring and developing of the physical resources of the
State, is one of the first duties of its government.
But as yet, how
little has been done iri the performance of this duty. The geological
survey now in progress, is a noble beginning, and we may hope it
will be followed by other investigations of a similar nature. Why
should there not be in this State, as in Massachusetts, a thorough and
scientific agricultural survey? The individual farmer, however enterprising or intelligent, unless he happens to be a man of princely
fortune, can do but little towards such inquiries as are nece ssary to
the complete development of our agricultural re sources. An impartial, accurate investigation, at the expense of the State, respecting the
facilities afforded by our soil and climate, and by the habits of our
population, for the growth and manufacture of silk, or of sugar from
the beet, might be the basis of some temporary legislative aid to .
these two branches of production, or might seasonably extinguish
many vain hopes and chimerical speculations.
�'\I
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Goodly Heritage of Connecticut: A Discourse in the First Church in New Haven on Thanksgiving Day, November 19, 1840 by Leonard Bacon
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Bacon, Leonard, 1802-1881
Description
An account of the resource
24 p. 24cm
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1840
Subject
The topic of the resource
Thanksgiving Day Addresses
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Printed by B. L. Hamlen, New Haven
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
BV4260 C6 B3 1840
34023001505785
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA7189920460003451&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&lang=en_US&search_scope=WCSU&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,goodly%20heritage%20of%20connecticut&offset=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Primo Record</a>
<a href="http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/BV4260_C6_B3_1840/#page/1/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page turner version</a>
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
The First Church of Christ (Congregational) in New Haven, Connecticut (also known as Center Church, due to its location on New Haven's town green) was established in 1639 by the Puritans who founded the New Haven Colony as a theocratic "New Jerusalem". The first English settlers arrived in April, 1638 led by the Rev. John Davenport and by Theopholis Eaton, a merchant and farmer who later becme the first governor of the New Haven Colony.<br /><br />For more information on the history of the church, see:<br /><br /><a href="https://centerchurchonthegreen.org/history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://centerchurchonthegreen.org/history/</a>
Leonard Bacon (1802-1881) was an American Congregational preacher and writer. He was pastor of the First Congregational Church in New Haven from 1825 to 1881 and Professor of Religion at Yale from 1866 to 1881.<br />He was regarded as the most prominent Congregationalist of his time and was sometimes popularly referred to as the "Congregational poe of New England." He was especially intereste in the ecclesiastical history of New England and was frequently called upon todeliver commemorative addresses such as the one featured here. Among his most important works in this field are "Genesis of the New England Churches" (1874) and "Thirteeen Historical Discourses" (1839), dealing with the history of New Haven.<br /> He was also particulary identified with the anti-slavery movement, adopting a moderate course, condemning the apologists and defenders of slavery on the one hand and the followers of William Lloyd Garrison, who advocated the immediate abolition of slavery, on the other.<br />His "Slavery Discussed in Occasional Essays from 1833 to 1846" is said to have exercised considerable influence on Abraham Lincoln.<br /><br /><a href="https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/b/leonard_bacon.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/b/leonard_bacon.html</a>
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
12097a98-9318-4a26-938a-9858fdc4c755
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/5708/f104_s8_sxx_1885.pdf
efc7b0f5c38175c44a377f7745f7fea7
PDF Text
Text
250Tli JINNIVER.SAR.Y
OF THE
Congregational
Church,
DECEMBER
42,1885.
HISTORICAL
ADDRESS,
BY REV. SAMUELSCOVILLE.
POEM,
BY REV. JORN G. DAVENPORT.
THE
ADDRESS AND POEM , IN FULL, AS CORRECTED AND '
REVISED BY THE AUTHORS , TOGETHER WITH A
CONDENSED REPORT OF ALL TH E PROCEEDINGS, FROM THE STAMFORD
ADVOCATE.
I
(
''
( I /
STAMFORD, CONN.:
1885.
'"R
\•'.I\ '
\
�/
3 1131
"
�'
t
V
·'
HISTORICAL
ADDRESSI
The Congregational church's celebration
of the 250th anniversary of its organization
was the event of the week in Stamford. The
incident could uot be otherwise than -interesting not only to its members, but to the
community at large, for the history of the
church was for many years after its organization the history of the town. Nor does
the peculiar interest of the occasion stop
here.
The church enjoys the unique
destinction of being the first of any denomination organized on Connecticut soil.
The celebration really began with the
services of Sunday morning, the 20th inst.,
though Tuesd.ty, the 22d, was the "great
day of the feast"-the day especially set apart
for the commemorative exercises. Sunday's
services began at the usual morning hour,
and were attended by a congregation occupying every pew in the main auditorium,
and a large proportion of the gallery seats.
The Sunday school was especially recognized
on ttiis occasion, a good part of the exercises being performed by the scholars and
teachers under the immediate direction of
the superintendent.
The singing of two of
the several Christmas and jubilee selections
was assigned exclusively to the primary
class, and right well did these bright and
clever children do their part. They sang
with such a precision and sweetnass that if
such a thing as audible applause was allowable in church they would have been
encored to the echo. The choir did excel.
lent service, as indeed might have been expected from such singers as Mrs. J. D.
O'Connor, Mr. H. S. Da~kam, Mr. H. A.
Perkins and others. The pastor, Rev. Mr·
S0oville, gave an address, exceedingly happy and appropriate, but necessarily brief.
He began with a word of.cordial welcome to
the ruany friendly and interested visitors
present who were not regular attendants,
and ended with an expression of thanksgiv-
ing for the kind Providence which had
marked the history of the church for so
many years, and of aspiration for its fllture
usefulness and success. Incidentally he referred to some striking and even amusing
contrasts between the scenes which attended
the ch:1rch in its infancy and the scene of
to-day.
Rev. R. B . Thnrston, a former
pastor who began his ministry here in the
spring of 1865, followed in a thoughtful and
interesting address, in which he incidentally
alluded to the sharp and significant contrast
between the present decorations of the
church and those which met his eye on the
occasion of his first Sunday's service as
mini~ter.
Then as now the chureh was
heavily draped, but instead of pine, box and
ivy to mark a joyous anniversary, it ,was
with funereal black as a token of public
grief and sorrow at the assassination of the
great and good President Abraham Lincoln.
The decorations of the church unmistakeably indicated that many zealous hearts and
busy hands had been at work upon them.
We do not think they have ever been surpassed in town for amount of material used
and tasteful elaboration in its arrangement.
A~ one result an atmosphere of home-like
comfort and festival enjoyment was created
which played its own appropriate part in
promoting the success of the celebration.
One feature was the embodiment of a very
happy thought.
A series of evergreenbordered panels were affixed at suitable intervals around the face of the gallery. These
contained the names and dates of the ministers who had served the church from its
foundation,from "Denton lfi41" to "Scoville
1879," and their consecutive arrangement
wa5 a very suggestive epitome of the
church's history for that long interval and
an appropriate reminder to all of the purpose,
spirit and meaning of the great occasion.
Sunday afternoon's meeting was entirely
\
�4
CONGREGATIONAL
01=£URCtt
devoted to a communion service in which a
large representation
of the member.hip of
si~t&r churches in town joined by invitatiou.
In the evening the church was again fil'.ed
at the "song and praise service," which, as
its designation indicates. was chiefly musical
in its character.
ANNIVERSARY
DAY.
An hour befor e thE>ope1,iog of the morning exercises, at 10:30 o'clock, the streetsof
the village presented a scene of unwonted
stir and movement, indicating that some
event of unus•1al internst wa~ at hand . The
neighboring towns of Norwalk, New Canaan,
Greenwich and Bedford were represented
in the thrnngs of well-dressed people who,
on foot and in carriages, were seen hastening to the gatheriug place of the children of
the old church.
By the hour of opening,
all the pews were occupied, though it was
not until the evening meeting that the capacity of the house was no longer adequate
to accommodate _the crowds which pressed
The exercises commenced
for admission.
by a prelude on the organ, played by Mr. J.
H. Swartwout, and this was followed by a
Te Deum, rendered by the quartette choir,
and the Doxology, in which the congregagation joined.
The Scripture selections
read were portions of the 44th, 89th and
67th Psalms.
Rev. R. B. Thurston, of
North Greenwich, Jed in prayer. The hymn
"Coronation"
followed, and then came an
address of welcome by Rev. Samuel Scoville,
the pastor. Rev. John G. Davenport. of
Waterbury, read an original poem, which
was well received, and which onr rea:lers
will be glad to find reproduced in full in
this issue. The feature of the morning ser-yice, however, which surpassed all others in
elaboration, and in the importance of its
relation
to the great occasion, was the
pastor's
HISTORIAL
ADDRESS.
In the Colonial Records, dated April 26,
1636, appears the following entry: '• Whereas there was a Dismission granted by the
C(hurch) of Watertou
in the Massachusetts dated 29th of Ma last to Andrew
Warde, Jo. Sherman, Jo: Stickland, Rob te
Coe, Rob'te Reynold and Jonas Weede with
,intent to forw anewe in a Cb: Covennte in
this river of Conectecott, the Gaid parties
have soe accordingly done with the publick
allowa11t1e of the rest of the members of
the said churches as by certificate nowe produced appears.
It is therefore in this present Cort ratified and contirmed, they promising shortlie publitquely to renew the (said)
covtnute upon notice to the rest of the
churches."
The '' present Cort" above referred to
was the first ever held in Connecticut, and
so far as Rppears was h~ld nuder the jurisThe churches rediction of Massachusetts.
ferre_d to were MassacbusettR churches, for
pr.::v10us to that date (1636) neither Mr.
Hook er's nor Mr . Wareham's church had arrived in Connecticut.
. This, confirmed by other Colonial records,
1s our "arraut for concludiug
that the
church at Wethersfield was formed some
tiwe duriug the judicial year of 1635 and
1636, with a strong probability that it was
early iu the year.
Iu 1640 this church, after considerable
conteutiou, was divided, and four of the
seven voting members, including the Pa,t'lr
Rev . .Richard Denton, left Wether,field in
th~ S;,riog of '41, and with others settled at
thti Rippowams under the jurisdiction of
the New Haven Colony.
According to
Hnutiugtou
they brought their records
with them, and so transferred the church to
this new field, a point, I believe, now
generally conceded.
And this is our warrant for believing that tbe church originally
organized iu Wether.,field was transplauted
to this place, aud that this present tiwe is
the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of
the formation of the Stamford Congregational Church. Organized in Wethersfield six
years before the settlement of Stamford,
it ante-dates the town of which it was the
formative centre by that length of time.
It was the first church organized in Connecticut, and from all that appears the first
church that ever occupied Connecticut
ground, for Mr. Hooker did not come to
Hartford till June, 1636, two months after
the action of the court recognizing the
church at Wethersfield as already having
been formed, and Mr. Wareham's church at
Wind8or waq but little, if any, before Mr.
Hooker's.
Ours is the first-born of Connecticut churches, the first fruits of the
wilderness.
The precise date of mouth and day is uncertain.
We only know that it was somewhere between March 29, 1635, and April
26, 1636, with a . strong probability, as we
have already said, of its being early in the
judicial year. One date midway between the
dates given above, is so associated with
the history of our forefathers in this Western World, and is therefore so fitting to our
:want-the
22d of December, the date of
�250th ANNIVEllSARY.
the laniHng of the Pilgrims on Plymouth
Rock-that
in our uncertainty we have
adoptPd it. Let it stand as the Birth Day of
this Churc,h, as it is the anuiversary of the
landing of the first New Eu 6 1and colony.
In the presence of an eveut so interesting
and irnport1rnt we should prove ourselves
utterly wanting in our dnty to God and our
fathers. did we not mark the day thstt comm mo rates it with thankEgiving to the one
and with loving remembrance of the other ;
did we not perwit it to draw ue11rer together
the , children and the numerous foster children of the old church, and did we not
attempt to derive from the event instruction,
encouragement, and strength for the better
peformauce of the dnty that bas come down
to us from so long and so honored a line of
ancestry.
A quarter of a milleuinm of
history of a Church of Christ in the Wilderness-of
that church to which so many of
us belong-is
to pass before our eyes in
hasty review.
One of th<l rivulets
of
that river that " makes glad the city of
God" is to be traced, from the time it bnr,t
· out from ·the rocky soil, thr,rngh au era more
marked by mountain ever,ts than any since
the incarnation of the Sou of God, as it
broadens and deepens and still presses on
its eternal progress. It has divided and
poured its streams through many channels,
called by ma'ly different names, but they
have all been formed by the Grace of God,
and are all conveying to thirsty lips the
same water of life,aud our rejoicings to-day
shall be not the voice of the single rivulet
to which we resort, but the voice of all
that have
sprung from her or been
influenced by her-the
voice ofmauy waters
like that of the great company betore the
throne.
We felicitate ourselves upon this
propitious hour, and the pleasant duty that
devolves upon us.
It is irupoRsible not to detect in the events
of the century that preceded the settlement
of this country the hand of God in preparing the material out of which new churches
and the new institutions of a new nation
should be formed, and in tempering the ma
terial aright.
The fifteenth century discovered America, but it was not equal to the
far higher work of colonizing it. A Europe
that acknowledged a Cre,ar Borgia to be tbe
vice-gereut
head of the true church-the
of God; that permitted the Inquisition to
burn its victims by the thousands in Spain;
that saw without shudderiug St. Baithobmew massacres in France; tbat bought indulgences in Germany, and worshipped
splinters of the true cross in Eugfand, was
not fit-for the work, nor was the century following ready for this great matter.
Three
institutions were prominent in the landscape
at the opening of the sixteenth century in
-5
England:
the Monastery of the monk, the
Castle of tbe lord, and the Cathedral of the
ritualist.
But neither of these-neither
Monastery, Castle or Catbedrnl are colonizing agencies. Meudicaut orders of unmarried monks do not colonize;
the lord •md
his retainers cannot be transplanted
to a
wilden,ess ; the cathedral with its elab0rate ritual is not adapted to tbe frontier, and
the men that are trained und"r these institutions do not emigrate.
But what this century could not do itself,
it could grandly prepare the way for. The
sixteenth was the ceutnry of Copernicus,
who opened to men the knowledge of the
material heavens, It was the century of
Martin Luther who brought men face to
face with that wl:iich is above the heavens.
It was the century of the heroic struggle and
victory of the Dutch Republic against Philip
of Spain. It was the century of the creation
of a new England freed from all foreign
domination under Henry VIII, and ElizabPth; of Sir Eiward Coke and his digest of
EngUsh common law ; of 'fyndale and his
Bible of Latiwer and his preacbing. It wa~
the century of the awakening of the mind
of the common people, and of training and
bringing into promiueuce the great middle
class of active and intelligent men. It was
the century, as Froude tells us, "of the
most wonderful Spiritual movement which
the earth ha~ felt since the nations waited
for the star to rise out of Jacob, and the
sceptre to come forth from Israel." Whereever, according to this historian, the Teutonic language was spoken, or the Teutonic
nature was in the people, there was the
same weariness of ur,reality, the same
craving for a higher life. To meet the
demand
so created the rude printing
presses of that day were run day and night,
printing bibles, testaments and tracts. Men
whom Froude calls '' heroes, if ever the name
was deserved,"
scattered
these writings
broadcast. Taking their Ii ves in their hands,
hunted like wild beasts from hiding place to
hiding place, they struggled on, earning for
themselves a martyrdom, but for others a
free England, au Enelaud of the common
people, of men trained to a sense of individual responsibility,
conscious of their
rights as God-given, able to appreciate and
ready to defeud them; lln England of pure and
prosperous homes. Aud that also was true
in a measure of Holland, Germany, and
France- everywhere there had been this
awakening of the common mind . From
Europe, thus quickened and renewed, so
breatl'.led upon by the Holy Spirit of God,
to
came the colonies.
The Churchman
Jamestown;
the Pilgrim to Plymouth;
the
Puritan to Massachusetts; the Roman Catholic to Maryland;
the Dutch Reformed ~o
i
I
�6
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
New York; th9 Huguenot
to Pennsylvania, and the Baptist to Rhode Island,
representing
every variety of the old home
elements, and everywhere
giving us a
sample of the best of the kind.
The
Catholics,
under
Lord
Baltimore,
bad
thrown off the lies of Je suitism; the
churchman acknowledged no foreign ecclesiasticlll domination ; the Puritan had separated from a church which acknowledged a
Henry VIII. to be its head; the Pilgrim, in
defence of the individual chur ch, bad separated from the Puritan and the state church,
and Roger Williams, in defence of the individual against the tyranny of the church,
had separated from everybody else. It also
came about through that inscrut able Providence th a t makes even the wrath and
foolishness of man to praise God and work
for good, that all these elements had been
subjected, and for the most part bad
subjected
each
other
to a similar
fire
of persecution,
that they
might
learn some lessons that would be of
great import .ance for their well being
in this western world. Each in turn bad
drunk of the cup of s:1fferiug for conscience
sake, and each, as opportunity offered, had
forced bis brethren to drink of the same.
The Roman Catholic consciAnciously thought
that he must force men into his beliefs and
forms, and wben in power he was not backward in using any instrument th1,t appeared
likely to secur#J so irnportant a re sult. But
when the English chnrch was established,
with Henry VIII. or Elizabeth at its head,
through its edicts of supremacy aud uniformity it pressed the sarne cup to the lips
of the Catholic a:id Puritan alike, and for
conscience sake made them both drink.
And lest so good a body of men as were in
the established church should be neglected
in this kind of training, a Puritan parliarnent
was raised up to do for them as they had
done for others. And it came about thatnot
only wen, the settlements of this new world
mostly made by men who had moved hithtr
from religious rnotives, but who bad also
learned to prize their faith by suffering for
it, and in sorne dim way had seen the hatefulness of that line of cond•1ct that made
them suffer. This training, together with
the largeue , s of the New Wor id and the necessities of a new setLlerneut, prepared this
country for that religious liberty that makes
it illustrious among all the nations of the
earth. It did not corne all at once, but it
carne, aud these chur.ihJs of many denominations and many creeds are , in part, witnesses, and in part cam;es, and iu part results of this heroic treatrnent and traiumg.
Of all men prominent in our history of
those early times, to Roger Williams belongs
the honor of haviug grasped the idea of ab·
solute religious freedom with a clearness
that has not been excelled in our day. Next
to him, and promineot among all bodies of
men of that day, for their appreciation of
the true spiritual nature of the church, and
for the sufferings they endured in attempting
to realize their lofty ideal ,stand the Pilgrims. The essential features of their faith,
as given in a tract issued by Brown, one of
their early leaders, are four: lst .-The New
Testament the source of all light in church
government.
2d.-A church a body self -assomat ed by a willing covenant.
3d.-In
church government,tbe absolute LordRhip of
Christ, whereby His people' 'obey to His will."
4th.-Church
officers, paRtors, teachers, elders and deacons, "tried to be mete and
thereto duly chosen by the church which
calleth them."
Holding to these tenets of
the independence of the local church with
the grasp of men fully persuaded, with conscience and a rich Christian experience on
that side, of course there was no place for
them in either the Eugland of the established church, or of Presbyteria?. Puritanism, and they were driven "forth to
seek an asylum elsewhere.
The story
of their wanderings, a real Christian Odyssey-of their voyage across the wintry seas,
and their landing upon Plymouth Rock, two
bun.Ired and sixty-five years ago to-day; of
their untold sufferings from the severity of
the climate, the insufficiency of food, and the
ravages of sickness; of their heroism that
never faltered, and their final success, is well
known; it has become classic in history. This
was the leaven that was afterward to be
thrown into the three mdasures of church
society, and government,
throughout thi~
whole laud, until all should be in a measure
leavened by it. From England, torn by
both religious and political dissensions,
other men, beside the Pilgrims, were looking across the waters to those peaceful
shores that, if wild, were as yet undisturbed
by the strife of parties or creeds, and in
1628 "men of fortune and religious zeal,
merchants and country gentlemen, the decenter wrt among the !llauy, who desired a
reformation iu church government, offered
the help of their pur,es to advance the
Glory of God by planting a colony of the
best of their countrymen on the shores of
New Eugland."
They appealed to the
Council of Plymouth, which ten years before had obtained a charter for all that part
of Awerica which lies between 40 and 48
north latitude, or from about the present
City of Philadelphia to the mouth of the
St. Lawrence River, frorn sea to sea and
obtained a belt of land extending three
miles south of the River Charles and the
Massachusetts Bay, and three miles north
of every part of the Merrimac River, and
�250th
•
ANNIVERSARY.
e.xtending from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
This patent was confirmed b.v King Charles,
March 4, 1629, and the settlement of Massachusetts Bay immediately commenced.
Mr. John Endicott was sent over that year
with about three hundred
people, and
began a settlement which they called Salem.
The next year seventeen ships, one of them
bearing the governor and magistrate of the
colony, who had previously been chosen in
England, brought over a very large company . Of this company, Sir Richard Saistonstall, one of the magistrates, and a
number of famtlies. settled in Watertown.
They were for the most part from the
County of Essex, England.
It is with
some little surprise and amusement that
we read that this company, by reason of the
numbers that were flocking in from England. became straitened for room, and de termined to brave again the terrors of thi,
wilderness, and move to Connecticut, of
which they had received excellent reports.
The general court of Massachusetts objected. Bui already the Star of Empire was
moving westward,
and what
effectual
resistance was ever made to its mighty
progress.
In 1634
in
spite
of
. the
decision
of
the
Court, and in
that defiance of authority, which afterwards
undoubtedly was the cause of much of its
troubles, a pioneer settlement was accomplished, and a few buts builded at P.,quag,
now Wethersfield.
Of the methods of procedure in tbe:formation of the church, the
next year, we have no record. We only
know that in compliance with an act of the
General Court of Massachusetts, nuder whose
jurisdiction they were at that time, held in
March of that year, it must have been with
the approbation of the elders and churches
in that jurisdiction, viz: of Massachusetts.
There were but six men belonging to that
church, how many women we do not know,
as in the official action of the court they
were not reckoned, and wbat this small number did, except to fall into dispute, has
never been narrated, while there was doubtless much to tell. What the dispute was about,
that led to the disrnption of the church and
its removal from Wethersfield, will never be
known.
We can easily surmise, and our
guesses may reach the truth, that it was a
matter that need not have produced any
trouble, and which would not have done so
if the church and the colony biid pos@essed
more charity, or been le,s tenacious in their
opinions.
These men were men of convictions, they had looked death in the face, and
dared every hardship for the sake of what
they considered right, and they could easily
be separated one from another upor. matters
that would not affect people in less earnes
times. This alone is known, that it did no
continue without strenuous efforts on all Rides
to heal the difficulty . Commissionerd were
sent down from the General Court to secure
peace,but iu vain. A church committee eame
all the way through the woods from Watertown , 11nd another one from the Hartford
church, and Rev. John Davenport went up
from New Haven, all upon tbe same errand,
and all to meet with au eqnal failure.
The
breach in this little church of six male members, besides the minister, '1:r. Denton,
could not be healed, it involved the whole
settlement and at last, as a peace measure,
the majority of the church, and the minority
of th9 planters, agreed to"go west" and occupy the frontin post of the English settle- ,
ment of New England.
Those were eventful years which the church spent in Wethersfield. The winter of 1835-6 was one
of extreme severity,
causing
unheard
of suffering to the lately arrived and
poorly prepared colony. By the 15th of
November of that year the Connecticut
River was frozen over, and deep snow bad
already fallen. Two hundred and fifty years
ago, at this time of the year, provisions had
already generally failed in the settlements
ou the river, and famine and death looked
the people in the face, and at the time when
we are comfortably housed and abundantly
so1tle were
already
struggling
fed,
back to Massachusetts ; some were making
their way to the mouth of the Connecticut
River, that, if possible, they might find one
of the supply ships sent from Boston, while
those who kept the stations on the river
were
gathering
acorns
wherewith
to
eke out
their
scanty stores.
Surely
this church was born in a year when,
if ever, men needed the consolations and
encouragements of religioo.
Other events followed that equally called
for the ministrations of the Gospel. We may
be certain that when two years later the
Pequot Indians waylaid the people of
Wethersfield as they were going into their
fields of labor, and killed six men and two
women, and took two girls captive, religion, as administered in our little church
of that time, found a place where it was
neec1ed, and we may be certain that the inhabitants turned to the common centre of a
New Euglan<il village, the church building,
not only to hear the word ot God's Truth,
but for defence, and to consult upon the
public safety; and when hiter Wethersfield,
out of her small numbers, seut eighteen
men to the front, fully half, probably, of
her effective men, to take part in a most
hazardous enterprise, and returned after a
three weeks' campaign, having helped to
win the most important victory ever gained
in this Commonwealth, the destruction of
the Pequot fort, we may be sure that the
•
�8'
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
C
hurch and its minister, and the rude it, it seems to have been acquired honestly.
edifice where they gathered, bad something It had been regnlarly purchased from the Into do with the matter, both of their going diaos,and the original deed was ratified by the
forth flnd of their returniug.
descendants of the original grantors, in
In two years more, in 1639, the three proof of which behold their very intelligent
towns upon the river, Hartford, Windsor,and marks, by at least three subsequent treaties,
Wethersfield, formed themselves by .volun- and all their claims and their murmurs were
tary compact into a distinct commonwealth,
fully satisfied. Nooe of the buildings of
the germ of that uuion which has made us this town stand on the sandy foundation of
a nation, and adopted a constitution, which injustice to the red man.
bas beAn declared to be "one of the most full
How the twenty-eight men with their
and happy constitutions of 'livil government families came to Stamford we do not know,
which has ever been formed," and which has but probably throur,h the woods to New
continued, with little alter1ttion, to this day; Haven, where they would doubtless stop
and perhaps to these towns belongs the over for a Sabbath to bear Mr. John Davenhonor of having adopted the most be11,utiful port preach, for our Fathers would take as
and appropriate seal and motto that was much pains to hear a good sermon in those
ever adopted by 11.nvState-three
vines, and days a~ some of theirdescendants will to avoid
the words, " Qui Transtulit sustinet." The avoid one in tbes. From New Haven they
freemen that belonged to that energetic and find a trail, and probably a rongh wood road
go-ahead church at Wethersfield, we may be road to Wepowage or Milford, which had
sure, bad their say and their doing in all then been settled two years. '!'here were
these matters.
also settlements begun at Pughquonnock or
Besides these there were the regular min- Stratford, and also at Unquowa or Fairfield,
istrations, of the Lord's Day, and the special where our company would probably find a
services for times of especial need. Taking welcome and such help as these dwellers in
it altogether the time of tbe church was not the wilderness could give.
But the jourwasted in Wetbersfield, and some of the seed ney, if made overland-and
it was, doubtsown in that field, has doubtless, ere this, less, by some-was a weary one at the best.
ripened harvests on a thousand fields. Even Forests must be cut through, rivers must be
the dispute that divided the church need not forded, and swamps most be waded, and
It the distance which is now Awept over in a
be considered as an unchristian quarrel.
was doubtless an honest difference of opin- few hours m palace car luxury m ..st have
ion upon m>ttters upoll which good m€n consumed many days of hardship before
might differ very strongly. At all events, it their
eyes
reoted upon
the
quiet
was a Christian act, when, for the settlement Rippowam harbor or upon the Matabaum,
of th" matter, the majority of the chnrch "morn revealer," the big bent of our enagree,'! again to try the hard~hips of the circling bills. And then the he:1vy work of
wilderness and leave their brethren in pos- a new settlement in the wilderness must be
session of the old places. With this Chris- taken up iu earnest, log houses must be
tian act the first chRpter in the history of reared, fields cleared, fem:es built, and not
this church closes, and the record is not one by any means least of all or last of all, a
to be ashamed of, and the song rises higher cburcb building must be raised where the
than the complaint.
ordinances of the Gospel can be adminisThe second chapter in the history of the tered.
Added to these trials was the conchurch opens npon new scenes. A purchase
bas been made of a building lot eight miles stant dread of the Indians.
The three
front upon tbe shining highway of Long Is- Sagamores who occupied this township,
land S,>uod, by sixteen miles dPep, one Piamikio, Sagamore of Roatan, and the tract
hundred and twenty-eight square miles, aud tb,H lies between Five Mile River and Pine
includes the present town ot Stamford, Brook; Wascusse, Sagamore of Sbippan,
Darien, and some part of Greenwich, New and Pouns, who occupied the lands north of
Canaan and Pouodridge; and twenty eight the village bills, seemed to !Jave been friendfamilies propose to t1tke possession and build 1.vdisposed, bot on thE!' border liue between
upon the lot in 1641. Tbe tract had been this township and Greenwich, Myaoo, whose
lately purchased of the Indians by tbe New name is still preserved in the beautiful
Haven Colonv, for tnirty-three pound sterl- Miauus river that flows upon our western
ing, and Mr. Andrew Warde and Robe't Coe, border, a bold and warlike chieftain, had
of Wether sfield, obtained it for themselves under him a band of vindictive warriors
and some twenty otbers by agreeing to pay trained in bloudv conflicts with the Mothe sarueamount, and also to adopt the New hawks, annoyed by the Dutch, iind as yet
Haven form of government.
The latter noquelled by the prowess of tbe English.
proved in the end to be the heaviest part of
'l'be very year ot the coming of this colothe puruhase price. One good thing about ny a plot for the destruction of all the stt-
�250th
ANNIVERSARY.
tlements west of the Connecticut river was
discovered, and while a part of the Stamford
purchasers were on their way to their new
home, the General Court was writing letters
to the Hay for help to bring to nought the
mischievous plots of the Indians.
And it
was only in the second year of the colony
that the perfectly fiendish vengeance of
Kieft, Governor of New Amsterdii!YI, who
had caused more than an hundrPd of the
Hudson River Indians, who had flpd to him
for protection, to be butchered in cold blood,
drove eleven bands of Iudians into coafederacy for vengeance, aud brought more than
1,500 warriors into the fipJd. Fiom Manhattan to Stamford the coast was desolated.
The spirit of these savage foes was well
illustrated by Myano, of whom we have
already spoken.
Single handed he had
&ought out three D11tch settlers living
on the borders of the town, who had
given him offence, alone against three, with
bis boR and arrows ag,.inst their muskets,
and bad killed two before he was struck
down by the third.
That no attack was ever made upon
Stamford is owing, no doubt, partly to the
fact that this M.vano was killed so early in
the tronblous
times and bis band scattered, partly because Captain John Underhill, the first of Indian fighters, whose
name carried terror to every wigwam where
the story of the annihilation of the mighty
Pequot nation had been told, was a resident
of this town ; and more than all, perhaps,
to the fact that 0ur citizens were so well
prepared to repel an invasion.
Central in
the hamlet stood that strong rough church
building strongly barricaded and enclosed
A sentinel kept watch beby a stockade.
fore its door night and day.
Muskets
ready for instant use were kept inside-four
were the legal number.
Men came to its
services on the Sabbath as they went to the
field on the work day, gun in hand. Fiftynine men had gathered here by the autumn
of '42, and they were not a body of men to
be tdfled with in the defense of their homes.
Th., settlement of Stamford was no picnic
excursion, ana the ei!.rly years of its history
were no holidi!.y in the woods, but a very
sober, and, on many accounts, a very painful experience.
Never, perhaps, before or
since has the Church better fulfilled her
office of helper of the people than in tho~e
troublous tirn.,s. Her building was for the
protection of all, as her ordinances were
for their comfort
and encouragement.
Beautiful for situation, the joy of all this
little part of the earth was this Mount Zion,
during that early period.
Of the four wen who conslituted the male
oortion of the Church the name of Andrew
-warde stands first on the list. He had been
9
made a freeman by the General Court of
Massachusetts May 14, 1634, and was afterwards a member of the first Court held in
Connecticut
at Newtown, now Hartford,
and, being re-eletlted, was one of the live
worthies, as Huntington expresRes it, who
had in their hands the destinies of the new
settlements upon the river, and so of those
of the state.
He received many honors
while in Wethersfield;
was one of the five
who constituted the Provisional
Government here in Stamford in '41, represented
this colony in the higher branch of the
New HavAn Court, and what will, perhaps.
interest us most of all here to-day, gives us
one of his lineal descendants to preach to
us to-night, and five more of them to be
mPmbere of the same church with himself,
but with an intervi!.l of nearly 250 years.
Robert Coe, another member, was also
made a Freeman in Boston in '34.
He
came with his wife and three chi!dren to
Stamford, and represented the town in the
General Court at New Haven, and afterwards went with Mr. Denton to Hempstead,
Long Isli!.nd.
Jonas Weed,the third member, was made
a Freeman i11 Watertown May 18, 1631.
Re came to Stamford in '42. and <lied here
in '76. and left a large crop of descendants,
Weeds, in name only. in this garden patch
by the Rea.
The pastor of this little flock was Richard
Denton.
He was at one time a useful minister in Halifax, England, but when his
Majesty Chi!.rlAS I. required all the ministers, on penalty of fine and imprisonment
for disobedience,
to read and recommend
to their peoµle the " Book for Sports on
the Sabbath Dctys," which permitted and
encouraged all harmless recreations on the
Sabbath, and ;:,rohibited all unlawful games,
snob as bear baiting, bull baiting, except on
Sundays,, be took tbe opportuuity to tvitbdra,.-, and seek in New Eoglaud a place
where it should not be made imperative
upon a minister of the Gosµel to advise
from his pulpit bull baiting aod May-pole
festivities on the Sabbath.
He became the
pastor of the church io 1636, and came
with the first settlers to Stawford, and was
not only pastor but was elepted at the first
town meeting Oct. 19, '41, to be one of the
Provisional Goverumeut of five who should
administer the affairs of the new colony, of
which we have already spoken.
Rev. J. W. Alvord q11otes from Cotton
Mather the following description of this our
first pastor : " Our pious aud leiirned Mr.
Richard Denton, a Yorksbii·e man, who,
having watered Hi!.lifax in Englaud with his
fruitful mini,try was, by a tempest there
hurried into New England, where, first at
Wethersfield and then at Stamford his doc_
�10
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
trine dropped as the rain and his speech distilled as the dew, as tbe small rain upon the
tender herb, and as the showers upon the
grass. 'fbough he were II little man yet he
had a great soul. His well accomplished
mind in bis lesser body was an Iliad in a
nnt shell. I tbink he was blind of an eye ;
neverthelesR, he waR not the least of the
seers of Israel.
He saw II considerable
portion of those things " wbicb eye bath
not seen." He adds : " At length be got
into heaven IJeyond tbe clouds, and so beyond storm, waitiug the return of the Lord
Jesus Christ iu the clouds of heaven, where
he will have his reward among the saints."
He differed from some of the church at
Wethersfield. on the subject of <lhurch
government,
was dissatisfied
with
the
policy of the New .Haven Colony, that only
professing Christian~ could bold civil office,
withdrew and planted a colony at Hempstead. Long Island. Mr . Alvord says he
returned to England in 1658, and died in
Essex.
He seems to have been a mau
before his time on the subject of church
government, but, perhaps, too impatient of
the times in which he lived, and too restle-s
in the pl'ogress that was being made towards
better things.
The names of three of these, Denton,
Warde and Coe, appear in the list of those
who were taxed to pay the New Haven
Colony for the 128 square miles which they
had taken off thll1r hands, and each has set
opposite his name as the amount of his tax
four bushels and one peck of com , and
each received in the nllotmect of land
which was made to tho new settlers
fourteen acres, located somewhere, probably, on the wood path between Noroton and Tornack, now Richmond Hill.
The policy of the New Haven Colrmy, to
which reference haR already been made, and
which onr fathers adopted as a condition of
gaining the land is summed up in tbis vote
of the colony after fourteen mouths' of deliberation, argument, fasting and prayer.
"The free burgesses shall be chosen out of
the church members."
Before this in their
plantation covenant which they had adopted
upon the first arrival of the colony, they
had solemnly pledged themselves to God,
•• That as in matters that c-oncern the gathering and ordering of a church so likewise in
all public affairs, they would be governed
by those rules which J the scripture holds
forth."
When we remember that there
could be admitted to membership in the
church but such as gave good evidence of
being regenerate men, we see in thia the
higheat ideal probably that has ever been
accepted by the founders of any state; that
th.i state and the Kingdom of God shall be
in perfect agreement; yea! that the Rtate
and the Kingdom of God shall in all outward things be identical.
This position seemed to them but the logical outcome of their faith. The church was
of higher origin and of greater worth than
the state. '• It is bP.tter then," as was said
by one of that day, "that the commonwealth
be fashioned to the setting forth of God's
house, which is the church, rather than to
accommodate the church frame to the civil
state." It was in line with the dominant purpose for which all had left their homtis in England and had come into the wilderness, viz. to
enjoy the gospel and build np their families
and social institntions upon its sure foundation. But excellent and logical as seemed
this ideal to those noble men, in practice it
did not work well. It failed as men have
always failed who do not recognize the es..
sential difference between son! and ' body,
between the church and the civil state. the
Kingdom of God as II power, and the Kingdom of God as an organization, and who
do not honor each in its place.
In this Mmote and frontier colony this
policy of the franchise limited to church
members was from the tirst distasteful to the
settlers. So great did this restiveness become
that quite a large portion of the colony, and
among them the Pastor Mr . Denton, preferred the jurisdiction of the Dutch rather
than of New Haven, and in II little more
than three vears after the settlement of the
colony mov"ed to Hempstead, Long Island.
In Jess than ten years the resistance to the
General Conrt at New Haven became so
pronounced as not only to disturb the peace
of the colony, but actually to threaten its
existence, and this bitterness was not allayed until twenty years later, in 1664,
under the charter of Kini? Charles, all the
colonists upon Connecticut soil were uuited
under the jurisdiction of the ConnE'cticut
Court held at Hartford, and the oppreSAive
resishrnce to the enjoyment of civil office
passed away . This period seems to have
The
been II trying one to the church.
danger which, it has been said, always
attendij pioneer work, viz., that of re.lapsing into barbarism, was present here in
the hard labors, scanty fare, and constant
perils of the colony. Added to these, the
withdrawal of the pastor, Mr. Denton, and
the continu11nce of the causes which Jed to
his removal, and we can well see that
the little church labored under great and
p eculiar discouragements.
And we can
hardly see that if it had not been a church,
and if it had not been in Connecticut, where
vou cannot kill anything that once gets
rooted among the rocks, how it could survive. But it was a church, 11 member of
the living body of Christ-and
it was .E!
Connecticut, and it didn't die, and it never
will.
�...
250th
ANNIVERSARY.
In this period, probably among the first
buildings of the settle1m,nt, a church edifice
was erected, where the great business for
which they
bad wigrated , viz. : The
worship of God, could be attended to. It
was rough, but tliat was not a time for
polish, but for existence.
And it was built
that it might serve as a fort for defense if
occa&ion required.
Tradition says that it
had twelve foot posts and was thirty feet
to the peak where the four roofs like a pyramid cawe together.
It bad se11tsupon three
sides, and it was unwarllled in winter and
unshaded in summer.
Uncarpeted and uncusbioned, itsurpassed
any barn probably
in Stamford for unadorned and uncomfortable cheerlessness;
but it was the best they
could do, and that covered the whole with a
certain beauty that recommends it to men,
and we doubt not made it acceptable to God.
Every man by labor or tax helped to rear
it, and every ruan and bis family must help
to till it. Led by law, if not by desire, they
all came every S11bbath at the beat of drum,
that took the ~lace of a bell in t.bose days,
from their small and rude houses scattered
along on what i& now M11instreet and Atlantic street, along roads that were little more
than cart paths that lt,d them past each
others lots thi.t had but recently been fenced.
For no momentary enjoyment
was their
gathering; they were to have two serviceseach about two hours in length-unrelieved
No exby any change of place or positiou.
cuse of not hkiug the minister, or the singing, or of tinnday headach.,'s.
No man WiiS
excused because be wa,; not a member, possibly if he att1rnded the services regularly
the sovereign grace of God might reach biw,
but whether it did or not, Cl'llle he must.
When there was no minister the services
were held all the same, and no one must then
any more than at any other time neglect the
Blldembliug 1ogetber, as the manner of some
now is. And the little church lived on and
worshipped on.
But this losing a minister was a serious
matter in a colony established. for the most
part, for the enjoyment of Gospel privileges, and so remote that no ministers could
be found in the neighborhood, so when Mr.
Denton went away this church met and
prayed over the matter, and talked it over
until they felt sure that it was God's will
that they send Francis Bell and George
Slauson through the woods on foot to Boston, to !ind and bring back w1 h them if
possible one John Bishop, of
m they
had heard, or some ministi,r, " t \ so this
people might not be scattered and ~'-4fered
to sin against the ordinances of God." Mr.
Bishop is found and returns with them in
the sa'l'.le primitive fashion, bringing, it is
said, bis Hible under his arm. It would
11
seem that the little church bad met with more
than the usual lot of trouble so far, and,
with the corning of Mr. Bishop,sbowing snob
earnestness in seeking, and smih heroism
and un8elfishness in accepting, we hope,
that this part of the great vineyard, will
flourish
and bear abundance
of frnit.
Perhaps it did, and perhaps more good r&snlted than appears; and we know that always a great part c.f every good work is out
of sight; but, from all tbd.t is visible, Mr.
Bishop did not find Stamford a bed of roses.
Tuis is not strange under the circumstances.
'l'he colony bad been formed out of varioue_
and to some extent, doubtlese incongruous
el(lments. The labors of the colonist:! were
severe, and m,rny of the men were not
reconciled to the government of the colony
of New Haven.
The colony was upon the
borderB and exposed to both the dangers and
the demoralizing influences of frontier towns.
And perhaps they had got into the habit of
finding fault. Whatever were the causes
we !ind as a fact that a foru1al report is sent
to the General Court in New Haven in 1659,
that Mr. Bishop fiuds so mncb discouragement at Stamford, that he thinks of leaving
bis post. The mere possibility of so great
a disaster is sufficient to secure legislative
action, and the court declares that if no
reformation
is reported,
they will send
a commission
to ascertain
the
down
cause
of
complaints,
and
remove
whatever may hinder the '' work of God,"
under Mr. Bishop, "for," they add, " if
the ministry and ordinances fail, what will
the people do?" Io the October Conrt of
Magistrates, iu the same yeu, Mr. Bishoi;,
in the presence of two of the brethren of
the church, made a formal statement of the
uncomfortable,
unsettled state of affairs of
the church and town. The trouble, wh'i~
ever it was, would not down ; and next year,
at the request of Mr. Bishop, the Court
desired the Rev. Mr. Davenport. of New
Haven, and · Pierson of Guilford, to go to
Stamford to afford their counsel and help to
the well settling of these church affairs, and
two years later, the Ecclesiastical having
failed, they appeal to the Civil Element,
and a:itborize the Governor, William Leete,
and magi~trates, clothed with extraordinary
powers, to seltle the difficnlty. 'fhis last
effort seems to have been effective, for we
hear no more of the trouble.
The whole
incident shows not pnly the extent of the
difficulty, but the interest
felt in t.he
churches by the Legislature of the State.
In 1672, at the request of Mr. Bishop,
who found his 128 wiles of parish duties
rather onerous, the town secures Mr. Elipha,.
let Jones to be an assistant.
They accommodate him with a piece of land in his own
right, provide him with a house at the &own
�12
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
charge, ,!!.Dd give hirn forty ponnds a year
for hiA servic es. He onl~ stayed four years,
and theu Mr. Bishop took upou hiR shoulders
again bis 128 square miles of parish laborR,
and bis pay, as usual, according to the records, sixty pounds, one third pllrt io wheat,
one-third pllrt iu purk, and o,1e-third part in
lo<lian corn, anti! he was reliP.ved of his
duties at his own req110st in 169:l, aud tbe
town voted biw au aauuity of forty pounds
as Jong a11 he lived.
Tbis annuity,
grauts of laud
together
with frequent
voted
by the town
from
time
to
time
showed
the
high
esti1unte
in which be was b~ld by the wwn. It -.as
the first of the long pastorates which have
marked this church, and p Prhaps was not
inferior to auy of them in pr11ctic11lusefulness. Io process of time i~ was foood that
the old weetiug house was too stmit for all
the people that occnuied this large parish,
and besideA, no doubt, it was felt to be too
rough to C(}nform with their improved condition. It has been a true Christian iustiuct
from the time of David, tb11t makes us
revolt from leaving tbe appliances of God's
house in a more shabby couditiou thau the
houses in wbiah we live.
In 1660 it
was voted that a new meeting house
should be erected.
It was also voted
that the new meeting house shall be of
stone, a vote that bas remained uuexecuted
more than two buudred years, and which
cornea perh<\ps to our hauds to be accomplished. But althongb the vote was all correct, it did not secure a new meeting house
Then, as always before and
in a hurry.
since, there were those who thought that
th3 old was good enough, aud the uext year
they dectded to resciud the vote and voted
to repair the house. Hut tbeu as alw11ys in
growiug times the patcbiug up of the old
was not satisfactory. aud agaiu it was voted
to build a new house, aud the cost was
assessP.d equitably upou the town. But the
matter was not pushed, aud wore than a
year later we fiud tLem unable to agr~e upon
the shape, so rue "'au ting it square and oth~rs
oblong. In their qnaudary they solewnly
resolve to leave it tu God in casting of lots.
The lots were ca-;t, and the Alwighty de<1ided in favor of a house thirty-eight feet
square, twelve foot i:;osts, with a kiud of
funnel on top. But it was not of stone.
They did not give the Alwigbty any chance
to decide that mattAr, they had already decided it for themselves.
It was cowpleted
in 1671. , Aud then the town bv a forwal
vote prescribe the order of sittings in it,
and appoint a committee to atteud to this
vexatious matter, and another to seat the
women.
It has always been the theory of New
England that the church building should
serve the community in temporal things of
a worthy kiud as well as iu spiritual.
In
harmony with tQis theory we find the town
votiug that a convenient
place shall be
made in the meeting honRe fvr receiviug tbe
"to ..-u ammnnision, '' and Lefr. Jonathan Bell
is chosen to take c~re of the "awmnnision,"
'l'ruly wMpons, both carnal and spiritual,
were taken from this house of God.
"December 18, 161}5, per vote outcry the
town doth sell the fort wood about ye meeting house to Stephen Clason for seventeen
shillings and niuepence."
And the church
b11ildiug ceaseH auy more to be a ruilitary
fortress except in a spiritual sense, and new
times bave come.
In these fifty years the inhabitants
of
Stamford hiwe increased to about five hundred, but the church continues srnllll. The
list of freewen in Stamford in 16ti0, given
in the Colouial records, contains ouly seven
names, probably all the male members
there were at that time in the town. No
wonder Mr. Bishop was discouraged.
And
this list contains ouly one name of tbe early
settlers of the town, showing that the
Rtrength of the colony must have goue with
Mr. Denton to Hempstead, and that the
church in Stamford, as late as that year,
mnst have been very small, lu this period,
in 1685, the line of separation
between
the towns of Greenwich aud Sttunford having been confirmed,
the present
territory of GrPeowicb passed out from under
the coutrol of this ecclesiastic,d soci11ty, the
beginning of a proce~s that was to go on
uatil the parish should cease to be bounded
territorially altogether.
Whether tlte debate and strug~le upon
what was called the half-way covenant that
was agitatiug the colo111es of New Haven
aud Hartford. both b~fore aud after their
union, and, in fact, the Mas,acbusettts
colony as well, awakened auy interest in this
little church, we canuot t"11. If any ever
joiued under the half-way covenant their
names have perished with the early records,
and thete is uothiug now to show it.
Again w beth er the stirriug events that
were convulsing England during this period,
the bringing a Kiug Charles to the scaffold,
the establishing a Protectorate nuder Cromwell, the Restoratic>n aud the Revolntion,
the b11ttle fields of Edge Hill, Marston Moor
and Nasebv, were beard or directly felt in
this community we cannot tell, probably
they were felt long after they occurred, but
there is no record of them. The regicides
that g11vesuch trouble to the other colonies
never co.we as far a, Stamford, and no disturbauce was felt by church or people by
any of these great events across the water,
Mr. Bishop had some discouragements
in the ministry
were not
but troubles
�250th
ANNIVERSARY.
all confined to him,
For twelve of
those years Bunyan was shut up in prison
for doing what this village pastor was
permitted
to do and aided in doing,
preaching the Gospel. And Alleyn, author
of " Alarm to the Unconverted." died from
the sufferings he endured iu gaol. And
Baxter and Howe, and with them one-fifth
of all the English clergy were driven from
'jbeir pulpits, because they would not conform to practices opposed in their view to
the Gospel of Christ. 11, Fr«ucP. and t-housands
and thousands oflra,tors and their flocks, by
the revocatiou of the edict of N anteK, were
subjected to the cruelty of a merciless soldiery. How be,rntiful seems the quiet of
this long pastorate, aud the home like ministries of this little church in the contrast.
With the de11th of Mr. Bishop, the firijt
half-century peri0d in the history of this
church is completed. With a new man the
second half period will Op_!ln,
In November, 1692, the town by vote
manifest a desire to have Mr. John Dav'lnport, of New Haven, for their minister, and
appoint a comwittee to treat with hiw and
report.
The town, at least the voting portion of it, are not what they were fifty years
before. Then they were all church wembers, now they have a right to vote without
reference to their religious standing, yet
they bold iu their hands the selection of a
minister all the same. '£bis will need changing, or there will be trouble some day. Yet
they always appear in the town equ11lly with
the church anxious to secure a faithful pastor and an earnest preacher of the gospel.
lu April of '93, "The to.vn doth ingage to
finish the pasinedge
house, fence in the
Iott, digg a well, phmt an orcb11rd, and give
it to Mr. John D11venport when he is a settled minister in Stamford."
By different
votes at various times, they secure bi m a
salary of one hundred pounds a year and his
firewood, and see th11t the delinq aeuts are
made to do their part and "att.,nd to the
fence around Mr. D"'venport's pasture."
Wbiitever deficiencies there were in those
days the lack of care of the pastor by his
flock was not one of them. Tuis attention
would have been given doubtless any way
for it has al ways been the custom of the
New England churches, both then and
since to take good care of their ministers,
but in this case it seews to have be<1nclearly
deserved and appropriate.
Mr . Davenport
was a man eminent alike as a scholar and a
man,, as a preacher and a pll.Btor, a man
prevailing with God in prayer as well as
wise in the administration of affairs. We,
in this church, have a pecular interest in
him, because he was the grnndson of that
John Davenport, of New Haven, who was
instrumental in procuring for this church
13
its settlement at this place, and because so
many of his descendants have been influential memb ers of this church.
Every generation from his day to the prebent has
furnished 1t with a deacon for its s.,rvice;
and last Sabbath I baptised at this altar
two childr en of the fifth generation from this
John Dav enport . and the twenty-fourth in
the Jiue to which he belongs, reaching
b,wk in lin eal ,uale descent for more th11n
eight hundred years, within twenty years of
the Normau conquest of Englaud.
A contiuuauce of uubroken male descent which
we think cannot be eqnalled by any other
family in the state, anti by but very few in
the country.
P.,rbaps also this audience will appreciate
Mr. Ditvenport the more when they learn
that the poet of this occasion is his lineal
descendant of the tifth generittion.
Under Mr. Davenport's
ministry the
growth of the town made necessary some
increase of accommodations in the church
building, and resort is had to " galleries,"
bat it W>lSnot long before a new meeting
house, fifty feet square, was voted. '£his
waR in J11ly 1702, but the frame was not
ready for raising until M-ly of the next year,
aud in November of 1705, the floor had
not yet been laid ; two year, afterwards we
fiud them making provision for be11ting a
drum from tbe church turret to c11.llthe W<Jrshippers together, and ID 1710 they passed a
vote in town meeti11g for the orderly seating
of the congregation.
Upon the d ..ath of
Mr. Davenport ID February, 17131, a sp.,cial
town meeting w11.scalled, and by vote the
town agree that there shall be a day of humiliation kept, and ttJ call in such ministers
to >1ssistin the work as shall be thought
needful.
In September it was unanimously voted to
call Mr. W1·igbt. They engage to buy him a
home lot, build him a "credable, decent
dwelling house," and pay him a salary of
150 pounds.
He was a powerful preacher
and apparently served the church with great
acceptance uutil his death in L745.
With Mr. Wright f>1ssei away another
fifty year period in the history of this church
and another ch11pter i~ clo~ed.
It has been apparently a more peaceful
period, both at home and abroad, than the
previous one. No occ,.sion Reems to have
arisen for ttppeals to the Gener.,,] Court or to
neighboring ministers for advice or help to
settle difficulties, and both the church and
the town have prospered.
One marked
feature of the period bas been the organization of separate parishes on the territory
originally belonging to the first church.
Greenwich on the west had already withdrawn, and now in 1720, Bedford on the
north taking with it some from Long Ridge
�14
CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH
Chestnut Ridge forms a parish of its
own.
Io 1731 twenty-seven petitioners from
Greenwich and nineteen from Stamford
build a meeting house and petition the
Legislature for an act ol incorporation.
It was of course resisted by both these parishes, such is the reluctance of churc hts to
lose any of th eir branch es even for cu ttiugs,
but was passed neverth eless in 1733 and
the parish of titanwich began its existence.
For some reason not exolained the mother
church was more willing "to allow of a similar enterprise in New UimMn in 1733, and
gave eleven of its members to uuite with
thirteen from Norwalk to form that church .
She resisted the withdrawal of Darien for
ten years, but was compelled to yield to the
inevitable and the firot church in that town
was incorporated in 17-H.
Religious meetings were begun in the
north part of our present town limits in
1742 but it was not until nearly forty years
after in 1781 that this last separation from
the society was sanctiuned by the legislature.
It wat1 during the penod of 1708 tb11ta
eouncil was called at tiaybrook.
!Vlr. Jobu
Davenport, our pastor at that tttne, and
Samuel Hoyt, represer,ted F11irfield County
in that council, anct doubtless, Mr. Davenport, whow Dr. Bacon tiays iu his historical
diticourses, was not second to any otbtr
member, had a part iu frallling the fawout1
Saybrook platforw.
This counml is especially iuterebtrng to us at this time, because
it registert1 the highest w..terwark of the
Puritan Pr,suyteriau
tendency to form a
state church here in New England ll.ll they
had in O,d Eugland, under parllawent, in
Cromwell't1 tiwe, as dibtrngmbhed frow the
Puritan Pilgria.i tendency tht1t tt:nt1c10usly
gnardt:d the liberty of Urn rnd1v1dual churcu,
and aimed frow the first at a cowplete separation between church and etate.
The Assembly, in this instance, " ordained and required a meeting of the
Churches," and defrayed the exptnse of the
meeting out of the public treusury of the
colony, accepted the deli verauce of the
body, and "ordained that all the churches
within this Government ttiat are or shill be
thus united in doctrme, worship and discip.
line be, and !or the future shall be owned
and establiohed by law." A State Uhorch
could not have been handled more frtely
than that. But this teudeucy towards a
state religion was so contrary to tue deeper
convictions of the churches, it worked so
disastrously in cases of trouole among the
churcties, it showed such arbitrarine,s in its
efforts at the settlement of church difficulties that it coUld not stand against the
more
liberal Plymouth
leavenmg,
and
ow.1 exii11.11
at present to wod1ty tbb u..reness
I\Dd
of Plymouth iodependency and bring the
churches together in consociation of Christian help and fellowship, but without either
state or ecclesiastical authority.
The early part of this period the beginning of tue c"ntury seems to have been a
time of moral and religi0us decline. From
1688, for tweuty -tive years the mother
country bad been at war with France, and
ctt1ugers froru the French and their Indian
allies had kept the colonies iu a feverish
state, prevented the sale of lands and exerted
a baneful moral iuflueuce.
To this
influence the town of Stamford
from
frontier
position
was
peculiarly
its
exposed, adding greatly to the labor and the
discouragewents of th e ministry. No sooner
was what is called Queen Anne's war ended
th ,m the Gentral Assem bly took up the work
of reforming the morals of the people. They
recommend to the rev,rend elders of the
general association that the st ..te of religion
be strictly inquired into in every parish
throughout
this government.
'lhit1 was
clone, reports were made ari, actiou was
taken by the Gen eml Asse..-i ly unitedly
with the Geueml Associ,ition to meet the
emergency.
Things, however, did not
greatly improve until in the latter part of
the period, viz:. in 1735, began that series
of great revivals in New England, beginning
nuder the mimstry of Jounathan Edwards
in Northampton, that made the miclule of
the last ceutury remarkable in the history
of our ctiurches.
In 1740 Rev. George Whitefield made a
tour trow Hoston to New York and preached
in Stamford ou the way, but we have no
record of any especial re8olt in this town.
Although the work at this time was marred
by the excesset1 of 8ome itinerant revivalists
among thew H.ev. J11mes Davenvort, son of
the forwer pastor of this church, yet in
spite of all its defects it was good. It was the
breukiug up of the deadness into which
many of the churches of Connecticut had
fallen under the half-way plan of membership,aud the re-e8tablislling pure spiritual
religion in the place of dead torwalitim.
It was in this period that the great Methodist movewent beg,rn in Eugland, when
W hitetield could look down from the top of a
green knoll at Kiugswood on t\tenty thousand
colliers
grimy from the Bristol
and
see as be preached
coal pits
the tears waking white channels down
their
blackened cheeks,
when Charles
Wesley was btirring the hearts of wen with
his gospellovesongs,,rndJohn
Wesley was organizing those who would !lee from the wrath
to come iuto companies and regiments by
the ttiousand in the .\rmy ot the Lord.
And to hear the shouts and songs of salvation from both sides of the ocean, we
�250th
15
ANNIVERSARY.
paths.
The year after he WILII Installed, Mr. Welle
procured a bell by subscription
a.nd had It placed
in the b elfry in the place of the boy snd the drum.
He ali:.o pro cured a clock, which. provinl'.( a Jatlure,
has so discouraged the peopl• that an hundred and
filty yearR
have not rallied
their
courage
sufll<-iently
to get anothi,r.
Also in the records
of 1747 we find this item:
·• Per vote the society
agree to sing acco rding to re~nlar sioµ-ing called ye
new way of si nuing in ye pnbli c wor~hip of God."
This appesrs to havA been the first attempt ma.de
by this church to arld to the some halt dozen tunes
that had been in Uf:le in th~ ~onJ;?rPgatiou for generationf:l, eha.nged ancl varied according as the memory of the 8inµers retained or lo st thP:m. In 1760
the society agrePs that •·Doctor Wa.ttes'es avartion
of ye psahus shall be introduced
into ye prisbeterian cougration."
On the whole our fatbers got
along with this matter of church sin~ing much
bett e r tlrnn in some places whore all innovation
was d eu o ,.1uced a<.ian insult to the mewory of the
fathers and as tending to the Papacy.
Th y said,
"If we once begin t" sing by note the noxt thing
will be to pray by rule,and
th en comes Popery."
were
And the services of the ~eneral assembly
som et im es called in to quiet the disturbance
that
aro~e from tlie propo~al to sing Qy note.
Eleven cases of disciplme arA entered on the
re co rds of liis mJnistry, principally for drunkenness and for censor ious spPaking.
People would
Rev Noah Welles who foilowed Mr. Wri ght.s eems get drnnk, and what is worse in a church, they
•
to ha~e beeo well adapted tor the time and· the wonld say unkiud things about ea.ch other.
And
emergency.
He was considered one of th e mofl;t those eleven cases or discipline did not exhaust the
eminent 3cholars of bis day among the cler gy and evil u or, we fear, cure it: the more is the pity.
untiring in his zea l as a pa stor , and what was of
Upon the death of Mr. Wells in 1776thepastorate
great importan ce at this criti ca l period a p e rf ec tly rPmaiued va.can t for six years. The ditisipations
etaun,·b clear-head ed and out-spoken patri nt , a.nd incident to a. terrible war, the la ck of the watch
he app~Rrs not to have hesitated
any more to care, and preaching of a. pastor, told disastrously
preach the duty of the citizen in the pulpit than upon the moral and spiritual
cba.racter of the
to practice it out of it. In '65 h e prea ched a ser- church, and Huntington
tells us that after a car~
mon denouncing the s tamp ar.t and in b1s Tbank~- ful examination of all the evidPnce he is forced to
giving sermon. Nov. 16th, 1775, be exhorted his believe that this chur ch shows five fold the irregpeople to a gra t ef ul acknowledgment
of th e_good - ularity and loost,ness in morals than marked her
ness of Ood &~ Fib.own in the r emarkable m1hhry
previous career.
But under the pointed prea-ching
RuccesPeA of tbe year. The church seems to have of John Avfl!ry, who was ordained January, 1782,
beeTl. nnited with th eir pastor in biR position, and and under the faithful
discipline
which be introAbraham Davenport, ou e of the stannchest
patridn cPd, the,:::;~evils we::-e gradually corrected, and an
ots of the time, was on e of the dr,a.conQ.
extensive and powerful revival in 1786 added 4:7
His common pl ·ce book, wh1rh was writt en and DAW m embers to the church.
indexed in his clear, b e:t.ut iful p enmanship, a.nd
A new chnrch building wa(I "rected in 1700, the
whicb,has kindly been put iutomy band, sho~s_him
one in whic-h many of th e older portion of thie
to have been a man an<i a po et as well aci a mrn1ster
church first hega.n their a.rquaintance
with the
and a pa.triot, writing now a. po eti ca l VP!f:lion or tht"l wor ship or God, nncl which is uow etandinR: in the
101st PRalm, and now re<'eipts for making rnrrant
villag-e, but devoted to diff erent uses than thoae
wine with cold wa.rer. and c uY"ing ham s. and rem- of tbesanctuary
.And in this church the first chimedies for curing ca.nce rc- as w ell and rules for mak- ney was builded a11d for the first time in an exising collateral bee boxes in whi ch to Ftore the sweets tence already of an hundred
and fifty years appliof his garden. A. copy of an Address by the .Associa- ances for beating
were placed in thfl ftudit·nce
tion of Connecticut to George III. upon bts acces- room. Thes e consisted of a l&rJi!e, awkward Russion tfl the throne, which roa.rls ra.thPr fulsome in sian-like brick furnace of home inventio11.. The
the ligUt of after events, and whi ch was pro~ably
first iron stove was put in in 1817. How delicately
the only inp;tauce in which ~he \Jungregahonal
we graduate the t e mperature
of our room by the
pastors of Connecticut
ever directly adrlres ~ed tbPrmow ete r.
How robustly
our fathers and
royalty, is entered upon the sarn~ pa ges.on whi ch mothers sat tbrongh the long services in the co ld
he gives remedies for th e c nr~ O! tlle d1sea.~e~ of wint er days in the~rs.
horses aurl swine. No m ere scno1ar nor preacuer,
Mr. A.very d1cn in 1791, and with bis death anbnt a kindly. thou ghtful nan as well.
.
other Jnlf century period is brought to a close.
The church bnilrling was also brought into the
'l'he feature wllich mo:st distinctly
marks thie
~ervicf' of the p eo plA for holding me etinazs , when p "'riod is the formation
or churches
in the town
the t >WD h ouse proved t oo Rmall to acC'ommod4tE' other than of tll e esta hli s hed order.
We have seen
them.
This was but following ConU'regationat pre- that the old chur ch <lid not allow her own memConi;zregationalists
h.:lve always nph elc!. ber.:; to set up for themselve1-J in different and r~
(~edent.
their ministry in a. careful scrutin)' of pnblic af- mote quarters ot the to~nship_without
a good deal
fairs, anit otfored their church edifices for th e pub- of opposition.
Hu,~ ~nil she. bear ~erself when
other bodies of Chr1st1a.n~ havmg & diff erent order
licJ:r;~~einstalled
over the church Dece mb er :llst, tlJe.n her own shall jostle .Uer in the very centre of
1746,and the next day makes n record ot'_tbe !lames tht, village itself'!
We shall see.
of all those who were in fnll commumon
111the
The Epis co pal church was the first t? try the
church at that time. The nnmber in all was 174, experim(•nt, and aftP.r a oarefnl exam1natton of the
of which 75 werQ mal es aud 99 were female~.
matter we are greatly pleased to be able to say that
A number 01 changes and innovation s made dur- on the whole we think the old church bore hereelf
ing his paotorate prove that the opirit of the times
very well. As e)lrly as 17tO Rev. James Wetmore,
was waking the peop!d and pressiug them into new
might eunpose that the Millenium bad
come and that men wonld die r.o more, but
be t~nslated.
Bnt tbe Millenium bad not
:iome and Mr. Wright was not translated,
but d'ied in 1746, and was buried among bis
own people.
.
.
The third half century penod of this
church, which we h1we made to begin _at
the death of Mr. Wright, opened upon stirring scenes and continued among such to
the end.
Louisburgh,
the Gibraltar of
Ameri ca, had fallen the year before, captured by the valor of New England troops,
and this year, 1746, a thousand men are
being raised in this colony to join the army
that is to operate against Quebec. Th e war
ra.ji!ed for two years longer. A short peace
and then another French and Indian war,
followed after ten years of civil debate
and resi'stauce, by the Revolution, which
left the colovies victorious, it is true, but
poor and '".ith the responsibility of _new and
untried national quest10ns upon their hands.
0
�16
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
of the chur ch of En gland, wa• preachin g in Stam ford once iu four weeks. In 1742 th e Episcop alians
made an app aal t o th e tow n for a g ran t o f l and o n
whi ch to bnil d, anr\ th e to wn havin g rece j ved a
fAvorabl e r e port from th e co mmitt ee appo int ed t o
look int.o th e m atter to s ee if it can b e d o n e without dh.m&ge t o the town. a rant ed th e pet iti on, and
a lot 45 b y 35 wtt.s giv en t h em. Thi s ac ti on ce rta i nly shows n o g r eat anta go nism to tL e Epi sco pal
chur c h, nor any Vff'"Y gr ea t re lu c tan ce t o acc omm odate th em . In 1751 111r. Dibbl e r ep or t s hi s p ar is h
prosp erous, and add s , "l pr eached lo.st Chris t ma s
to a num erous ass e mbl y . mnltitud fls of diRf:ent ers
came t o chur ch u.ud behav ed th em selv es with gr ea t
dec ency ." a thing gr eatlt t o the a edit of th e Con gregati onalista .
In 1759 we tln<i Mr. Di b bl e and hi e v estr y, aft er
enumeratin g the di Rabihti ee under ·wbi ch th e l ~pis copaliaus la.bor ed, p etiti o ning the Gen er al Ass embly tor permission
tn 8et n p a Rma.11 lott ery of
about two thouRand p ounrle lawful m on ey. Thi s
was p er empt oril y r efu Red . 111r. Dibbl e •ay e , n ot
becaufl e publi c Jott eri es w er e r epn g nant t o th e
prindples
o t th, As sembl y, b ut b ec au se it was t oo
great an act of Javor to th e eRtabli • h ed chur ch.
He may b e ri g ht, but w e are glad, and 1 pr esume
that all gooti Episcopalians
to-day ar e g la.1, that
thoy refu• ed the l ott er y: and su ch acti on can
hardly be ac cPpt e<l as evid en ce of any g r eat h os til ity to the 1-'pis copaliJLnA. But wh t-th er it b e or not
the Con g regational chur c h of Sta mford is n ot
re•ponsible for the acts o f th e Gen eral Assemblr
in Hartford.
Huntingt on in fers that be caus e wh en
they ask permi ssion to build a fence ar ound th eir
church, the lib erty ii n ot at onc e vot ed, but it is
put into the band s of th e se l ec tm e n, that thi•
shows r eluct&n ce to ar r ommodat e th em ; but th e
inference see ms to us unwarrant ed. Th a t ie tbeway
Stamford town meetings alway:,i d o , th ey are al ·
ways trying to flnd EIOme thing for th eir selectmen
to attend to . It is said that they w er e compell od
tr, pay their r egular tax es for th e s up!) ort of the
Congregational
minifl-t er s. even whil e taxing th e mselv&s s,-,verel y t os npp ortth e~r own ; thi s was tru e
at first, but only for a sh ort time, for we find it
voted as early as 1772 that tw o co ll ec t ors b e aprointed, on• to cnllc ct th e rates b el on gin g to the
Congre~ationalists,
anrl the oth e r thos e belonging
to the chur ch of Eugl and within thi• s oci ety.
That sh ort pPri o d ot lees than tbirt v y ear s i n
which diFisent trom the eRtabJi sb ed o rd er was n ot
p ...nni1ted t o excui;i;eon e fr oru its support, com, ar es
very favorably witb the length of tim e in whi ch
such injusti"e llas bPen ex er cised in England . fr om
the time of Erlward VI. and we ar e to r em emb er in
making up our verdi c t that at no tim e in th e
eighteenth cent11ry was diSRPnt in Congr ecl\-tioua.l
Connecticut pla ced nn<1er so heavy rlisabilities as
it Isat the pr eRent tim e in th e ninAt ee nth century
under the E •tabl lshm, ·nt in England.
As an exvr eElsin n o r th ~ gf"lneral fe eling of the
Congregational
chur ches of thi s p eriod up on this
matter I r ead extra r ts fr0m a p ilp er laid b efor e th e
general conv e nti on of Co n gr eg ati onit-1 chur ch es
wWcb met In Stamtord in 1773:
"We hkvP," they Ray." ind ee d a reli giouR es tabUsbm,mt, but it is of Ruch a kind a nd with su ch
universal tol eration that the c ons r ien ces of oth Pr
sects cannot be affec ted or wound ed hy it. whil e
every one is at perf ec t l ih er1 y t o wo rs hip God in
Huch a. way as i!:4most ag ree abl e to bi s o wn mind.
Wb&tever oppr essive m ea<1
nr es hav e b ee n her etotore artopt ed we re colle ct ,,.ith r eg r et and disapproll ; and
hation.
We r ejoi ce that th eF:e hav e cea..CJe
that there i s su ch freedom o f r elig iouR inquiry and
worHbip that no man n ee d b e in bo nd age. We d etnre not th e aid of ot.h er chur c h es , a ncl while we
stand fa8t in the constituti on we bav c ch oRen and
think in it s doc trin e an I di sc iplin e it is m oRtagr era.
ble to tbe scriptures, the un erring stan da rd of' faith
and worship, we w ould not oppress oth ers nor be
opprd•sed ours elves, but exer cise good will and
charity to our brethren
of other denomination,
with ferv ent prayers , that pea ce and holiness,
hberty,
truth , and purity,
may be established
mor e and m or e among tho!<!ethat name the name
of Christ and be univer sally diffu•erl amon2 mankind. "
That was Congreeationalism
in 1773, here In
Stamtord.
What oth er denomination
could or
wo ula have writt en that d ec laration at that day in
th eir pla ces of power and th en acted upon it.
Our br ,1thers, the Bapti f tr.:i.app Par to !Jave got
al o n g without any fri ctton in tl.Jeir dealings with
th e es tablish ed order. The r ec ords o f the Congregt1tional so ciety for 1772~ contain sev eral entries
of nam es o f tho se who ar"' exempted fron: paying
fo r the SUl)port of th e Con g re J,!ational mini ster, because they ar e m embers of the Baptist et.ciety.
And wb t~n Deacuu l.1
-.erris wanted to build a church
up at Baoga 'l on a lot for whi ch he had paid tou'"
p o nnd R, t en s hilling&, th er e sciems to have been no
'lbj ec tion offer,3<1, Nor afterwards t o the er ection
Jf a buil diu,z o n Riv er str ee t in this village.
And
thi s firty ~ear p eriod clo ses with c hnrchee of two
other d en omination s , establiPhed within ht>r own
b orders , it is true , but with thP fruit s and quick·
ening of a r evival lat ely enj oyed, with a new meeting hou se . with a bell in its tower, and a etoYe in
its audi en<,:ero o m, in a land.that badJu'ained itR ·free.
doll' and es tabli~hed its p l>litical institntions
largely upon th e pattern of til e New EnglaLd township,
inspir ed and mould ea b y her ord er. Surely the
chur ch may r ej oic e aud we may be glad with her,
at tLis point ot her history.
~ear,y tw o years of what we sh ould canin theRe
day• caudidatin g, foll o wed the death of Mr . Avery.
In Mar c l1, 1793, the church af1er " disr.oul'fling at
large up on c hur c h go vPrnment
with Da11iel
Smitu, " wh o was in some sort a grand c hiJrl of thia
c hur ch, th e gift t o u• ot that chur ch in New Cana,rn, wlli c h wa s f rmcct in part fr om our own members more than fl.tty y ears before, unanimously
vot ed to gh e him a call to settle, the association
advise th e same, th e societ)' approv e and vote a
salary of one hundr e d and fitty pounds, and be
was ordain ed .June 13, 1793.
Th e fi e ld wa s a promi s ing one. The church was
fair in numb ers a1Jd ttppar ently in spirituality.
and
more than fair in eorial position, and the vil1age
was advan cing in wealth and population,
and
probably
!lad not fall en m, c h b elow the rank
wbieb she had h eld h etor e the war, of the sixte enth
among th e t o wns of Conn ec ti cut, Mr.
Omith, a cc ording to all acc ou11tP, was a gentleman
of the old school, urbane and kind, an ablerreacher, a faithful pastor, and~ sincere Christian man ;
but th e chur eh whi ch . in 1746, wh en Mr. Welle
t oo k c•h a r -.,e of it, 11umbt-r Pd 17:l-,in 1832 unmbPred
but 130, and In 1838 but 10!, and this, notwithstanding
th e fad that revivals or some power
A letter
from one
wer e ex1wr1t u ced meanwhile
of ou;.· old et1t men,bers verbaps solves the my1:1tery
for tHJ: ··By r t a son of th e Fmalln ess of the Ralary
and th e s lown e~s in payin g it,(' h e societ y was i,tenerally a y ear b ehiud in payin g him I. P r.r s on ~mith
to
wa s obliged to resort to s ecular occupations
h elp uu t. H e w~s a small tarru er. k ept a boarding
school, a11d Uad a laqc e t'nmily. in c ludin~ farm
laborer s , servants and sch olars, twenty or more."
Wllat could a mau weigllt ed in that way do.
In 18!2 R ev . J o hn Alvord b egan work here as the
coll eague _oUlr. Smith, andbis faithful labors were
r a wa rd ed by a r ev ival mo re powertul
than was
ever experi enced in this chur ch before or since.
In 1~'16 th e. veu c ralile p a -tor who had h e ld bis place
h er e fifty-thr ee yea rs , di ed, and Mr , Alvord r~
s ign ed. This p eri o d was marked b y some important chang es. Tlu , µ eoi,le who were merely citizen s of th e t own, and not m emb..-rs or perhap,a att eudants ot tbi sc hurchorof
anyother,hadgrown
res t ive uuder the tax that. tt..ey wtre compelled to
pay for the supvort
of the winister.
Tilis disaffection led to resistance, and this to lawsuits, and
�250th
ANNIVERSARY.
this breakin g down or an old f';,YRtC'm :rnd no new
tot· takiug its
one having u.1:1 yet beeu perfecled
place, prob ably accounts both for thP. meagre se.1Just referred to 1n too
sry and tne stow payments
case of Parson Smith.
Tl.le fOeling of the people,
and the diffi1·ulty tho miuiHtcr expe ri enced in col lecting llis salary arc illustrated
by a story told of
a certain blacksmith.
Hu wa!'-1visited l>y i\lr. Smith
for the am.-,unt ot tax charged against hirn. llnt
he says,'' !-'arson, I llavt, nevet· been to church and
I don't se6 wlly l shou l <l pay t or what I duu't get .··
"But," answered tlle wintster,
•·tlle l"hurch doors
wer e open for yo u, you co u Id have received b enefit if yon wonhl.''
'l'b e blacksmith vaidhis dollar.
But soon !'arson Smith rocri ved a lnll from our
frieud the Llacksrnith,
coutaiHing a. cllargc of two
dolh .rs for slloeing ilis horse.
The miuister went
at once to see about it. · 'Why, neighbor," h e said,
"what is th e meaning of tl..iis bill : I never got my
·'I know that, "
horse shod h ere in ti.le world."
said the blacksmith,
'·but tho dom·s of my shop
are open just as mnc!J a.s the doors of yunr meetingboui;; e,a nd youcoulct hav e had him i;;llod here if
you had wislJed.'' \\ ' lioth cr this rca~ouiug br,.n1gbt
the two dollars is not tolcl. At la st this old sys tem
broke down altogctller, tllo last ta::: was voted in
18::15,and iu Ht3U th e salary was raised Uy subAcripti on, aud frum that day to this I hcliove there
has b een a gradual increase in tile salary, nnd for
the most part. in the ease o f paying i t. Witil the
giving up of this tax tl10 last vestige of a pretence
of Congregationalism
to being a slate ch urch
passed uway, and from that time to tllis and l et ns
hope as l ong as s lrn s tan ds, HllC must dcpP nd for
her finau cial support
up on tlle williug gilts aud
contributionR of her members nud friends.
Methodi s m came int o n o ti ce iu the village in this
period, and bci;{an tu slJou l its lln.llt'lujahs aud
amens in the ear of th e quiet worshipp ers of this
town.
It llad c-rept in, so its r eco rds s tat e, somewhere about 178::i or 17~ !), but it was u o t s.trong
enough to form more than a single clas s for severThe t ow n reeords show that upon applial years.
cation the selectmen in 1814. were empowe red to
g ...Vf'l to th e trnstees of the ~Iethodist society a spot
of ground on tlle west side of the old burying
ground,
for the purpos e of erect ing a me eting
'l'h c site does not appear to Ltave been alhouse,
together satisfactory,
and we have heard it called
goose pond and mudhol e: but their enterpise and
zeal and the growtlt of th e village llae made it now
one of th e most desirable lo cat i ons in the borough.
Perhaps
th ey were n ot nltogeth ~r welcome, tiut
they soon made their place ~ood; welcome or not,
the~ came to stay and ~how the entllusiastic,
hop eful,Joy.1ul, exultant afpects ot our common faith.
In th e sp rin g of JS::l;J the Univers,~ lh •ts of this
part of tile t ow n came together and secured a setha.ci settled
tled pastor, and another denomination
on our territ ory.
In 1842 the first Catholic services ic Stamford
were held in a privat e house in West Stamford, and
the fl.rat rendezvous
stat ion of that migbty army
ot Cathvlics tbat we1e so speedily to camp on this
ground and cxrlla n ge tbeir private dwellmg
for a
stone church lar ge eno u gh for a cat h edral, was
opened.
Things were moving her e in Stamford during all
that long perio<l, and if the territory was no longit
er exclusively covered by the Congregationalists
was evidently being as well ca.red •·or as if it were.
Alao during this period the Sabbath School was
op e ned in thi s cllnrcl.J in HHS.
At the uentb of ~fr . Smitll we enter the fifth and
last of our fifty year periods.
It has been an era
of marvelous
cllanges i u all directions, and pro\Var has given the
gress , we beli eve, as well.
country
territory
and liberated
h er s lav es, and
pea ce has develop ed her doma.in and opened new
sources of powor tllat fifty years ago wer e n ot even
Imagined, and the whole world has felt the intl uences of this wondertul
period.
The t ow u has
increased from 3 500 in 1840 to nearly 16,000 in
0
17
1885, aih.1 n ew and br oader relations
and respousibilities and poasibilitics llave be~u cntort: d upon.
In this p eri od it i s but tair to say of her that she
has doue iltr part in line witu th e hi sto ry of two
and loya lly. She bas
hundred years, patriotically
felt the cilaugcs and, more slowly. perhaps, than
some young er 1n years, bas r espo nd ed to them.
And she ha s not beeu behiud the other chu rchea
in matters of educa tion. rPform, village improveJu til1s period a great
m en t and patriotic duty.
cha n ge must be noticed in her pastorate.
Before
thi s time tour uasturs had largely marked the four
fifty year periods.
Bishop, tl10 first; Daveuport,
tl.ie second ; Wells, the third;
and Smith, the
f?urth: but in tilis la ~ten\,i u l ess than forty years,
eight meu have lx.·ru ~11
ed the pla.c€ wili ch one man
wa s wont to llolcl fur llalf a cc nt.Ltry .
l sa11c J cnni11gs from 1847 to US5:3
•••• . _ .G years
James H oyt from 1~5:J to 1855 .... . .... . 2 years
Heury li . .Elliott from 1H5:) t o 1858 ...•.• a years
Jo seph A.nderaon from 1851' to 1861 .. .... :J vears
Leonard W. Ha.con fr uw 1862 to 1864..... 2 Years
H.ichard 13. 1'bnr ston from 18G5 to 1874-•. u y ea rs
G . Duckin gllau1 Wil cox trom Hs75 to '7U. .4 years
And the prc8eut in cumbent wh o has been ilere
but a. littl e ove r si x yea.rs.
What tilis indi cates , wil et her degeuerncy or improvement,
we are n ot compete nt to decide; proba.l>ly the change is not all good nor all bad. 'l'here
is this to be said, that her 111em1Jers have incr ease d
more in tllis t ra tha.u in any simi lar p eriod, and
more hav e been conve rted to God.
The departures
from h er whicll began in th6 last
cent ttl'y ilav e con tinued, and a. separatiuu that hurt
her more than any that pre ceded took place when
in l tl5:1, tw ent y-six m e1nbe rs took l ett ers to for~
the Pr es byt er ian cilur c h iu Stamford, and again,
when, in H:W~.eleve n t ook let t er s to form the !'r~sThe invasion
of her
byt erian chur ch in Darien.
t erritory and the separation of her members ilas
goue on for two huudr ed years.
It hf\S always
boon puinful.
She has always resisted aud lament
ed, uut louk at the result.
See wb•t God !Jatb
wrought.
Til e territory
whicil was o nc e h e rs is
now occupied by more lbnu twenty-five
ch urciles
of evang elical taitil of various t'orms of governm ent, of various methods of administration,
giving different em pha sis t o the matt e rs uf our common heritage. bnt recognizing one Lord ,o n e faith
one baptism, and t ogethe r better meeting and sat~
isfyiug the want , and doing m ore work than any
single churt:11, ilow e ,-er powerf'nl and oxcellent
could possibly a.ccomplish.
'
E'or moro thatJ au hundred ytars she supplied all
th e spiritual in struc ti on and all the ordinances 01'
the gospel that wa s giyen iu this town. and still
slte stands . 1'.,rom her ilas come many of the inthat
flufmces and from h e r much ot the material
has gone into the other churches and ilelp ed them
to make them the strong and etlicien t churches
that they are. tlhe bas sent out from her children
of the gospel of
more than a Plcore of preachers
through
the great
Christ, and th e co ntributions
channels of ou r or der hav e reached eve ry part of
our own land and every land on the wilole earth.
by one honored as a
It is said iu kiudly criticism
lect urer up on history as well as resp ecte d as a
townsman, that . the Congregational
church of New
England has n o art; thi s is true in pa.rt, but she
with
has that seuse of' vital uniou and communion
God, out of whi ch in all the ages has b ee n b orn the
high est schoo ls of art. The se New England townpeo pl e , this union
ships of happy and prosperous
of' the states, tbi s mighty natiou, tbe8e are her
works of art painted on the canvas of a. cou tinent
Th~
writt en in the volumes of tile ccnturieR.
map of the world has been c hanged in the last
have
two hundred a.nct fifty years, new dynasties
come a.nd gone. A nation or more tila.n fifty millions ilave occupied the ~ilderness
continent
in
which she made h e r pla ce, but h ere stands this
church witilin a. s tone's throw of h er first location
among ns , preaching in substance
the same doc
�18
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
•
'I
tr\ne, bringing to men the same comforts of God's With you in light.
grace-she
stauds because she is established upon
We still in shadow. on this festal day
the Rock of Ages.
R~viewing all tne years. would at His f;et,
She has stood a quarter of a millenium, but she
The glory Jay,
1e not old. A church const.~ntly renewing its membership and continually
quickened by the Holy
It seems that ancient Stamford
Ghost, need never grow old, it is a branch of that
Ca.me down from Wethersfield,
tree ot life that grows on either side of' the river
A town's that's somewhat noted
of life, continually fruitful, and whose leaves are
For Its peculiar yield.
for the healing of the nations.
To-day she enters upon the last half of her third
It yearly sends forlh, labeled,
century.
She is fruitful still; lrnt two days ago
As b.c who 1:uns may read,
men and women ent~red into her communion and
To every town and hamlet,
babes were brought to her altars. Never before
The
choic est garden seed.
was sho so larg e in unmb ers , n ever before had i:;.he
so many children and youtlJ under her care never
Ia
every
fertile valleY
before was she so surrounded by a Christian brothThrougllout the co~mmonwea.lth,
erhood of churches, animated by the kindest feel·
It
strews
the germs of beauty,
ing and Christian well-wishing.
Of plent eousness and healtn.
Before the end of this period the most of us will
have passed beyond, but the old chur ch will stand,
It's very earliest venture.
her work, peculiar to herself, will go on; she will
At least 'twould t10 appear,
eee the millenium.
Was il:l tile ample stiipmeut
'rhat found its lodgement here.
The Rev. Mr. Davenport's poem, which
was read by himself, in a voice singularly
pleasant, flexible and expressive, bad no
other, and nee.ded no other title, tban the
following:
1635-STAJIIFORD, DECEMBER22-1885.
0 Hand Divine,
Tllat led our fathers all their weary ways,
Now from our thrilling heart strings deign to sweep
Exultant praise.
Our song would be
Glory to Him to whom all glory's due
Tho God our fathers loved ; to them, to us
Forever true.
His was the star
That threw its line of light a.cross the sea,
A finp:er pointing to the ptomisea land
Of liberty.
His was the dove
That sougbtthe shining portals of the west,
As if to ope before the exiles' feet
The gates of rest.
His was the cloud
That went before them through the wilderness,
Till these tair slopes along the sea arose
Their sight to blces.
His was the zeal
That here inspired, as broad and deep were laid
The grand foundations ou which church and state
Were firmly stayed.
His was the grace
That moved the thronging generations
To build aright the temple of our hope,
Forever dear.
goodly seed it furthered
Tc tllis sprayasprinkled coast,
Well winnowed and 8elected,
As we to-day may boast.
A
The germs of much that's worthy
Came thus without a. doubt,
U1:1efuland ornamental,
All warran tel.I to sprout.
Should one Mk," Bave the seedlings
01 Wetberi::-Jieldrenown? ' '
No nee<.1of words for answer,
Point Rim to Stamford town.
'l'ell him that the cc.,nsignment,
That met this region 's need,
With all its Woods aurl Hollys,
Held hut a single \Veed.
Sure seldom seed was planted
Beneath the azure dome,
O'er wllich the ages shouted,
A gladder "harve•t home."
But Wethersfield is famous
In quite another way;
It welcomes gue1:1tsso warmly
That tlley 're constrained to stay.
And that, although th e diet
Incliues a.t least to plain,
And rostllcticism suffera
For la.ck of porcelain. ·
And friendship's golden fruitage
Is seldom lully ripe,
For one may loug for fellows
Of quite a different stripe.
here
His was the power
That caused the swift and noiseless loom of time
To yield the sacred fabric of tho past,
A work sublime.
His be the praise
Honor, all honor to His peerless name ;
One fah.ily in ea, th and heaven to-day
We chant His fame.
O yon who once
dere worshiped Him whom now your eyes behold,
Touch witb your own celestial fire our notes
Bo poor and cold,
This central, ancient township
Has gained a name afar,
For its unnuwbered yeomen
Admitted to the bar.
One wonders whether Stamford,
In all her str en~th and pride,
Remembering Wethersfield that gave
To her its true and tried;
Has mourned
And kindly
And rendered
That made
at its depletion,
by it stood,
ba ck the quota
its i.umber good.
Perchance this generous borough
Mere justice has outrun,
�250th
Had he but known
That 'twas the mule that halked in Deacon Hait,
He'd felt a sweeter charity f'or his
Immobile state.
And her indebtedness of old
Has canceled, two to one.
If so, and blame
Should thence
Stamford could
You furnished
or credit
at all proe:eed,
say, ' 'Yes, Wethersfield,
us the seed."
He had no thought
1'hat through "development"
the rolling years
Had robed the earth in aJI the wondrous wealth
That now appears.
As Samuel, the prophet, rehearsed to-day,
(In his philosophic
and genial w:iy ,)
The story whose pathos. power and play,
Enc!lained us an with its magical sway;
That all the world
J:!""'rom
mi ~roscopic germ to Sbakspeare
By one unceasing, upward impulse is
Together bound.
The tale set forth in a winning hgh t,
The men of lea:-ning and fervor and might
Who here bave stood in defence of the right.
,j
He never learned
That just bey0nd the gloomy gates of death
Probation waits for idiots and for babes
Who've lost thei>: breath.
We can see him now, as, with saintly niieu,
With dignified bearing a.nd brow serene,
He slowly crosses the village g:rflen.
He had not peered
Though magic glass of science that lays bare
The forces of tlie universe, at work
In earth and air,
A three-cornered
ha.the sustains without pride
Over hair well selected, and fittingly dyed;
His bosom is ruffled, but on the outside.
His gown and his gloves are of' mldnight hue;
His slip1,1ers are clasped, as is plain to view ;
·with a buckle of silver, good and true.
The el~ctric glow
He never saw. save in the lightning's
Or in the gleam that kindles northern
To mimic day.
He gracefully carries a gold-headed cane,
That a "dude" of the present would envy in v!Lin,
Too heavy 'twould prove for the size of his brai:::i.
is , not
The people fall back as the pastor draws mgh,
And wait till he pass ; they clearly descry
The halo that crowns hi,:n, just dropped from the
sky.
With sweetness and dignity due to his state,
He greets every citizen, hu1nble and great,
And counsels or comforts with wisdom and weight.
It's true he lacked
In points we deem essential to his weal;
Born j Qst a little early for his good,
Perhaps we feel.
To him and his,
The wiry path of thought was all unknown;
He never told his choicest secrets to
The telephone.
He never knew
The joy of flying with the wings of steam,
Nor felt the throb aniJ. thrill of music in
'.rhe engine's scream.
He never read
The signal service's prophecy
And thus forewarned, provided
That hovered nigh,
of "dry,"
for the storm
No gay resort
E'er tempted him beyond what he could bear·
Although Shippan's cool, crystal waves, at. times:
Seemed wondrous fair.
We follow him. too, with respect and with praise.
As he modest.ly walks his beneficent ways,
This messeng~r true of the Ancient of Days.
He's the type of a character vanished from earth
Of quaintness unequaled except by hi,il worth.
Of times quite unique the legitimate birth.
play,
skies
No paper cam'3
With rich array of gossip to refine,
And help the soul in searching for the depths
Of truth divine.
And on ward he passes. both honored and blessed,
"Heaven's
own repreEl-entativa" freely confessed,
Of all whom his grace-sweetened lips have addressed
;
'Twas never his
To ask for entertainment
at the "Board,"
And reap the benefit a stay in town
Would then afford.
He never spoke
In Congress of the Churches, having shown
That unity would c01.ne wnen every church
Should join his own.
He never heard
Of evolution;
did not know that he
Of paleozoic ape or earth-worm was
The progeny.
He never guessed
That "sin,. within him was some brutish
Through strict heredity producing there
The tumult uire ;
crowned
He had not dreamed
That Eden with its sweets that charmed the soul
Lay where unmeasured
leagues of ice now wreathe
The arctic pole.
A grandeur clings to the old divine,
With his stately manner and spirit fine,
That will live while the distant years decline.
He treads the green earth, but his home
here;
An ambassador he from a loftier sphere,
He bears his great offioe with reverent fear.
19
ANNIVERSARY.
He had not learned
That "until death shall part" means until one
Shall gain a legal residence out to ward
The setting sun.
sire
That all his pride
Was peacock blood disporting through his veins,
That'twas the lingering trace of wolf that sought
Unla,wful gains.
Vacation brought
A half day's toil amid the hills of corn
Or in the orchard, hung with golden fruit
Of sunshine born.
The throat might fail;
None ever cleemed the European air
A tonic competent to thrill the chords
To swift repair,
I
I
�20
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
The brain grew weak;
No trip to California was planned ;
More frequent trips into the study. was,
The fl.rm demand.
Chaplets to day we weave
For the holy men and true
Who here proclaimed the right,
As the right came into view.
Yet, be it said,
The minister of old waS keen and strong,
And bravely at his parish post he stood,
And tarried long.
Their work was brave and grand,
Aye, grander than they saw;
Tl::ey made forever clear
The dignity of law.
The meeting kouse
In which the people gathered year by year,
Was such as seasoned men with heat aud cold,
Intense, severe.
Among the chosen spirits
Whose fame we now declare,
Appears an ancient grandsire
Whose name I chance to bear.
But more than all,
The doctrine that was taught as heavenly
Gave fibre to the sturdy soul that still
The message bore.
In reading o'er the records,
This thought did me impress,
The lasting force inherent
In simple '·no" or ''yes."
lore,
For in the sphere
The times affordM, his was thonght pi ofound ;
The deepest mysteries of life and God
He sought to sound.
If he, when called to Stamford
Resolving in his mind
To tarry at New Haven,
The summons had declined ;
En throned on high
Above the trifles of our earthly state,
He saw a changeless ·will that compassed all
Both small and great.
Why, this at least would follow,
I had not here to-day
Enjoyed good brother Scoville's
Rhetorical display.
In every place there could but be
The working of a stern decree
That had no ear for human plea.
I'm here to share the banquet,
Because it wa$!n't "no ..
The youthful parson answered,
Two hundred years ago.
The "non.elect" on every side,
Could never from God's judgments
But must his flaming wrath abide.
hide
For them no heavenly U1ercy pleads ;
No loving Saviour intercedes,
No Holy Spirit kindly leads.
But more than this, the Rev. John
Prepa1·ed himself one day,
AI!d visited a widow fair
Who dwelt across the way.
She "eminently pious" was,
(The record stands secure)
And, modest as a pale primrose,
And just as sweet and pure.
For them in vain the Lamb had bled,
His precious blood, on Calvary shed,
Was not their ransom from the dead.
He hardens, whom He will, to death ;
Hath mercy where he will, He saith
To whom we owe our fleeting breath.
The holy man said, "Let us pray,"
And on the sanded floor,
They knelt, th~ crown of heaven's grace,
Together to implore
0 faith subiime that still could pray,
That with unwavering trust could say,
"Holy and righteous is Thy way.''
Then rising, he devoutly said,
"The Lord makes known His will,
It is that Martha, though bereaved,
Should be a housewife still."
O faith amazing, that could stand,
And tell how matchless Love had planned,
And preach the word at God's command.
A.ye, preach the word, with power. to all,
Though sc,me on whom its accents fall,
Should wait in vain '·the effectual call;"
E'en bid the wretched sinner flee
From wrath that changless, dread decree,
Assigned him from eternity.
Wi,Jing a tear for him whose sands
Of life bad early run,
She answered with a heavenward glance
Hflis holy will be done."
And ere the waning spring had passed
To b1oorning summer tide,
The ladies of this pariah dressed
To match the pastor's bride,
And I have asked what fate had had
In store for me and mine,
,
If Martha had rebellious proved
Against the will divine.
Who, but a hero still could bless
The Lord of hos is, our Righteousness,
And his unmeasured grace confess ?
Ah, with what wonder and surprise,
He must have op'ed his blinaed eyes
Within the gates of Paradise ;
It takes one 's breath to think that, thus,
The things concerning him,
Depended wholly for a time
Upon a widow's whim.
And seen how love divine ddth leap
The barriers human thought may heap,
And its majestic circle sweep ;
No doubt 'tis well, in view of all,
That it resulted so;
Th"t Madame Martha was resigned,
Two hundred years ago,
And round and round each human
In tender, yearning passion roll,
Eager to gain supreme control.
soul
As thus I speak, another scene
Comes~learly into view,
�250th
That early in the century
Thrill ed Stamford
pW!t
tllrough
and through.
A score of years, and mor e, had flown,
And the submissive pair
In a fond da~g bter' s love rcjoiued,
Sweet Abigail, the lair.
But her's the fat e of gentl e maids;
A suitor came to woo ;
And to him rev erence sh e gave ,
And her affection, too.
' Tw~ s Stephen, blessed martyr, he,
Longm eadow's chosen guide,
Who ca111eto Stamford's parsonage.
To find a blooming bride.
When but a boy, he woke one night
lln Deerfl eld's bloody so il,
To find his tatb er·s hcn1se iu f\ames,
Himself the Indians' spoil.
But no w. it is his heart that burne:,
Witll fir es he cannot quell ;
And th oug h a cap tive, in the bonds
He would forever dwell.
The wedding was in Rtamford ch urch,
And all th e aisles wore thronged;
Th e invitation was so broad
Tha.t not a so ul was wronged.
lleauty and learning both were there,
And wealth and fashion came;
And all the r egio n tllitll er sent
Its damsel and its dame.
The bride was dressed in opal silk,
With filmy lac es hun g;
Anet i:mowy apron to whose edge
Embroidered lilies clung.
Above h~r wealth of chesnut curls
A towering cap arose,
As delicate as ocean spray,
As white as drifting snows.
From this the bridal veil swept down
In many a misty told ;
And Stephen tllougllt his bride elect,
A marvel to behold,
He in his solemn rob(1 of black,
And sacerdotal bands,
Ap~eared a very priest of God
Awaiting his commands.
They enter through the br ea thless throng,
Aud at the altar stand,
Allll Fatller Williams pleads for grace
1'-..romheaven's all bounteous hand .
Then Father Davenport ascends
And turns tho Racred !i&ge,
And with emotion rea ds the words
Of psa lmist and of sage,
And from a cllosen t ext h e tell•
How 'mid fair Erlen'is bowers,
The marriage altar was adorned
With amaranthine flowers.
21
ANNIVERSARY.
And pray er he offers for the twain,
His dau ght e r and his son,
That they in love nnd sy mpathy
Forever may be one .
A hymn is sung, "liow ble s t the man
WhlllSC house Jehovah c heers;"
And forth they go, whil e loving friends
Are smiling 1hrough their tears.
hurri ed banquet is dispatched,
And then tLe palfreys gray
Are mounted, and with farewell words
The lov ers ride a.way.
A
From highest point of ea,teru ridge
They wave a fond adieu ;
A moment, anf\ the verdant hills
Hav e hidden them from viow.
The summer skies are bright above,
The flowers their incense breathe,
Thick-w ove n forest greeneries
Th eil path with beauty wr eathe.
They go to half a century's toll,
'l'o countless yea.rs of love ;
They go to sweeten earthly homes,
'l'o gladden rea lms &hove.
Aud _Abigail, the blooming bride,
Ot s111JJmerslong a.go,
Was one of m:u1y Stamford's sent,
To bless a world of woe.
But th,t is past, and we are here·
Tbe years hav e come and gone,'
b:~~
f>i
~:!!~eir
A~dh~~:~~!! eti11:!~l
sweet,
The fath ers bor e their burnen well
And entered into rest ;
And, close behind, their thronging sons
Have reverently pressed.
And her e th e altar fires have burned
'
Aud in th eir lleavenly glow,
Thousands rejoi cing , have forgot
Life's ceaseless wail <1nC.woe.
And mid the sorrow ..ud the Joy,
Tll1s chur ch of God has stood
Sustained by sturdy manhood'~ strength
And gracious womanhood.
On this 1:lad anniversary day,
Her children gather here
With gratular.ion and with love,
For her, th~ mother dear.
Though doc&des have to ce nturies passed
Binet, she began her course,
She stands to-day. with eye undimmed
And unabated force.
Her brow is radiant with the bloom
Of an immortal youth;
Her voice grown sweeter with the years
Still plead s for lov e and truth.
0 Mother Church, may future yeareJ
Grant tbee a wealth unpriced·
Dev'>tion of the sons of men,
'
The blessing of the Christ.
How 'mid the thorns of modern J;fe
The ca res that so aunoy,
'
The marriage altar still remains,
The bulwark of our joy,
Long may tlly prophet, SAMUEL,stand,
In faithful ser vi c e here.
And at the last with all his flock
In heaven 's fold appear.
And then in simple words and few ,
And tremulous and low.
He gives his daughter to the man
With whom she fain would go.
And here do thou, within the•e cour ts
Thy supplication make,
'
Till over thee millennial days
ILi cloudless glory b1eak.
�..
22
The intermission from 1 till 2 o'clock, P.
was very pleasantly spent by the members and their numerous guests in discussing
in an appropiate
way the
appetizing
supplies which the ladies had prepared in
the lecture room in quantities inexbaustable,
even by the determined inroads made npou
them,
It goes without saying that tbes@
wholesome exercises were accompanied by
rcbanges, and muthe agreeable Jocial int <il
tual congratulations proper to so auspicious
and interesting an occasion.
The afternoon exercises, beginning at 2
o'clock, partook of the social and somewhat
informal character which the programme
F. A. Palmtr
was designed to promote.
Esq. occupied the chair, and Mr. F. W.
Nichols presided at the organ. The chief
interest of this meeting attached to the
series of short addresses by former pastors
.and by the pastors of other churches in the
These addresses
village and neighborhood.
were for the m ost part conceived in the
pleasant, semi-humorous spirit suited to the
time and occasion, exeept that those of the
former pastors, Rev. Messrs. Thurston and
Anderson, were too long and too serious to
come under this category. Rev. Mr. Pentecost was disposed to demur against the tendency to sigh for the "goJd old times." For
his part be thought the present was incmparably better than the past, and his chi\)f
cause for thar:kfulness to-day was that be
was not on the stage of life in those uncomfortable times two hundred or two hundred
and fifty years ago. There was much in the
old Puritan character to admire, no doubt,
but for his part, he thought they mu£t have
been very hard people to get along with.
They wert> always in deadly earnest about
small matters, and every one. from parson
to door-keeper bristled
with peculiarities
and "views" which they held with such grim
determination as if theii' very souls depended
upon it. He thought that as the warmth
and color and comfort of the modern church
surpassed the cold, narrow, straight-backed
and uncarpeted meeting-house, so Christianity is something
infinitely sweeter and
better to-day than it ever was before.
Rev. Jos.,ph Anderson, who was pastor
M.,
/
/·
.CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH
of the church from '58 till '61, was the next
speaker.
He preached the last sermon in
the old church on what is now Central Park
and the first sermon in the present church
edifice.
One of the thoughts which bad
impressed him to-day was the beauty and
significance of the organic unity of the
It had
church standing for so many years.
been bis fortune to serve three First
churches.
He thought they •were, more
than others, subject to two special dangersindolence and narrowness.
He congratulated this church on the fact _that its pastor
was the opposite of both.
Rev. R. B.
Thurston, also a former pastor, spoke at
some length.
He served the church for
nine years, beginning in '65.
The other speakers were Dr. Tatlock, of
the Episcopal, Dr . Vail of the Presbyterian,
Dr. Lathrop, of the Baptist, and .Rev. 1Mr.
Prilice, of the Methodist churches.
~ev .
F. W. Brathwaite, of St. Andrew's, who
was unable to be present, sent a letter c,f
kindly congratulation.
There was a call for
Rev. E
M. Grant, of the Universalist
cbureb, but be was not at the time present.
The speakers we1·e led into a good-humored
discussion of the claims of thair respective
churches to priority in the point of time.
Dr. Tatlock, in all sincerity, and with perfectly good taste, claimed to represent a
church
" many centnries " older than
250 years. Dr. Lathrop said that hi~ cb<1rch
traced its lineage 'way back to John the
Baptist. Mr. Prince related the anecdote
of the little boy who, studying the Old Testament, said to bis mother that "the people
were all Methodists then, they said amen so
often."
But Dr. Vail capped the climax
by declaring that Presbyterianism was originated "when Moses gathered the Elders
of Israel."
Dr. Tatlock incidentally referred to an iuteresting episode of ecclesiastical history in this state and town, not
generally known.
In 1818 his predecessor
in the rectorship of St. John's parish, after
nine petitions to the legislature had met
with as many refusals for the removal of
the "awkward circumstance" of Episcopalians paying taxes to support the Congregat~onal church establishcni:nt, conceived the
,,
I
�)
250th
ANNIVERSARY.
plan of forming a political alliance with
what was then known as the "Jefferson
Democrats." The proposition was prusented
to certain leaders of that party at Redding
Ridge, in this county, who immediately
adopted it and for'wiirded a formal statement
of the plan to the office of the Bridgeport
Farmer for publication.
The movement
resnlted iu the successful and final removal
of the "awkward circumstance" aforesaid.
Much of Interest in the way of personal
and church reminiscences was brought out.
and the 1Deeting wa,; protracted till 5:30
o'clock.
Rev. Mr. Hicks read a pleasant,
congratulatory letter from Wethersfield, in
23
which, however, Stamford's claim of priority
was courteously called in questivn,
A kind
letter from the First Church of Hartford was
read, and one from the First Church of New
Haven. Addressas of a similar congratulatory and pleasant tone were made by Rev.
Mr. Anderson, of Norwalk, Rev. Mr. Ross,
of South Norwalk, Rev. James Hubbell, of
Danbury, and others.
In the evening the church was crowded,
and many who came a little late found not
even "standing room only."
Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher preached au able and characteristic sermon, which was heard by the immense congregation assembled with every
evidence of attention and interest.
/
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
250th anniversary of the Congregational Church, December 22, 1885. : Historical address
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Scoville, Samuel, 1834-1902
Description
An account of the resource
23 p. ; 24 cm.
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
Congregational Church, 250th anniversary.
"The address and poem, in full, as corrected and revised by the authors, together with a condensed report of all the proceedings, from the Stamford Advocate.".
Church's proper name from Hurd, D.H. History of Fairfield County, Connecticut ... Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co., 1881. The First Congregational Church of Stamford, Connecticut was established in 1635 by dissenters from the Wethersfield, Connecticut congregation. The New Haven Colony, at the suggestion of Rev. John Davenport, offered land to these families within the New Haven Colony territory at Rippowams, now Stamford.
For additional information about the history of the church, see:
http://www.fccstamford.org/about/history
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1885
Subject
The topic of the resource
First Church of Christ (Stamford, Conn.)
Stamford (Conn.) -- History
Congregational churches -- Connecticut -- Stamford -- Anniversaries, etc
Connecticut -- History
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Stamford, Conn. : s.n.
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_S8_S36_1885/#page/1/mode/2up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">page-turner version</a>
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA7186407500003451&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&search_scope=WCSU&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link to Primo record</a>
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
F104 S8 S36 1885
34023001505777
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
9c5ff895-88c6-4220-b8dc-cda234727482
Churches
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
Stamford (Conn.)
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3131/F104_W9_C66_1861.pdf
cb48c17e9d7e26baef2378390b68cc22
PDF Text
Text
MA
NU
TH E
•
•
AL
MEMBERS
O:r THJI
CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH
IN
:!fORTH
WOOD STO CK,
CONN.
"By this shall all m en know th at ye ar e my disei1ih•s, if
ye have lov e one to anoth er." - --JOBN 13 : S5.
PR INTED AT THE TRANSCRIPT OFFICE.
1861.
�':
'i
I'
�IfI
I
lIISTOTIIL\
I
A nujority of tln m3m \:crs of the O'.rnrdt in East \Voo<lstock'"', rcmoveu their plaec of wor~hip from the '' old meeting
hou~ e;" to the "ue·.v rncctin~ hou:,;e" iu North "\-Voodstock,
Fe !:>
rnary :2,;th, J.8 3].
At th,tt tim e the 0h·Jrch consisted of
f:cnmty-f0• .1r rnc rnbc r::, whose names arc the following:
II
i1,!
Abig ,1il llu ,·k111a11
,
Willanl Chill] ,
Path · Corbin,
' Cy ril C'arpe:itcr ,
1· Nab\Jy C.1rpeute,·,
'I Cynthia Carpenter,
Betsey Ric:wnbon,
.J cnuy Wheeler
Aldii Pennima1;,
.John Chandler,
, ~;z1·a, 01,ild,
\; Betsey CltilLl,
i .Jame,; ,Yhitncy,
J~arl Clap:),
Luther Uhiid,
Pamelia Chilt!,
~1•.John B. }la\·,
....,.. Abigail 3la.)~,
.A.dosia Buckurnn ,
Charles D. l\lay,
DJ')Orah Uhandle1·.
, Hannuh Chaffee,
I ;, Patt.y ll:.1c011,
Nancy Cnaffce,
Perley Lycu,
Susan Child,
Lem11-el S. Chaffee,
f:
j
J,
II
I
l
'
L NOTICE~.
OliYc Chamberliu,
Cyril Chaffe e ,
Hannah Cbaflee,
Lucretia Bu ckman,
Lucy Bottum,
Luthct· Rawson,
l\Iars Raw::iou,
Anna Buckrnau,
Nancy Comstoe;k,
Irene Child,
Sy1,il Dyer,
\Yilliam Hcmenw,1y,
Damon "\V. Chandler,
Hiram Bi,,,hop,
Cynthi,1 , l\Ia_y,
Trenk Mnv,
Lues A .. Peuni!• .::1,1_
Fanny · I::-clrnrd:-<011,
Peleg U. Child,
- Ren::ilaer Child,
,Tob "\Vhitncy,
~abby Whit11oy,
Uhester Child,
Ebenezer Biflwp,
Willi.am Dyer,
V aleutine Dorcuc<,
l'olly West,
*Re\· :\b<.'l Stiles remoycd wBh a part of the South
Churcl1 to tl1is place about 1766.
-
vVood~tock
1
:1·
11
-.
.. . .
.
•
j
�4
PASTORS "-.
Sally Perrinr
Elkan ah Penniman ,
Spencer Oh.ild ,
Sa rah Ri char dson,.
A delia Bishopr
Almira Buckrn.an,
Rebecca Charnberlai P..
"William ·Whitney ,
"Willi am Chandler,
Edwin S. Penniman ,
Louisa l?oster ,
Myrtilla \Valker ,
Keziah Bacon,
Josep h C. A llard,
H iram Chaffe e,
Cynthia Buckman ,
El ecta Chamberlain,
.. - B etsey P enniman,
l'ris ;;itlLa O!iild .
----~..
,,,,,__._
~-- -
---
PASTOR S AND STATED SUPPLIES .
Rev. Foster Th aye r was ordained and install ed the first
pastor of this chu r ch, .lune 2.9th , 1831.
He was dismissed
September 19th, 1836 .
Rev. L ent S. Houg h , was install ed the second pastor of
this Church, January
11th, 183.7, and continued t ill May
11th, 1 841 , wh eri he was di smisse d.
Rev. , v illiam H. Marsh wa.s in st all ed the third pasto r of
this church , Nov . 30th, 1844 . Di smissed April 22nd, 1851.
ff'"r;;;i~us to th .F<
<:ttle me nt of lvir. Marsh, th e Rev . Willard
Child-now
the Rev. D r. Child-was
stated supp ly for some
t ime .]
Re,·. 0. D. Hin e was install ed th e fourth p«sto'T of this
Church, Januar y 6th, 1 852, and co11tinued till October 31st,
1855 .
/
RJv. D. M . Elwood was stated supply nea rly a year pr:vious t o his installati on as .fift ,~ pastor of thi s Chu rch , which
took pJace March 24th, 1858 . He was dismi ssed April -1859 .
I
I
I
,I
'.== = = == = == = == = = = = = == ='..
'[
�1-;::==================~~--5-i/
OFFICERS
-------
··------
OF 'l'IIE
CHUltCU.
--------
----
I
-
I
DEACONS.
:Messrs. Luther Child and Job Whitney were the fir~t dea- i
!I
cons of this Church-the
former was chosen previous to the
i:
division, the latter imme .iately after.
I!
Luther Child was chosen deaccn January
January 30th, 1860.
!r
!
25th, 1824; uied
Job ,Vhitney was chosen dcac:11 September
died Sept. 10th, 1854.
2d
ii
I
1831;
I
Chester Child was chosen deac0n :November 1st, 185-L
'I
Amasa Chandler was chosea deacon )larch 2nd,. 1855.
OFFICERS
REV.
JOHN
OF THE CHURCH.
WHrn;,
STATED SuPrLY.
DEAC0"1S:
CHESTER
CHILD,
A~!ASA
CHANDLER.
!1
,,
i
I
I
1,1
i'
1I
'I
!,
!I
1;
'j
I
I
i
--------·--_.:.-.:..J
�G
CO:SFESSIOX
I.
,1
O:? FAITH.
/,,1
Th -~ fullowi11g summary of GosJel Doctrine forms
fo.;;.;ionof faith ado;,teJ by this ( hurch
the con- ,
I
CUXFE.:,SIO~
OF FA.ITH.
1. 'iVe Le!iev-e that t\ere i:; but one U od, the Creator, Pre, se,·ve,·, and GoYernor of t '.1c Universe; a Being of perfect
nnJ adorable attributes.
2. We believe that th:? Scri;,turcs of the Old and New Testani en ts were givan
by inspiration of God, and ::ire the only
i I peifoct and sufl:'icient rule of faith and practice.
3. 'iYe bclie,·e that God exists in a Trinity of persons, the
Fnt½J:·, the Sun, and the H0ly Ghost, and tlut these three are
one (hd, the same in sub.;tan cc, e1ual in power and glory.
4. 'iYc believ-:i that God created, directs, and so governs all
1
things, as to ac::iom2lish by them, his own wiso, holy, and
ete:·nal pm·poses.
lll 5. 'iVe believe thJ.t m:111was created (originally) holy; but
th,tt, by sinuing against God, he fell from that e.tate, and that,
, 1 in consequence
of the fall, all m.i.n'..:.ind f 1 by nature entire] y
!'
dc.1titute of holiness, and d1s~osed to sin.
Q, 'iVe believe that Jesus C:1rist, our L::irJ, is divine and
human, having two distinct natures in one pe:·sou; aud that
hy His humiliations, suffering;;, and death, He h:i.~ niacle an
Atonement su:ffic:ient for the redemption of all man'.-.:irnl- 1_1'
1 pardon aml eternal
life, being th;-ough him freely offered to all. i
i
1
7. 'iVe b:ilievc tlnt R'3Jentancc and :B'..iithin Christ, are the
I only cond.itious on which any can avail themselvei;:, of the offer
thus grnoiously made and that all, while left to thernsel \"Cs, Clo
refuse to comply with these conditions.
8, 'iVe believe tlrnt all wh, are truly regenerated will per-. ' 1
i severe
in holiness, being " kept by the power of God
'1
through faltl1 unto Salvation."
!1 9. w·e believe in the resvrrection of th: dca<l, and in a
, day of J ud 6 mcnt;
w'.ien all manl;:in] arc to re~e;ve a sen1
' I tence of retribution, according to what tht'J haye done; and
1
tl:iat the righteoqs will then cuter into lifo, aud the wickeJ will
:; go away into punishment, both of \Yhieh will be without end,
I
r
J,
.I
Ii
/,J__
~_o_..___
"_', believe,
,,.om::•
thot -i~thi, _
th:
Lo,d :
"O,
�CILURCII
COVENANT.
7
Christ has a visible Church, the terms of admission to which
, are a public profession of faith in Christ, sustained by credit1
'
able evidence.
That Baptism and the Lord's supper are ordinances to be
observed in the Church to the end of the world; that none but
1
members of the visible Church, in regular standing, should
partake of the Lord's supper, and that only they and their
households are proper subjects of B~Lptisrn.
Thus we soleurnly profess our belief.
1
(To candidates for membership, it is asked after hearing
I, this 0cnfession of Faith read : Do you thus believe? Answer,
I do.)
(The ordinance of bapfo-rn, if not previously received, will
here be administered.)
1
CHURCH COVEN AST.
You <lo now in the presence of God and men, avouch the
Lord Jehovah to be your God ; the Supreme object of your
affcctious, and your chosen portion forever.
You cordially acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ, in all
His mediatorial offices-Prophet,
Priest and King-as
your
only Saviour and final Judge; and the Holy Spirit as your
Sanctifier, Comforter, and Guide.
You humbly and cheerfully devote yourself to God in the
•I
ernrlasting covenant of grace; you consecrate all your powers and faculties to his service and glory; and you promise
' that, through the assistance of His Spirit and grace, you will
c}eave to Him as your chief good; that you will gi,·e all diligent attention to the word, worship and ordinance, that you will
seek the honor of his name, and the interest of His kingdom ;
and that, henceforth, "denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts,
you will live soberly, righteously, and godly," in the world.
You do now, also, cordially join yomself to this Church, as
a Church of Christ; you promise to submit to its di:,cipline, so
far as it is conformable to the ru]e,<; of the Gospel ; you solemnly covenant to strive, as far as in you lies, for its Gospel
peace, edification and purity, and, to walk with its members in
, brotherly love, faithfulness, circumspection, meekness and
sobriety.
Thus in humble reliance upon Gcd you covenant and
·I promise.
__ _ __ ___
II
I
1
1
1!
J
1'
;
I ,,,
d
1
I
,
1
1
'I
Ij
1
�I\ _
s_____
,,
__ A_c_cE_P_T_A_T_i
_o_-i;
_-_s_T_A_x_n_rn_'o
_ R_u_L_E_s_.
_ _ ___
_
ACCEPTATION.
In consequence of your present professions and engagements,
: 1 we, the (members of the Church are here requested to rise and
to continue standing during the rem;iinder of th<i address;)
11
members of this Church of Christ do now receive you into our
, communion, and promise to watch over you with christian
,I affe~tion and tencerne~s, and to fellowship with you as a member of the body of Christ) who, is Head over all things to His
Church.
This we do imploring the great Shepherd of Israel, our
Lord and Redeemer, that, both we and you. may have wisdom
and grace to be faithful to our covenant engagements, till tiroe
with us shall be no more.
To us and to you this day should be remembered with grat' itude, for th8.t mercy and grace in Christ Jesus in which we.
trust and for which we bless the Lord. Let us remember that
God has heard our vows and covenant ; and that the record
and results will be manifested at the great day of His appearing.
The Lord bless you and keep you ; the Lord make His face
to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up
His countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.
ji
i!
STANDING
RULES.
RuLE. I. The annual meeting of this Church ,;.hall be held
the Friday next preceeding the first Sabbath of January, when
there shall be cho~en a Clerk and Treasurer ; also, a Committee of three members, who with the pastor and deacons
shall form the standing Committee ensuing.
RuLE IL The pastor or stated minister shall be Moderator
of all meetings of the Church at which he is present, and in
his absence a Moderator pro tem shall be regularly chosen by
ballot.
RuLE III. It shall be the duty of the Clerk to keep the
1
records of the Church ; to audit the accounts of the Treasurer ;
' - ~~~1:::_and
forward letters of dismission, and to report at
II
I
I
�STAXDIXG
thG annual n12:;(in6 th8
:i
RULES.
church 1113n1b2rs, together
with the n'.Lm()3 of all person, reJeived, dismissed, excommuni.ca.te:1, rea10ved or deceased during the year.
lluLE IV. 'i'lrn Trwtsm·er shall ta!rn charge of all the fonds
and benevolent contributions of the Cli.urch; shall pay all bills
<ts vote ,1, and at the annnal nrneting shall render his account.
ltULE
V. It ~hall dcvoh· e upon the standing Commiltee to
con:luct the e:G1mi,1ation of candidates
for admission to the
Chntc~1; to re 1ort at the annual n1eet1nQ', the 1csidcnce
and standing (so far as kno1Y11) of non-1'.;sident rnom 1Jcrs.
and to hold corrn;sponden c8 with all suc'i member~, at least
within two yeaxs from the time cf theit- r crno\·al from us.
It
slnll also be the duty of the st nding Committee, in a Chri stian s2irit, to enquire after all public offences in thi s Church
which shall come to th eir knowledge;
and to .-isit previous to
each annual meeting, all resident members who durin_~·the year
~hall have withdrawn from the worshi.o and ordinance.!! of this
Church, and to make such report at the annual meeting cs
they shall deem proper coucerning each case.
It shall be the
duty of the standino· Committee also, to discharge such other
~ervice as the ChLir~h, by vote, may at any tim~ impose upon
them.
Ru LE. VJ. Caml idatos for admission into this Church by
profession shall be examined by the standing Committee, and
all candidates for admission either by letter or profession shall
stand propounded at least two weeks.
Ru LE VII. L3tters of dismission in all o:·dinarv case.~. shall
be valid only on., year from their date.
··
RuLE
VIIL No recommendation shall be added to letters
of dismission, for such members as have beon ~:bsent from the
communion services of this Church for more than one year
except in ca~es of sickness, or fo, reasons which shall be satis~
factory to the Church.
Rur,E IX. Members of sister Churches communing
with
this Church statedly, for one yea1· or more, if in regular standing, shall be invited to uni.to with us by lett er.
H-uLE X. Parenl:s arc requested to present their children
for R:iptism the first Sabbath
following each Communion
season.
RULE
XI. The regular Communion seasons in this Church
J11-.1n1Jer
1
of
I
,,
·
1
1
1
1!
,
1
'
ji
I
i
11
�10
N,DiES
= = =-== ==-=·1
-:
1
O"fl ME)IBERS.
Ii
shall be tha first Sablniths of January,, l\Iarch, l\fay, July, :
Scptembe, and November.
RULE
XII. These rules may be altered or amen,led at any , I
annual meeting, by a majority of the members present, previous notice having been given.
.
P. S. These rules arc taken, princip:.,;lly, from the l\Ianual '·
of the Congregational Church, East vVoodstock,
1
1
l
!j
.f
11
ll
I
N A3HJS
OF
MEMBERS.
ExPL.\:l'ATI0:-1.-§
Indic,,teg the da,te- of aonnwtion
" Indicates. that the mcmbe-r united by cert;tkate.
with th.I e-hurcb,
Allen, Mrs, Sarah M. ]855 *Ca1-pente-r, .Mrs. Ellen P 52
Allen, Mrs. Nancy
1838 Chaffee, Skuyle1· L,
1831
"-'Amidon, John
1837 Cha:ffee, Nancy
18150
*Amidon, Mrs. Eliza
ChaifeB, John
1858
"
Amidon, Mary E.
18&5 f Cha:ffee, Mrs. Z. .A.
]849
,,
Amidon, Jerome
1858 Chaffee, Betsey
]839
I,
Backus, Thomas
1858 , ' "Chaffee, Cyril S.
18]5
*Barrett, Anson
1840 Chaffee, Mrs. Emily
1832
11 Banett, Ellen
1857
Chamberlain, Olive
181:i
i
Barrett, Emily A.
1858 Chandler, Dea. Amasa 1839
I
II
II Barrett, Alba F.
" *Chandler, .Mrs. Saillva 18&2
Bishop, Hezekiah
1831 Chandler, Rev. Augustus '47
*Bishop, Mrs. Martha D, '39 Chandler, Damon W. 182'8
Bishop, Anna l\I
1858 Chandler, Mrs, Prudence '30
Chandler, Marion
I 8fJ8
I Bishop, William IL
"
1838
Bishop, Mary
1855 Chandler, Nathan
_Blood, Mrs. Sarah L.
' Chandler, Mrs.Harriet N. '3!)
"
Bosworth, Charles S. 1859 Chandler, Jason B.
1858
Boswo1·th, Mrs. Caroline "
(..,'bild, Peleg C.
1817
1s,n
Briggs, Mrs. Hannah
1855 *Child, Mrs. Abigail
] 83-7 Clapp, M•,:. I-Iar_:riet 183D
Brown, Mrs. Hannah
Buckman, ,Tohn E.
1832 Comstock, N:rncy
181G
1832
*Buckman, Mrs. Mary 1852 Corbin, Ichabod
185!)
Bundy, Mrs. Fanny A. '39, *Davi~, J\lrs, Emily
I:
i.. ---
-
---
-- -~~-
--
__J
J
' I
�11
:\fr., .. \.',':iv C. 184:!
.
18.:iSJ ~:2ts IIi'.'),u-d, F auk E.
Hih1::icud, li'ran~cs J.
18,)
,!
'.;<'l-1ib'Jard, A,m
H
~~!Iil/)ard, )Irs. l~uniC"c
Child, Eua ( 1 .
1858
Ilib'J.ml Caroline D.
Child, llrniurml W.
*Child, .Mrs. S:1oan \V. 185-1 1Iib'1e1rd, Ha1TiCt
18,)8
18-18 'I 1-foo,J, Jo:;;,;p!-i ~\.
Child, l\Irs. ~:1roh
1851
Hood, :i.\I,s. :::3..i
,·,1h J::. 1 8GO
*Child, Jonas
)8j8
1858 I Jo1inson, Adelille
Child, Dani,·!
1848
] 832
Kelhrn1 Mr~. Hanna\
Child, l\lr:;. Ltw,·
1831
JS.'");') L:rnag .w, Ha!lna'.1
('iti!d, Susan
1838 J:. i.asheur, ,To!rn
18.>:Z
C'.1ild, Elisha.
] 8:ji
Child, ~fr~. Lu:::ia. D. ] R~l l ~L'.:!aY)tt, ,Jeremiah\\~.
l !-i.)8 '"'Lt'aY1tt , Mr~. l\Inry A.
CnilJ, !\aucy
1831
Lyon, Hartwell
Child, Abby
lF.40
Chi'd, \Villiam G.
1838 *Lyon, 1\-Irs. Emily
11
1838
a<•Qhild,Mrs. Mnry ,J.
18-11 Lyon, Mrs. Mary
Child, Pamelia H.
1842 *Marsh, llirs. 1\-Jary
l\Iarsh, l\fory E.
Child, Esth.:.r L
1858
185!)
Child, Clinton
1839 ''-'l\Iason, John A.
I
.:Has,1n, l\frs Na!1cy ,J. 18,:>8
Child, l\Irs. Sus:rn
1815
}',fay, Erastus
1831
! "''Dean, Leonard .M.
1842
,i i *Dea.n .l\Irs. Louisa
:May, l\I rs. Lydia l\L
1
•
Dixon, Lovan 'I'.
18-!2
] 8."i8 l\Iay, Beh;ey
)Jay, J<~<lwan1
1858
I Dowe, George II.
1816
*EddJ, Benjamin
1832 r"l\-Jay, Charles D.
l\Iav, l\Irs. }Iaria
1837
Eddy, Mrs. Lucia
] 828
J,jJy, Eugene P.
] 858 *.\laj•, Mrs. Hebccea
1831
*Ely, l\Irs. Sarnh E.
18--1'3 f'l\fay, Trcnck
1837
*Rlwood, l\lrs.C,.ndacc, H.'58
1828
~lay, l\frs. Cynthia
1855
Elwood, Helen B.
l\Iay, Ellen
1858
Elwood, Neva 13.
May, Matildn.
"
Fo.;ket, Mrs Sophia
1830 1\Iay, Henry
"
Uriggs, f:'arah A.
1855
l'rfay, l\Iri::. ]Wen D.
1858
Guild, l\tfary Eliza
J 858
1858
May, "\Villard C.
"-'Haven, Mrs. Fanny A. 1859
J 860
l\Iay, Anna
Hibbard, Lyman
1820
1858 *May, l\Irs. Abigail
Haven, Abel B.
1860 *:Morse, Mrs. Lucia F. 1855
O'rnpia, }11rni:i
C\ilcl, l\1r;;. P,,l hi;'
Child. D~:.i.. (fae-t<·,·
c:1ild, Abby r.
t !hild, Chester E.
n:
1817
:-I. ,~n
*Hi';'nrJ.
Hi'Y'H,·d Al~e.·t
l
,y_
�L ·sr
)IE~1BERS.
Scranton, ~arah II.
18:~8
~tcad, Davirl A.
18.:.8
Penniman, :'\lr:a.'Mu:,
' Stone, J oscnh 'iV.
1860
l'enni:nan, EJwin ~1828 ' Stone, l\Ir,,: Caroline A. "
<t J't!n:1iman,
~arn'i E. ·49 rrorroy, Henry C.
1858
(..,Pcmiinrnn, l~lkanah ::_:, 1831; *Toney, ::Hrs. Celia J.
"
··Pcimiman, Mrs. A 1Jig,1.il '-10 j *Vinton, Mrs. Lucretia
1842
]'p11n:nrnn Silas }I.
J 8.38
'Vinton, E. Channing
1858
JS ·8 I Vinton, :!Hr.>.Lydia M. "
Pcnuirn'ln, Tnr-_yA.
l'cnin, ~:illy
J t~20 1 Vinton, Hosea
J S.l7
Potter, Jbry A.
18-J8, Yinton, Mrs. }fatillfa A. '58
TI·1w.,0n.(}wrlc, D.
l iO 1 ·walker, ::\Iyrtiila
] 828
Jiw,.,on, l\lrn. Alm1ra
rn31 *1\·c;;t, :\Ir~. Polly
1~25
H.t.,.~on, }lrs. l\::;.:ic:y "
i Whitney, 'iYilliam 0. 1828
H:t\',;;Ou, N. Bllcn
J ~iS8 II*1\'hitncy. }Irs. l\Iartha ·w. '.12
Rn·,;,on, :.\bry
1831
'iVhitney Mrts. N:,bby
1827
185S
Withey,
AJlJert C.
1860
Ramon, Mrs. L:icy
Penniman, .\Llis
'Penniman, U-corrr,1 A.
lSU18.38
.,r:-~.
I
}hie~, 51.
Fen:alcs,
~\JG
T
101.
Total, 1'62.
LA~,
0
L
soc£1
��
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA991001083749703456&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&search_scope=WCSU&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US">Link to Primo record</a>
<a href="http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_W9_C66_1861/#page/1/mode/2up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page turner version</a>
Title
A name given to the resource
Manual for the members of the Congregational Church in North Woodstock, Conn. : 'by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.' John 13:35
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
b30788237
F104.W9 C66 1861
34023001507708
Description
An account of the resource
12 p. 20 cm
Subject
The topic of the resource
Woodstock (Conn.) -- History
Woodstock (Conn.) -- Social life and customs
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
[n.p.] : Printed at the Transcript Office, 1861
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
North Woodstock (Mass.). First Congregational Church
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
Woodstock is a town in Windham County, Connecticut. In the mid-17th century, John Eliot, a Puritan missionary to the American Indians, established "praying towns" where Native Americans took up Christianity and were expected to renounce their religious ceremonies, traditional dress, and customs. One Praying town, called Wabaquasset, six miles west of the Quinebaug River in present-day Woodstock, was the largest of the three northeastern Connecticut praying towns. In 1675, when King Philip's War broke out, some of the town's Indians, (especially in the southern part of the town) sided with the Mohegans and the English while others sided with the Indians led by Philip, rallying to arms on what is now Curtis Island in present Holland, Massachusetts and Brimfield, Massachusetts. During the war, the Praying town became deserted, and the English with their Indian allies marched through Woodstock to present day Thompson in the summer of 1676 burning any crops or stored corn they could find. In 1682, Massachusetts bought a tract of land, which included Woodstock, from the Mohegans. A group of 13 men from Roxbury, Massachusetts (home of the Pastorate of Woodstock's earlier visitor, John Eliot), settled the town in 1686 and named it New Roxbury. Judge Samuel Sewall suggested the town change its name to Woodstock in 1690, and in 1749 the town became part of Connecticut. <a title="Woodstock is a town in Windham County, Connecticut. In the mid-17th century, John Eliot, a Puritan missionary to the American Indians, established "praying towns" where Native Americans took up Christianity and were expected to renounce their religious ceremonies, traditional dress, and customs. One Praying town, called Wabaquasset, six miles west of the Quinebaug River in present-day Woodstock, was the largest of the three northeastern Connecticut praying towns. In 1675, when King Philip's War broke out, some of the town's Indians, (especially in the southern part of the town) sided with the Mohegans and the English while others sided with the Indians led by Philip, rallying to arms on what is now Curtis Island in present Holland, Massachusetts and Brimfield, Massachusetts. During the war, the Praying town became deserted, and the English with their Indian allies marched through Woodstock to present day Thompson in the summer of 1676 burning any crops or stored corn they could find. In 1682, Massachusetts bought a tract of land, which included Woodstock, from the Mohegans. A group of 13 men from Roxbury, Massachusetts (home of the Pastorate of Woodstock's earlier visitor, John Eliot), settled the town in 1686 and named it New Roxbury. Judge Samuel Sewall suggested the town change its name to Woodstock in 1690, and in 1749 the town became part of Connecticut. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock,_Connecticut" href="Woodstock%20is%20a%20town%20in%20Windham%20County,%20Connecticut.%20In%20the%20mid-17th%20century,%20John%20Eliot,%20a%20Puritan%20missionary%20to%20the%20American%20Indians,%20established%20"praying%20towns"%20where%20Native%20Americans%20took%20up%20Christianity%20and%20were%20expected%20to%20renounce%20their%20religious%20ceremonies,%20traditional%20dress,%20and%20customs.%20One%20Praying%20town,%20called%20Wabaquasset,%20six%20miles%20west%20of%20the%20Quinebaug%20River%20in%20present-day%20Woodstock,%20was%20the%20largest%20of%20the%20three%20northeastern%20Connecticut%20praying%20towns.%20%20In%201675,%20when%20King%20Philip's%20War%20broke%20out,%20some%20of%20the%20town's%20Indians,%20(especially%20in%20the%20southern%20part%20of%20the%20town)%20sided%20with%20the%20Mohegans%20and%20the%20English%20while%20others%20sided%20with%20the%20Indians%20led%20by%20Philip,%20rallying%20to%20arms%20on%20what%20is%20now%20Curtis%20Island%20in%20present%20Holland,%20Massachusetts%20and%20Brimfield,%20Massachusetts.%20During%20the%20war,%20the%20Praying%20town%20became%20deserted,%20and%20the%20English%20with%20their%20Indian%20allies%20marched%20through%20Woodstock%20to%20present%20day%20Thompson%20in%20the%20summer%20of%201676%20burning%20any%20crops%20or%20stored%20corn%20they%20could%20find.%20%20In%201682,%20Massachusetts%20bought%20a%20tract%20of%20land,%20which%20included%20Woodstock,%20from%20the%20Mohegans.%20A%20group%20of%2013%20men%20from%20Roxbury,%20Massachusetts%20(home%20of%20the%20Pastorate%20of%20Woodstock's%20earlier%20visitor,%20John%20Eliot),%20settled%20the%20town%20in%201686%20and%20named%20it%20New%20Roxbury.%20Judge%20Samuel%20Sewall%20suggested%20the%20town%20change%20its%20name%20to%20Woodstock%20in%201690,%20and%20in%201749%20the%20town%20became%20part%20of%20Connecticut.%20%20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock,_Connecticut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock,_Connecticut</a>
An offshoot of the original Congregational Church in Woodstock, the parish was established about 1766 under the pastorship of the Reverend Abel Stiles. This volume, published in 1861, contains the Covenant and Confession of Faith, as well as a list of pastors and members of the congration as of that date.
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
6e9a247e-5387-4fd2-a389-b49ef056508d
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
Rare books
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3118/F104_W9_F57_1840.pdf
0a1e09a9b2486d4ac0e7f80f0c9a01ff
PDF Text
Text
f
CONFESSION
OF
FAITH
1.. vO
AND
OF
- FIRST
THE
CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH
IN
NORTH
WOOD -STOCK.
WORCESTER:
PRINTED
BY SPOONER
184
0.
,,.,
& HOWLAND,
�•
•
�CONFESSION
OF
FAITH.
I. WE believe there is one only living and true
God, existing in three persons, Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost ; and that these are in essence one,
and in all divine attributes equal.
Deut. 6: 4. Tsa. 16: ti, 18. 1 John 5: 7. Matt. 28: 19. 2
Cor. 13: 14. John 1: 1-3.
Isa. 9: 6. Rom. 9: 5. Acts 5: 3, 4.
IL We believe that the Scriptures of the old
and - new Testaments were written by inspiration
of God, and constitute a perfect rule of faith and
practice.
2 Tim. 3: 16. 2 Pct. 1: 21.
5: 39. Rev. 22: 18, 19.
Isa. 8: 20.
Acts 17: 11.
John
III. We believe that God created all things for
his own pleasure and glory ; and that his knowledge and purposes extend to all events, however
great, however !:-mall.
Isa. 43: 6, 7. Rom. 11: 36. Acts 15: 18. Dan. 4: 35. Matt.
10: 29, 30. Acts 15: 18. Heb. 4: 13. 1 John 3: 20. Ps. 147:
5. Acts 11: 23. Eph. 1: 11. Isa. 46: 10. Job 23: 13. 2 Tim.
- 1: 9.
IV. vVe believe that our first parents were made
in the image of God, holy and upright; that by
disobedience they lost this image, and involved
both themselves and their posterity in the ruins of
the Fall . .
Gen. 1: 26, 27, 31. Eccl. 7: 29. Col. 3: 10. Gen. 2: 17.
3: 3, 6. Rom. 5: 12. Eph. 2: 3. Job 14: 4. Ps. 14: 1-:3.
V. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, by
his sufferings and death, made an Atonement for
sin, so that salvation is freely offered to all on condition of faith and repentance.
Isa. 53: 4-6.
1 John 2: 1, 2. Heb. 9: 11-14. 2: 9. 1 Tim.
2: 5, 6. John 1: 29. 7: 37. Matt. 11: 2S. Rev. 22: 17. Acts
20: 21. 2: 38. 16: 31. Luke 13: 3. Mark 16: 16.
�4
VI. We believe that without regeneration by
the spirit of God, and holiness of heart and life. no
one can enjoy the divine favor either in this w~rld
or that which is to come.
John 3: :3. 1: 13. Gal. G: 15. Tit. 3: 5.
12: 14. Matt. 5: 8. 7: 21. Eph. 5: 5.
I Pet. 1: 23.
Heb.
VII. We believe that all who are truly regenerated, being kept from final apostacy, will be preserved by the power of God, throngh faith unto
salvation.
Phil. 1: 6. 1 Pet. l: 5.
4: 14. 6: 37. Col. 3: 3.
Rom. 5: 10. 8: 1, 35-39-.
John
VIII. We believe in a general Resurrection ;
and also in a final jndgment, when all the human
family must stand before the Son of Man, and receive a sentence of just and righteous retributionthe wicked going away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.
John 5: 28, 29. Dan. 12: 2. Matt. 20: 29-33.
1 Cor. 15:
51-53.
Rev. 20: 12. Eccl. 11: 9. 12: 14. Acts 17: 31.
2 Pet. 3: 7. Jude 6, 14, 15. Rom. 2: 5, 6.
Matt. 25: 31-46.
Rev. 22: 11, 12.
---·•~•---COVENANT.
You do now in this public manner, in the presence of the dread majesty of heaven and earth,
and before angels and men, solemnly covenant to
take the great Jehovah to be your Lord and supreme Good; God the Father to be your Father
and Sovereign, God the Son to be your Redeemer
and Savior, and God the Holy Ghost to be your
Sanctifier, Comforter and Guide-promising
by the
aid of divine grace to deny all ungodliness, to
maintain a strict watch over your heart and life, to
walk in all the commandments and ordinances of
the Lord blameless, and by a life of prayer and
�5
constant piety so to let your light shine, that others
seeing your good works may be led to glorify your
Father who is in heaven.
You do also cordially join yourself to this church
as a visible church of Christ, putting yourself under its special watch and care, and solemnly promising to submit to its discipline, to attend with it
upon public worship and the ordinances of divine
appointment, to seek its peace and purity, and to
treat all its members with that christian love and
tenderness which is becoming the followers of the
meek and lowly Jesus.
Thus in the strength of your Lord and Savior
you solemnly covenant and promise.
We, then, the members of this church, do affectionately receive you to our fellowship and communion, and declare you entitled to all its pri vileges and ordinances ;-at the same time promising,
on our part, to treat you with christian affection,
to watch over you as becometh saints, and to pray
that the great Head of the church will enable yon
to keep with fidelity the solemn covenant into
which you have now entered.
And now, beloved in the Lord, let it be deeply
impressed on your minds, that you have entered
into solemn engagements from which you can never
escape. Wherever you are, wherever you go, these
covenant vows will rest upon you. They will follow you to your dying hour; they will follow you
to the bar of God ; they will abide upon you
throughout eternity,
You can never undo, what
you have now done. You stand unalterably pledged
to be the Lord's; and he will hold you to your
promise.
Henceforth the eyes of the world will be upon
you; and as you demean yourselves, so religion
will be honored or disgraced. If yon walk worthy
of your profession, you will be to us a credit and
�6
comfort ; but if otherwise, an occasion of grief and
reproach.
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of
you, though we thus speak, and things which accompany salvation.
May the Lord guide and preserve you till death, and finally permit you and us
to unite with the church of the first born in the
kingdom of heaven.
APPENDIX.
Names of the Pastors
of this Church,
WITH THE TIME OF THEIR SETTLEMENTANDREMOVAL,
The Rev. ABEL STILES was ordained in July 1737; removed
with a part of the church to North Woodstock about 1766;
died July 25, 1783, aged 74 years.
The Rev. J osHuA J oHNS0Nwas ordained as colleague with
Mr. Stiles Dec. 27, 1780; dismissed Sept. 28, 1790.
The Rev. WILLIAM GRAVES was ordained Aug. 31, 1791;
died Aug. 26, 1813, aged 48 years.
The Rev. SAMUELBACKUSwas ordained Jan. 19, 1815; dismissed June 3, 1830.
The Rev. ORSON CowLES was ordained April 25, 1832; dismissed Sept. 4, 1837.
The Rev. THOMASBouTELLE, the present pastor, was ordained Dec. 6, 1837.
Names of the lllembers of this Church, .Jan. 1840.
William _May.
Leonard Holmes.
Alfred Walker.
Chester May.
Perley Lyon.
Chester Chaffee.
John Paine.
Rensaleer Coomes.
William Child.
Charles Child.
William Chamberlin.
Reuben Gould.
Erastus Child.
James Paine.
Abiel May.
Chester Lyon.
Holden R. Green.
Silas May.
James Whitney.
Nathan Morse.
Horace Walker.
Isaac Corbin.
�'7
/ 'Freeman Loverin.
-Lr..rastus Wa~ker.
J
Nathan Hardy.
fwilliam Pame.
'Iv.
Abel Child.
Solomon F, Tracy.
Micah Whitney.
Amos C. Smith.
Napoleon B. Prouty.
Ezra Dean.
Lester Amido~. j JJ-"1. Pliny C. Whitney.
Samuel H. Davenport.
George A. Pame.
·
_,{Chandler R. Briggs.
Perley Sanger.
Peter Chaffee.
Bentley Hibbord.
Nelson Bennett.
Erastus Henry.
Lewis Sanger.
James Lamson.
Reuben S. Brackett.
Elias Mason.
Peter W. Rickard.
Granville Wood
• Abel Morse.
Samuel Gould.
George Morse.
Aea Witter.
William Walker.
Frederic Elliott.
Nathaniel Briggs.
John Fowler.
Elizabeth Child.
Leonard M. Dean.
JSally May.
John Child.
Ithamer Coomes.
Sarah Holmes.
- Caroline Chaffee.
Joseph F. Perry.
Sarah May,
Thomas May.
Mehetabel Walker.
Nathan Morse, 2d.
Hannah May.
Elias Child.
Lucy Paine.
Jason Perry.
Ann Green.
Frederic Lee.
Stephen Harrington.
Hannah Coomes.
Elhanan W. Lee.
Sophia Child.
Perley Chandler.
Betsey Chamberlin.
Almira Child.
Elisha Lyon.
Abigail Child.
Abiel Smith.
Beriah Gould.
Anson Barrett.
Hubbard Abbott.
Rhoda M. Child.
William A. Chamberlin.
Sarah S. Wright.
/ Nabby May.
William R. Gould.
Sally Lamson.
Judah C. Lyon.
Hannah D. Amidon.
Eliphalet L. May.
Mehetabel Lyon.
Seth Clapp.
Isaac Hibbard, 2d.
.Eunice Walker.
Mary Child.
Asa Lyon.
Mercy Lyon.
Leonard Corbin.
Cerinda Gilmore.
Samuel M. Child.
H uldah \Vaters.
Rawson Joy.
Darius Bacon.
Diantha Whitney.
-:Sethiah Jones.
Erastus Henry Jr.
Theophilus B. Chandler.
Nancy Haskell.
Bethiah Bacon.
Palmer Chamberlin.
Alice M. Child.
William H. Church.
Louisa Whittemore. :
Augustus A. G~een.
Lyman Hawks.
Anna Handy.
�8
Sally May.
Elizabeth Child, 2d.
:Mehetabel Lyon, 2d.
Eliza Henry.
Mary E. Hibbard.
Rebecca D. Sanger.
Betsey Child.
Rebecca Morse.
Hannah Frissell.
Mary Chandler.
Olive Hair.
Pamelia G. Coomes.
Emily Smith.
Mercy Blackmar.
Martha Waters.
Adelia G. Copeland.
Nabby Scott.
Silva Chamberlin.
Diadama Sanger.
Hannah Coomes, 2d.
Lucy W. Green.
Susanna Morse.
Olive Gould.
Susan Walker.
'{Lucy Sanger.
Phebe Paddock.
Abigail A. Paddock.
Priscilla Lyon.
Eliza Mason.
Eliza Witter.
Mary Fowler.
Joanna Coomes.
Sophronia Child.
Lucy Lee.
Charlotte Harrington.
' Lucy Chandler.
! Abigail Paine.
Pamelia Dean.
Dorothy Lilley.
Mary M. Child.
Nancy S. Paine.
Susan Bowen
Annette M. May.
Eliza Ann Walker.
Antonette King.
Remember Morse.
Sally Child.
Abigail E. Child.
Polly S. Coomes.
Sophia Woodward.
Louisa Dea:n.
Caroline Carter.
Lucy Brown.
Silvia A. Smith.
Clarrisa Lyon.
Hannah G. Lee.
Lucretia M. Dean.
Caroline Hewett.
Phebe A. Green.
Hannah Chandler.
Sabra Ann Lyon.
Lucretia Dean.
Lucretia Vinton.
Eunice Ann Cowles.
Phebe P. Paine.
Lucy Goodell.
Henrietta Child.
Anna Abbott.
Hannah A. Dean.
Hannah H. May.
Harriett May.
Mary Ann Lyon.
Rebecca Loverin.
Caroline Chaffee, 2d.
Lydia May.
Caroline C. Child.
Elizabeth Paine.
Elizabeth May.
Elvira Frissell.
Maria Crowd.
Abigail Thurber.
Ruth May. ~
Dolly Prouty.
Mary E. Boutelle.
Mary C. Davenport.
Elizabeth W. Jones.
Chloe Briggs.
Harriet Chaffee.
Lucy Ann Upham.
Nancy May.
Mary Helen Fowler.
Lucy B. Mason.
Juliett Haskell.
Elizabeth Haskell.
I) I
l >
Ma.ry Jane Kilton.
Ellen Paine. 1
4;. /t~t C
Elizabeth L. Henry.
Delotia Bosworth.
Rhoda Ann Co0mes.
Catharine Briggs.
����������II
����������•
•
��������������•
,
���fr
ff
r/
r,
,,.
,,.
rr
,,
,,
l't
tr
.,
,,
,,
•
,,
t,
,,
..,,
�J/e,/,.57Jof1-·
··x-.). . ~~~a-~tffa
~;- J1iwr~1UU-J.-t4
~~~rr~/il1_~;
tv-vu..
U,U;L
d.ok,;,.,
1
ft,ffte, 4/-,eu'J?dJ/l,1~,.&1~
ttn_,/Fa
•.r--
lZ,~
a}~4-_n0
2.J;
z.
k.;,;,
,fL
-
1(82-,
{PJ
2. 2,
r~
rf
)f
,,
I/
'73 1 , .Al~
tJ~
,<...:.__
9-,-~
\
~fl)ad-U/.
Jjadm,t'/4&=.
,
----~-~~-~
,,
,, .
tJJ/4n·?
~.
J~I
f
;,,<L.
IU~
n-C<A
6d~
6vr-1;
.,
aYuf:;
/I, f.J2-, ~aJ'@7~
~-3,
•
~~2£e,~v1-~
~~(w,,r,t;,
I
7~
?4,:tJ~
10),:u,7'J2,
•
1
J4~aJ~ ~,
J~
'
~77,,._,
,.,,_,_;~
&rrw1v;J~Jiue
23 , ljdL,
·
JIVN-L,
,,
(¾h4
ff~/~tfl~~&-.
rr
0t?vrii,
;1/f/MIJ,YU,r
9:.-r+.
" ,,
/
11
~(
,,
(J)a,.~.1'
v1,vyu,d,
:JJe11.
a/4n,fb,e-~,.
/y~jw,-JJ-Ci~/Vtr)'yy}d.eJ. akzjd/,
JWV!j
l 1732,/4
·
'tt.r wn,/. ll~1d.-J/o/f!MJ,J,u1,1,
UC)
f
F;,.,r,. ~rY~
ck"7r
t'o/
b ¥1, &,/,
~ct:;~~~/u_4 + ,, ,, ,,
11~ 'f -fl~.A!£u.d of aA.,fa
/I
/I
~=
~-
I te,,J~
. I/,.
r,
.;...
If
,.
J/7 r/jL
C/4 i t¼zr'
l
7
)frx-Jc
,.
Jz,Jan,/,
~c
,uc
,~~
I~<
dff
"U
,.
J}Gt t .~
I
(@i a
c_. J
N
c.
('..,.,H
w
"..J
C<r
.
1
tao
.
,._1rv/d-
.
7<d -/z----
&-vi'."'
12µ IF. ~/
~c/UM~r~•juL/,
~' •
#~,
f •~&,y+~I
JUurdt,
f4 ~
aJ~/,'vtkU~/4-r·owl;,,, 1-l,
t~
'I, L,d-d• vf~
/d,.
!,#
,,-/I
"rJ,rt .,,,· Cu1,LLf/(Ct,yl ,
7
4>~
t, ~..-~,
,
t.
I•
.......
dr-_
___,,<~ii
-----~
!,
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA7185336330003451&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&search_scope=WCSU&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US">Link to Primo record</a>
<a href="http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_W9_F57_1840/#page/1/mode/2up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page turner version</a>
Title
A name given to the resource
Confession of faith and form of covenant of the First Congregational church in North Woodstock : With an appendix / Published by vote of the church
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
b30786733
F104.W9 F57 1840
34023001504911
Description
An account of the resource
8 p. [26p] 20 cm
Subject
The topic of the resource
Woodstock (Conn.) -- History
Woodstock (Conn.) -- Social life and customs
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Worcester [Mass.] : Printed by Spooner & Howland,
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
Contains 26 pages of manuscript bound with the original publication
An offshoot of the original Congrgational Church in Woodstock, the parish was established about 1766 under the pastorship of the Reverend Abel Stiles. This volume, published in 1840, contains the Covenant and Confession of Faith, as well as a list of pastors and members of the congration as of that date. It also contains 26 pages of additional church history and membership by an unknown contributor.
Woodstock is a town in Windham County, Connecticut.<br />
<p>In the mid-17th century, John Eliot, a Puritan missionary to the American Indians, established "praying towns" where Native Americans took up Christianity and were expected to renounce their religious ceremonies, traditional dress, and customs. One Praying town, called Wabaquasset, six miles west of the Quinebaug River in present-day Woodstock, was the largest of the three northeastern Connecticut praying towns.</p>
<p>In 1675, when King Philip's War broke out, some of the town's Indians, (especially in the southern part of the town) sided with the Mohegans and the English while others sided with the Indians led by Philip, rallying to arms on what is now Curtis Island in present Holland, Massachusetts and Brimfield, Massachusetts. During the war, the Praying town became deserted, and the English with their Indian allies marched through Woodstock to present day Thompson in the summer of 1676 burning any crops or stored corn they could find.</p>
<p>In 1682, Massachusetts bought a tract of land, which included Woodstock, from the Mohegans. A group of 13 men from Roxbury, Massachusetts (home of the Pastorate of Woodstock's earlier visitor, John Eliot), settled the town in 1686 and named it New Roxbury. Judge Samuel Sewall suggested the town change its name to Woodstock in 1690, and in 1749 the town became part of Connecticut.<br /><br /><a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock,_Connecticut" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock,_Connecticut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock,_Connecticut</a></p>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
North Woodstock (Mass.). First Congregational Church
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1840
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
1cac44a0-5151-4dfe-add9-775a14f7f2bd
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
Rare books
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3112/BICENTENNIAL-SERMON001.jpg
111fb51e334af60ead14d6cb578c67e9
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3112/F104_P53_A76.pdf
c4a9e898c1454dfcedff32fb000eceb1
PDF Text
Text
�������������������������������
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA7187168850003451&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&search_scope=WCSU&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US">Link to Primo record</a>
<a href="http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_P53_A76/#page/1/mode/2up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page turner version</a>
Title
A name given to the resource
Bicentennial sermon : preached before the First Congregational Church, August 24, 1904 by the Pastor Rev. Henry Tucker Arnold, together with the proceedings at the anniversary. / by Rev. Henry T. Arnold
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
F104.P53 A76
34023001505900
Description
An account of the resource
30 p. 19 cm
Subject
The topic of the resource
Witter, Henry M
Church buildings -- Connecticut -- Plainfield
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
S.l. : s.n.,
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
The First Church of Christ of Plainfield was established in 1705. The Town of Quinebaug, now Plainfield, had already been incorporated in 1699, although it did not yet have an established church or meeting house. The first meeting house was begun in 1702 on Black Hill and took seven years to be finished. In 1720, the church was moved to a more central position on the turnpike and that structure lasted sixty years. In 1784, a new church, half a mile to the south, was completed, but was blown down in the September gale of 1815. A new and sturdier church, constructed of stone, was completed on the same spot in 1819 and continues today as the First Congregational Church of Plainfield.<br /><br />This volume contains a detailed history of the parish from its founding to 1904.<br /><br /><a title="http://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=7352" href="http://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=7352" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=7352</a>
Contains Poem" by Henry M. Witter"
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Arnold, Henry T
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1905
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
cfdff1b9-5cd4-47b7-98da-61d4a5c4a99c
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
Rare books
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3111/F104_H362_W56_1877.pdf
d6f6a2a2c76b62e432206aa5dcf2207e
PDF Text
Text
MANUAL
OF THE
WINDSOR
_,_I\_
VENUE
CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH,
HA.RTFORD, CONN,
OONTA.TNING
HISTORICAL
NOTES, ARTICLES OF FAITH, PRACTICAL
RULES FOR
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, FORM OF ADMISSIO:', TO THE CHURCH,
INCLUDING THE CONFESSION OF ~'AITH AND COVENANTS, STANDING RULES, AND A
CATALOGUE OF MEMBERS TO
SEPTEMBER 20, 1877.
HARTFORD:
PRESS OF CLARK
& BULKLEY,
1877.
�--
\.I
�(
HISTORICAL
NOTES.
THE Windsor Avenue Congregational Church had
its beginning in a Mission Sunday School, organized
Jun e ro, r864, in the house on the corner of 'vVooster and Pavilion stree ts.
Soon after, a weekly prayer meeting was instituted
at th e Pavilion House , which, with the Sunday
School, was well sus tained, and increased in numbers
and interest.
May 5, 1867, the Wooster Stre et Chapel was dedicated to the worsh ip of God. From that time the
Sunday School and Prayer Meeting occupied the
chapel, and a preaching service on Sunday evenings
was sustained by clergymen of the city, of different
denominations. and by students c,f the Theological
Seminary .
March 23, r 870, members of Congregational
Churches of the city and elsewhere, with the assistance of a council duly called, constituted themselves
a church, by appropriate
services in the chapel.
Th e members at first con stituting the church, were:
male s, 21 ; females, 41.
�4
HISTORICAL
NOTES.
Oct. 31, 1871, Mr. Frank H. Buffum, a graduate
of Hartford Theological Seminary, was ordained and
installed as pastor of the church.
During Mr . Buffum's pastorate the edifice now occupied by the
Church was erected, and was dedicated June 26,
1872. Mr. Buffum was dismissed July 11, 1873.
For a little more th an a year the Church was
without a pastor.
July 8, 1874, a call was extended
to Mr. James B. Gr egg, a graduate of the Theological Seminary at Andover.
The call was accepted
and Mr. Gregg was ordained and installed Sept. 29,'
1874.
At the public service of installation Rev.
Alex. McKenzie, D. D ., of Cambridge preached;
Rev. E. G. Selden, of Manchester, N . H., gave the
charge to the pastor; Rev . W. L. Gage, the charge
to the p eople, and Rev. E . H. Richardson, the right
hand of fellowship.
The Church, at its organization
numbered 62
members.
There have been added, on profession
of faith, 93; by letter, 127.
The whole number
of members up to the present time is 282. There
have been 66 removals by death, letter and excommunication . The present membership is 216.
Hitherto has God prospered us, and we have
reason to thank Him and take courage .
SEPT. 17, 1877
�NOTE.
PAVILION CONGREGATIONAL
SOCIETY.
It has
been thought not inappropriate that for the convenience of the more recent members of the church
a note of explanation
should be added concerning
the designation given to the ecclesiastical society,
in connection with this Chur~h.
This society is
known, not as the Windsor
Avenue, but as the
Pavilion Congregational Society.
�6
TABLE
OF' CONDITION.
TABLE,
SIIOWING
THE
FROM
CONDITION
ITS
OF
'J'HE
CHURCH
ORGANIZATION
RECEIVED.
TO SEP'l' .
FOR
STATE~ENT.
1/
.,
I '"
I,.;f
I
A
I
YEAJt
YEARLY
REMOV IW.
I
EACH
17, 1877 .
/
l
j
l__
j_
!
I
~]
1870
6
i 71
77
1871
20
40
60
1872
16
22
38
3
5
1878
l
12
13
6
16
1874
1
19
2
6
8
1l
I 163
1875
10
I 12
22
6
6
23
186
1876
17
2
3
1
2
75
3
57
9
29
19
29
20
7
27
5
5
10
1877* 13
6
19
2
4
6
93 189 I 282
i
20
45
1
I
I
(l6
I
;.
132
161
152
!)
9
75
-
13
225
I
11I
208
216
j
/)
====---==----===--=======-----==c----==-c--c
/
*Thia includes
additions
only
up to Sept. 17th, 187,.
�ARTICLES
OF ]"'_AITH,
AND
PRACTICAL
FOR
CHRISTIAN
RULES
THE
LIFE.
'.2lrtidcs of .§aitiJ.
RECEIVING
the Scriptures as the only infallible
rule of faith and duty, we accept as in harmony
therewith, the standards of doctrine adopted by our
fathers, and summarily comprehended
in the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
More particularly, we
/ as a Church believe:
That there is one 1 God; infinite, 2 eternal, 3 and
unchangeable 4 in His being, 5 wisdom,6 power,7 holir ~ss,8 justice, 9 goodness 10 and truth, 11 who created and
upholds all things visible and invisible,12 and who
orders a!l events according to His own pleasure and
for His own glory. 13
I.
1. Deut, vi, 4, with Mark xii, 28-29.
5. Ex. iii, 14. John v, 26.
8. t Sam. ii, 2.
9. Deut . xxxii , 4.
12. Col. i, 16, 17.
2 Ps. cxlvii, 5.
S. rs. xc, 2.
4. Jas. i, 17,
6. Heb. iv, 13.
7. Matt. xix, 26.
10. Mark x, 18.
11. Ps. xxxiii, 4.
13. Is. xlvi, 9, 10; Eph. i, 11.
�ARTICLES
8
OF' F'AITll
II. We believe that God exists in three
persons,
the Father,1 and the Son, 2 and the Holy Ghost; 3 and
that these three are one, being the same in substance,
and equal in power and glory.
L },fatt. xi, 27; John i, 14-18; v, 23.
2. The I>ivinity of Christ-He
is ca"'lled God:
John i, 1; 1 John v, 20; John xx, 28; Rom ix, 5; Heb. i, 8.
He is eterna l : Rev .
xxii, 13; Heb. i, 10; Col. i, 17,
He is aln;i ighty: Philip . iii. 21; Heb. i, 3; Rev i, 8;
Is. ix, G.
He is omnipresent:
:Matt . xviii, 20; xxviii; 20; John iii, 13.
He ts
omniscient:
Col. ii, 3.
He is equal with the Fathe r : Philip. ii, 6, 10.
He is the
Cr eator: ,John i, 3, 10; 1 Cor. viii, 6; Col. i, 16 ; Heb. i, 10.
Re r ecei ves divine
worship:
John v,23; xx, ~8; Acts vii. 50, 60; 1 Cor. i, 2 ; Philip . ii, 9, 10, 11: l<.ev. v, 18.
3. The Divinity of the Holy Spirit:
Acts v, 3, 4; xxviii, 25; H e b. 111,7, 8.
The dis•
tinct ~ersonality
of the Holy Spirit:
:Matt. xxviii, 19; John xiv, 16 i xv, 26;
xvi. 7, 18, 14; II Cor. xiii, 14.
III. We believe th a t the · Scriptures
of the Old 1
and New 2 Test amen ts were give n by in sp ir a tion
of God, and are our only perfect rule of faith a nd
practice ."
1, Inspir ation of the Olcl Testa1nent:
Ps. cxix, 105; Matt. v, 17; Luke xx iv, 2i, 32.
44. 45; n Peter i, 21.
2 . Inspiration
of New Testament:
H e b. i. 1, 2; Gal. 1, 11, 12;
Eph. iii, 5 ; I The s. ii, 13; II John 10.
3. n Tim. iii, 16, 17 ; I s. viii, 20.
IV. We believe that God created man in his own
image, in knowledg e, righteousness
and holiness ;1
that our first par e nts fell from the estate in which
they were created, by sinn)ng against God ;2 that
by the fall all mankind lost communion
with God,
became dead in sin, and are, by nature children of
wrath ;3 that from this dreadful condition
no man is
able to deliver himself ;4 and that all who are .saved are
saved by the sovereign and electing grace of God,5 and
this in perfect
consistency
with man's free moral
agency.b
vii, 29.
2. Gen. ch . iii; Rmn. v, 12-2 1.
3. R01n . v.12, 18 , Rotn iii , 10, 11, 12, 19, 23; Eph. ii, 1-3.
4. Rom. iii. 20.
5. Titus iii, 5; Rom. v, 21; ix, 15, 16.
6. Rom . vi, 16; Josh. xxiv, 15.
1. Gen. i, 27, 31; Eccles.
V. We believe
that the Lord Jesus Chr;st, being
both God and man in one Person, 1 did, by his perfect
obedience 2 and his sufferings,8 rend er full satisfaction
1. John
i, 1. with John
i, 14 ; H eb. ii, 4-18,
2. Rom. v, 19; Heb. v, 8 9.
3. Heb. ii, 10 ; Luke xxiv,46.
l
j
�ARTICLES
OF' FA11'lL
9
to Divine Justice, and m_ake a true vicarious atonement,' by which alone smners can be .justified and
saved. 5
4·
5 liii
1 ·
'
"5·Matt.xx,2S;Rom.iii,25;
Rom.v,8,9,10,11;
'
5. Acts iv, 12; John xiv,6.
Heb.x,9,10;1Johniv,2
VI. We believe
that this righteousness
1
is received by faith alone.
1. Philip.
·
of Christ
iii, 9; Rom. v, 1; Eph. l!, 8, 9.
vrr. We believe that except a man be born again
he cannot see the kingdom of God;1 that this regen~ration is only by the Spirit of God, the third person
of the ever blessed Trinity; 2 and that by the same
Divine Spirit believers are sanctified, comforted,
enabled to grow in grace, and secured in faith and
3
obedience to the end.
1. John
iii, 3.
2. John iii, 5; Titus iii, 5.
3. Rom. viii, 14; Uom. xv, 16 ;
1 Pet. i, 2; John xiv, 26; Eph. v, 9; l'hil. i, 6; I Cor. i, S; 1 Pet . i, 3--5.
We believe that Baptism 1 and the Lord's
Supper 2 are permanent ordinances of the Christian
Church; that Baptism is to be administered
to believers and their infant children;3 and that all who
VIII.
1. Matt. xxviii, 19.
2. Matt. xxvi, 26, 27; I Cor. xi, 23-25.
3. Mark xvi, 16; Acts ii, 41. Scriptural
gro und s for Infant Baptism:
<3od's covenant with Abraham and his seed, the foundation
of the visible Ch:u,1·ch : Gen.
11
xvii, 2, 7, 9, 19, 21. Circumcision the seal of the coYenant. "applied
to the seed:
Gen. xvii, 10, 12, 23.
This covenant is everlasting:
Gen. xvii, 7.
It was not
annulled
by the law afterwa1·d given through
l\Joses: Deut. xxix, 13; r Ch r on.
xvi, 15 i Gal. iii, 14-17:
Christ came to CO'l~fi1•1nand .ft1,l;flll it: Luke i, 54, 55, 72, 73;
Heb. viii , 6-13. Itis the basi1~of the Christittn Chu rch: Rnrn. iv, 11-18; Eph. ii, 19-22.
It was the forerunner and foretaste of the Gospel, and in a sense id entical with it:
John viii, 56; Rum. iv, 11-18; Gal. iii, 7-29 Under the Christian dispensation,
Circ11,1ncision as the seal of the covenn.nt is annulled and Baptism as the sea! ts introduced: Hom. iv, 11 ; r Cor. vii, 18, 19; Gal. Y, 2, 6; 1\latt. xxviii, 19; Mark xvi, 16;
Acts ii, 38; x, 48; xxii, 16. The promise is unto the ch'ildren of beli eve r s in the
new dispensation
as under the old i Gen. xvii, 7, 19; Isa. lix, 21; Acts ii, 89.
Th e
apostles seem to have applied the new seal. baptism, to believers and their childreo,
just as the old seal had been applied to the same classes of persons;
Acts xvi, 15, 33
r Cor. i, 16.
\
\
�12
PRACTICAL
RULES.
believer's
mind soon drown out the spiritual life,
separating the soul from God.
The faith on which
salvation depends dies without closet nourishment.
It is found good also, in the morning, before anything else occupies the thoughts, to read devoutly a
few verses of the sacred scriptures.
Let God speak
to the soul first, and let the first words of the day
be addressed to God.
With this help the believer
often has the comfort of Christ's presence during all
the day, when without it the day would have been
barren and cold. The best time for secret ·prayer is
seldom bed time.
Then the body is weary and the
mind not unfrequentiy drowsy.
It is good to carry
with you at all times, a Bible, or at least a testament,
so that the word of God may be searched in any
moment of leisure, or read to any whom it may
profit.
Matt. vi, 6; Dan, vi, 10; Ps. cxlx.
IV. FAMILY WORSHIP. Every family should have
a family altar.
Children, and if practicable, visitors
and persons employed
in the household, should be
called to the service.
Regularly, morning and evening, one or both, every family ought to read from the
sacred scriptures, and worship God in prayer.
The
exercises should be simple, sincere, brief, hearty and
interesting.
Deut, vi, 6, 7;
Eph. vi, 4; Jobi , 5.
1. If young children are members of the family, the scriptures
read should usually be short, and lively explanations given. It is
gt>0d in some cases to let the children read in concert, or by turns,
each reading a verse.
2. Children, when consciously sinful, are the objects of God's
tender love. 'l'each them so. The too common habit of teaching
children that unless they are good Jesus will not. love them, is
�PRA01'ICAL
RULES .
13
unscriptural and harmful.
While we were yet sinnm·s Christ so
loved us as to die for us. · God has compassion on such as are
. .
ignorant ?.nd out of the way. .
_ In f ,mily worship, praise and thauksgivrng should have
3
prominei : , and the singing of_hymns.
4 The intere sts and. enterpnses of the Church, and the success
of the labors of the pastor, should be remembered before God at
the family altar.
5. No members of the family should be allowed to be absent
from daily family worship.
G. Before every meal let thanks be returned to the Giver of "our
daily bread," and supplication offer~d f~r the ~piritual refre shmen t
which is more needed than that which 1s bodily.
Luk e ix, 16: :Acts xx vii! 85. I Tim. iv! 4, 5.
V.
PRAYER
MEETINGS
1. Let nothing prevent your presence in the prayer-meeting
which would not keep you from a party of pleasure or any other
place.
2. Arrange your business so as to attend the prayer-meetings.
If it occasions you some losses, which is seldom the case, your
gain in God's grace will be worth a hundred fold more to you,
3. Come pnnclually, if possible; if not, come late,
4. Come in the spirit of prayer, and, if convenient, from the
closet.
5. Bring persons with you, if you are able, and use diligent
means to make them regular attendants.
6. Take a front seat.
7. Hanel to your pastor, or the leader of the meeting, in writing ,
any question the discussion of which might be profitable, and
ALSO REQUESTS
FOR PRAYERS
FOR SPECIAL
OBJECTS
VI.
GIVING.
The importance of the grace of
Liberality is commonly undervalued.
The Jews were
bidden to give to the Lord one -tenth of their annual
income.
"Therefore as ye abound in everything in faith, and
utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, see
th at ye abound in this grace also."
II .Qor. viii, 7i Prov. iii. 9, 10; Luke iii, 11, xii. 83 · 1 Tim. vi, 18 · u Cor ix 6 7
Ps. cxu, 9; Prov. xi, 25, xix, 17, xxviii, 27; Matt . xxv, 354Qi Acts xx, 85.
· ' ' '
�PRAOTIOAL
14
RULES
VII.
How TO WORK FOR .CHRIST.
Every member of this church can do Christian work in most , if
not all, of the following ways.
"What doth it profit,
my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith and
have not works ? Can faith save him ? "
1. You can work efficiently for Cllrist by giving and lending
tracts and good books.
2. By re ading from the Bible to individuals and to families,
especially to the poor and the ,;ick, much good can be done.
3. By punctually meeting all your religious engagements.
4. By persevering efforts to bring acquaintances and strangers
to the Sabbath services and prayer-meetings of the church, and by
}earning or teaching in the Sabbath School yourself.
5. By cultivating always a spirit of sociality and Christian fellowship, especially among the members of the church and at the
house of worship.
6. By vi8iting the sick, the poor, strangere, and acquaintances,
in the spirit of the master.
'.Matt. xxv, 35-46; Jas. i, 27; Prov. xx.iv , 11-12.
7. By cordial
with us.
and vigilant
attention
to strangers worshiping
Jas. ii, 1-3,
8. By endeavoring to be familiar with the progress of the
Kingdom of Heaven on earth, as indicated by the great Christian
enterprises of the Churcll at home and ab•·oad.
9. By giving as God hath prospered you, punctually and regularly, for the current expenses of this Church, and for the salvation of the world.
10. By scrupulous honesty in all business transactions.
Deut. xxv, 13-16; I Thess. iv, 6.
11. By holding neighborhood
pray/Jr meetings with the advice
of tlle p&.stor. In this way great good is often done.
12. By direct personal appeals to the unconverted,
either in
conversation or by letter, to come at once to Christ. Every
Christian ought to win many souls to the Saviour.
13. By prompt outspoken disapproval of every kind of sin,
feeling at the same time and showing as far as possible love for
the the ·sinner.
Prov, xxvii, 5; 11 Thess. iii, 15; Ps. cxJi, 5; II Tiln. iv, 2.
a
I
�PRACTICAL
RULES.
15
14. By making it a business to grow steadily and rapidly in
o-race
and to lead others to grow
in grace.
a
,
.
FrNALLY,-Whatsoever thmgs are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any vi:tne, and if there be any praise, think on
these things.
And the peace of Goel, which passeth knowledge,
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
shall keep
No'l'E.-1 desire to acknowledge my great obligation, in the preparation of the
foregoing part of this manual, to the J"ifth Annual Handbook of the Central Preebytenan Church, in Erie, Pa . Many of the above Practical Rules have been
transferred from its page s.
�18
FORM
'·
OF ADMISSION
Do you believe and confess that the Lord Jesus
Christ, the e ternal Son of God, became man ; that he
obeyed the law which we have broken, and suffered
its curse, dying in our place, the just for the unjust;
th at by His death He reconciled us to God, and by His
life He saves us; that thus by His life and His death
He is the sufficient and th e only Saviour of sinners
who trust in Him?
Do you confess Him as your
Saviour, and rest in Him a lon e for your salvation?
Do you acknowledge. the Holy Spirit, as the Author
of your regeneration,
the Source of all spiritual
knowledge, faith, comfort, peace, joy and holin ess ?
Do you recognize your obligation to love, and adore
Him with the Father and the Son?
Receiving the Holy Scriptures, as in very deed the _
word of God, is it your desire and purpose to take
as your guide in
them henceforth and unreservedly
all matters
of faith and practice;
to study th em
diligently that you may conform your life to them ;
to avoid all that they declare to be sin, and t o do all
that they require as duty, so far as divine grace m ay
enable you so to do ?
Do you thus confess and believe?
Then tbe n1inister,
say;
You who
baptism by
own accord
own its full
(The candidates shall nssent by bowing.)
acldrei.sing those who have been baptized
in infancy,shall
in childhood were dedicated to God in
believing parents, do you now of your
accept your baptismal
consecration
and
obligations and privileges?
Those
add ressed shall bow in assent.
To the others, if there are any who have not been baptized,
say:
the minister
sha.11
You who trust your heart s have been renewed, but
who h ave never been privileged to receive the outward seal of the covenant, will now present yourselves for baptism,
�FORM 0//' ADMISSION.
When baptism has been administered,
19
the minister s hall proce ed:
In the presenc e of God and this assembly, you do
now freely and c@rdially enter into the everlasting
cnournantof ~racr.
Confe ssing that you are sinners; that you have
departed from God, and have lived under the influe nce of that carnal mind which is enmity against
Him; you do now, in His presence and before this
assembly, solemnly avouch this God, Jehovah.Father,
Son and Holy Ghost, to be your God; the object of
your supreme affection, and your portion forever?
You cordially l cknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ
to be your only Saviour, and the Holy Spirit to be
your Sanctifier, Comforter and Guide . You heartily
devote yourself to God, in the everlas ting covenant
of His grace; you unres erve dly consecrate all that
you have and are, to His service and glory; and you
promise that, through the assistance of His Spirit,
you will cleave to Him as your sovereign Lord ; that
you will give diligent attendance to His word and
ordinances; that you will see k, above all things, th e
honor and interests of His kingdom; and, that, hencefo[th, denying all ungodline ss and every worldly lust,
you will live soberly, righteously and godly in this ·
present world ? This you truly confess and heartily
engage?
The candidates shall assent as before.
In case non e join on professio n of faith, the form of admission sha ll commence
here. In case none join by letter, the following sent ence shall be omitted:
Those who are to join this church by let ter from
other churches, having elsewhere made a satisfactory
confession of their faith, and covenanted publicly with
God, will now present themselves to enter with those
already before us into
�20
FORM OF' ADJ1ISSJOJY.
C!.totJmant
ruitlJtlJtsC!.tl1urclJ.
Aft er all ha ve taken th eir plac es , the minist er shall say:
You do now cordially join yours e!f [yourselves]
to this church of Christ, engaging that you will hold
communion with it in all Christian ordinances, and
submit to its discipline, as God in His word enjoins;
that you will striv e earnestly for its peace, edification
and purity ; that you will watch over its memb ers
in love, faithfully reproving th em, if they go astray,
and that you will walk with them in charity, circumspection, meekness, and sobri ety.
This with the Divine help you pledge yourself
[yourselves] to do?
The candidat ~s shall ass en t as before.
We, then, as a Church, greet you as the disciples
of Jesus Christ, and as members of His body.
In
His name we welcome you to a fellowship with us,
in the duties and labors, and the hopes and joys of
the Gospel.
'0.!e promise to watch over you in tenderness and love, and to offer our prayers to the
great Head of the Church, that He will enable you
to fulfill this solemn covenant, and finally present
you faultless, before the presence of His glory with
exceeding joy.
In token of our • confidence and sympathy, and as
a pledge of our brotherly-kindness
and love, take the
jljanoof il1clcome,
and remember
saith.
those
words
which
the
Scripture
Here the Minister shall take the new members by the hand in token or fellow ship
with Christ and the Church, repeating some appropriat e senteuce of Scriptur e .
He shall then address th.em in these words :-
Now, therefore, Beloved in the Lord, ye are no
more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens
�FORM OF ADMISSION.
:...
21
with the saints, and of the household of God ; and
are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and
Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner-stone.
For this cause we pray unto the Father
of our Lord J esus Christ, of whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant
you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner
man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;
that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be
able to comprehend with all saints, what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to
know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in
the Church by Christ Jesus thoughout all ages, world
without end.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord
make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious
unto you. The Lord lift His countenance upon you
and give you peace . Amen.
�22
SJ'A.lWI N G RUL E S.
STANDING
RULES.
For though I b e abs ent in the fles h ye t am I with you in t h e spirit, Joying
and beh olding y our ORDER a nd th e ste a dfa stne ss of your fa it h in Chri st.
SECTION
I.
Names anb ®fficers.
·ARTICLE I. This church shall be called the
Windsor Avenue Congregational Church of Hartford ,
Conn.
ART . 2. The officers of this church shall be a
Pastor, Deacons, Clerk, Treasurer and Auditor, all
to be chosen by ballot. The Pastor, Deacons, Clerk
and Superintendent
of the Sabbath School, acting
together, shall constitute the Standing Committee of
the Church.
ART, 3. The Pastor of this Church shall be a
member of it and its standing moderator . When the
Pastor is absent, or is an interested party, the moderator shall be chosen, and by ballot, if three brethren
so desire.
ART. 4. The Deacons, four in number, shall be
chosen for a term of four years, and the election shall
be so ordered that only one Deacon shall be chosen
each year, except to fill vacancies . The Cletk,
Treasurer and Auditor shall be elected annually.
�STANDI1fG
RULES.
ART. 5. Duties of Deacons. It shall be the ,duty
of the Deacons to make preparations for, and assist
in the administration of the Sacraments, to distribute
the charities of the church, and, they shall also seek
to aid the Pastor in maintaining an oversight of the
spiritual condition of the individual members of the
church.
ART. 6. Duties of tlze Standing Committu.
It
shall be the duty of the Standing Committee to consult with and aid the Pastor in the general oversight
of the interests of the church.
They shall carefully
inform themselves concerning the qualifications of
candidates for admission to membership. and sha 11
propound to the church the names of such as shall be
by them approved.
They shall receive complaints,
and prepare for action cases of discipline.
They shall be empowered to authorize special collections when they deem it advisable.
They shall
meet monthly, and also at the call of the Pastor.
ART. 7. Duties of t/ie Clerk. It shall be the duty
of the Clerk to keep the records of the church, including an accurate list of the admissions, dismissions,
and the death of members, and of the baptism of
children, also to notify all officers, committees and
delegates of their election and appointment, and to
conduct all correspondence
that the church may
direct, and to make a written report at the annual
meeting.
·
ART. 8. Duties rf Tremurer.
It shall be the
duty-of the Treasurer to take charge of all moneys
belonging to the church, and of all colleetions for religious and charitable objects, and to make a written
report at the annual meeting.
ART. 9. Auditor
The Auditor shall examine
the Treasurer's accounts, and report at the annual
meeting.
�26
STA.1VDING RULES .
ART. 2 . Any member may bring a charge b efore
the church against any trans g ressor .
ART 3. Th e following, according to the r 8th of
Matthew, shall be de emed th e regul a r course of procedure in all ca ses of disciplin e :
I.
The complainant should seek the removal of
the offence. in the spirit of the go spel, by fraternal
conference with the offender, alone.
2.
Failing in the removal of his difficulty thus,
he should take with him one or two judicious brethren, and with their mediation, strive for Christian
satisfaction.
3. This being in vain, he should bring the matter
to the notice of the Standing Committee, who shall
endeavor to bring about a reconciliation, and (if this
cannot be effected, or does not re sult in harmony, )
shall, upon sufficient cause being shown, prefer a
formal complaint before the church against the offending brother.
4. If the church entertain the complaint, they
shall appoint a time for a hearing of the case, and
summon the offender to be present at that hearing,
furnishing him, at least one week before the time of
the hearing, with a copy of the charges against him,
together with the names of the witnesses who will be
relied on for proof.
5. If, on such hearing, the church are satisfied of
the guilt of the party accused, they may vote to admonish him publicly, to suspend him for some definite period from the privileges of the church, or to
excommunicate him from its membership, according
to the aggravation of the offence, and the state of
mind in which he is.
6. In case of the excommunication
of any member, notice of the fact shall be given publicly from
the pulpit.
�STANDING
RULES
27
ART . 4. In cases where excommunication
seems
undesirable the less severe censures of admonition,
(public or private.) suspension for a limited period,
or permanent withdrawal of fellowship may be recommended, at the discretion of the Standing Committee.
In the tw o cas es last named notice of the fact shall
be given at the weekly prayer meeting.
ART . 5. No vote of censure shall be passed except upon the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present at a regular meeting .
The Clerk
ART. 6. Co1tceming Ab.1e11tees.-r.
shall keep a list of the absentees, giving the date of
their departure, their post-office address, and changes
of the same, tog eth er with the date and character of
successive reports from them .
2.
Every January, or :is soon ;ifter as may be, the
clerk, under direction of the pastor and deacons, shall
send out a circular to all who have not reported within
the year previous, or whose circumstances are not
satisfactorily known to the pastor and deacons, requesting information, and suggesting, if advisable, the
propriety of taking a letter to some other church.
3. The list of absentees whose residence is not
known shall be read at the preparatory
lecture previous to the first Sabbath in November, and from the
pulpit the following Sabbath, that the desired information, if possible, may be thus secured.
4. Absentees, whose residence remains unknown
after the reading of their names for three successive
years, or who for this length of time make no satisfactory report, and whose circumstances are not satisfactorily known by the pastor and deacons, shall, if
the church so vote, on recommendation
of the above
church officers, be put on the retired list.
5- It shall be understood that those whQ are on
the retired list are members of the church, but suspended from regular standing, having been so long
~----===-
----~~
--
i __
___
·~
�28
STANDING
RULES.
absent from our watch and care that the church cartnot hold itself responsible for their Christian character. They are not to be counted in the lists of the
church.
They may, however, at any time, be reinstated in full fellowship, and a letter granted th em,
if desired, on a satisfactory explanation of th eir previous silence, and a satisfactory statement as to their
present religious life.
6. The clerk shall keep the retired list, and also
shall record the names of those absentees concerning
whom information has been publicly asked, and also
th e dates in each case when this was done.
ART. 7. ~embers of this church removing from
town sha!l obtain a dismission from this, and a recommendation to th e church with which they intend to
worship, within one year from the time of such
change, unless reasonable excuse be rendered for such
neg lect. And thi s church deems it irregular, if any
m embers withdraw from them and unite in communion and worship with other churches, either on ac co4nt of any offence, o_ron the plea of better edification, without giving notice to the church and requesting a dismission.
ART. 8. Requests for letters of dismission and recommendation shall be read from the pulpit, and th e
lett ers shall be g rant ed at the expi ration of one week,
if no objection is made. All letters of dismission
shall be valid for six months only.
SECTION
IV .
.£11.e.etings.
ART. I. Religious services on the Sabbath consist of morning preaching service, and Sabbath School
in the afternoon.
Th e evening service on the first
·
j
l
1
!
�STANDING
RULES.
29
Sabbath of each month, the Missionary Concert. On
the third Sabbath the Sabbath School Concert.
On
all Sabbath evenings, not occupied as above, preachIn addition. a
ing service, unless otherwise ordered.
weekly prayer meeting on Thursday evening, except
the Thursday evening p(eceding each . communion
service, when the preparatory lecture shall be given .
ART . 2.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is
observed on the first Sabbath in January, March, May,
July, September and November.
ART. 3. The annual meeting of the ch1trch, for
the choice of officers, and for other business, shall be
on the second Wednesday
evening in January.
ART. 4. A special business meeting may be called
at any time, when, in the opinion of the pastor or
deacons, it shall be expedient; and shall be called at
any time , upon the written application of five male
members of the church.
ART. 5. The weekly prayer meeting shall be considered a regular meeting for the transaction of business.
ART 6. All meetings for business shall be opened
with prayer.
ART . 7. Male members of this church shall have
the right to vote in church meetings at the age of
eighteen years.
SECTION
V.
Zabbat~5dJool.
ARTICLE !. The officers of the Sabbath School
sha ll be elected by the church at its a nnual meeting, as
�30
STANDING
RULES
follows .-Superintendent,
Assistant Superint end ent,
Superintendent and Secretary of Infant Department,
Secretary, Treasure.r, Librarian, Assistant Librari a n.
SECTION VI.
ft1iscrllancousl!lulcs
ARTI CLE I. All causes represented by ag ents shall
be presented at Sabbath eve nin g serv ice.
ART. 2. The necessary expe nses of the pastor
and delegates in attendanc e upon eccles iastical councils and conferences, as representatives of the church,
shall be paid from the funds of th e same.
ART. 3. The delegat es to ecclesiastical councils
and conferences shall mak e brief reports of their doings and of the action of th e b ody, at the meet ing of
the church next following.
ART . 4. Each memb er of thi s church shall be
presented with a printed copy of the church manual.
A1n . 5. No alteration shall be made in the foregoing rules, except at a regular meeting of the
church , and by a vote of two-thirds of the number
present, it having been proposed at a previous regular
meeting.
·...
j
�RECORD
OF
OFFICERS.
PASTORS.
FRANK
H. BUFFUM:, Oct. 31, 1871-July
11, 1873.
JAMES B. GREGG, Ordaiued Sept. 29, 1874.
DEACONS.
El ected.
1873, Jan. 9, D. C. CA>tP.
Electul.
1870, March 28, D. C.
CAMP .
T.
DAVID
MORGAN
FOWLER.
LEWIS.
1811, Jan .11, MORGAN LEW[S.
i87l, Sept. 28, SAMURL PARKE R.
1871, Se pt. 28, ,vALT.E R H. COWLES.
1872, Jau. 10, DAVLD T. FOWLER.
187:.!, Sept. 12, W1LLlA lC L. WOODRUFF.
1873,
1874,
1874,
1875,
1876,
1\b.y 1, MORGAN LEWIS .
Jan. 14, J. C. STOCKWELL.
Ja.u. 14, CHARLES KlNG.
Ja ,n. 13, ;ifA 'rHAN OLDS.
,Jan. 12, CBARL U:S KING.
1877, Jan. 10, D. C. CAMP.
1877, Jan. 10, s. N. BENEDICT .
CLERKS.
1870, March 27, s. N. llENEDICT.
1371, Jan. 11,
18i~ , Jan. 10,
1872, May 16, C. A. BLISS.
1873, Jan . 9,
STANDING
1870,March 28, A R.
HILLYER.
SAMUEL
P A RKE:a.
F . H. BUFFUM.
1871, Jan . 11, F. H. BUFJ'UM.
W. H. COWLES.
SUPERINTENDENT
1873, March 27, M. D .
1874,
1875,
1876,
1877,
Jan. 14,
EDGE:RTOl'f.
Jan. 13,
Jan. 12,
Jan. 10,
COMMITTEE.
1871, Jan
. 11, A . R . BrLLYER
.
KING.
1872, Jan. 10,
1873, Jan. 7,
1874, Jan.14, JOHN McCOY.
1871, Sept. 28, CHARLES
OF SUNDAY
SCHOOL.
1872, September 5th , D . C. CAMP, who has been re-elected annually up to the
present time . Previous to the above date the election of Sunday School officers
had been by the School.
�CHRONOLOGICAL
RECORD.
ALL members of the Church should co nsider it th eh· duty to inform the
Clerk or Pastor, of the death of any non-resident member, also of the marriage
of female me1;1bers of the Church, that the proper changCs upon the 1:eCol'd may
be made. Members moving away should not fail to inform the Clerk or Pastor
where theY' may be addressed, an d unless for special reasons should ask for
lett ers of disrnissi0n within one 11ear. All absentees arc earnestly requ es ted to
correspond with the church at lea st once a year. A letter addressed to the Pastor of the Wind so r A venue Congregational
Chu rch , will r each its destination,
even should the name of neither Pastor nor Clerk be known to the writer.
THOSE marked (D) in the following
record, wer e dismissed : marked (*) are
dead; ma1·ked (F.x. l excommunicated . The name enclosed in parenthesis was the
maiden name when admitted to the church. The nam es of husband and wife.
standing together. in the catalogue, are connected by a brace.
M e.rch 23, 1~70
1 Mrs . Lucy .J. Arnlrrws . ,v est Hart ford, D. 1872. ,v est Hartford.
2 Mrs. Mary R . Arnold. Pnrk, H artfot·d.
3 Simeon S. Batter so n, l Pearl St r eet, Hartford,* 1870.
4 Melissa Batt e rson
{ "
••
"
5 Mrs. Maria J . Bat tCri,on . .South, Ha1·tford D. Asylum Flill, Hartford , 1875.
6 Mrs. Abbie J. Barber . First, Hockville.* 1871L
7 Goodrich A. Booth, i Park, Har tf ord .
8 'Mary E. Booth,
{ "
..
D. Old Saybrook. 1875.
9 Fra nk H. Buft"nm. i Wmchest er, N. H., n. E ast Hartford, 1878.
10 ~laria 1\I. Buft'um. f
"
"
"
"
"
"
11 Christopher A . Rl1ss, North Orange. ~Jass., lJ. Ea st Hartford, 1873.
n ,Jeremy W. Rliss, i First, Hartford, * t8i6.
.
13 Hosetta Blis s .
f "
"
14 Samuel N. Rc ne<'lict. i Elmira N. Y.
15 Sophia N BenediC't, )
" ' "
16 1-Valte r H -.Cowles; i Fourth, Hartford
17 Azuba Cowles,
5 ''
" * 1872.
18 Samu el
Co wles, l "
"
,v.
19 Han:i et $ Cow les , f u
"
20 David c:.Cnmp, l
"
"
21 1.au r a ,C. c a mp.)
"
"
22 Mrs. Lucy A. Cha pin. 'Rhnira, N. Y.
23 - Samuel Clark , l Uld Saybl'Ook.
24 Rhoda K Clark, I Asylum ~t Met hodist Rpiscopal, Hartford,
25. j\lrs .. Rhzab e.th Purham, f'ir st Baptist. Hartford .
26 ])avid T. Fowler,
( Pearl St, Hartford, D. Asylum Hill, 1872.
27 Na ncy A. Fowler, ~
"
·'
"
··
·•
"
28 Lila (Fowler) Huntin g,"
"
"
"
"
"
I
•
�88
OHRONOLOGI(JAL · REGORD'.
29
SO
St
S2
33
George T. Goodwin, i Pea rl St_, Hartford, D. West Hartford, 1873.
Sui-an F. Goodwin,
)
"
"
"
.,
'"
"
Nettie .J. Goddllr<l. Winchester. N. H .. D. Athol, Mass., 1871.
Mrs. Fannie L. Haz en, Fir8t, Hartford
.Mrs. Catherine Hill ye r, Park, Harlford .
S6
37
88
39
40
Clara l!;. Hilly e r, "
''
Henry W. Hutchin son, I P ear l St., Hartford.
11
F.liza A. Hutchin son.
) ·'
·Mrs . Eliza Hallock. South Reformed, New Haven,* 18i3.
John Hal e, · l Fil'St, Hartford .
s ::
::
* 1873.
Charles King,
l Pearl St., Hartford.
Maria C. K111g, f
·•
"
Clwrles o. King
Emma M. King,
"
Esther King. t'ark, Hartford.
:Mor~r;nn Lewi s ,
Fou r th, Hartford.
1
So~thbrirtg;: Ma~s.
Uctth erin e A. Pitlcin. Second, H,trtford.
.
Samuel Parker.
l Elmwood, Prov., H. I., D. Wethersfield, 1873.
~arah
Parker, 5
"
..
·'
"
"
Mr s. Mary Sexton, Pat·k. Hartford.
~!rs. Mary W. Sexton, ·Fourth. Hartford.
M. Porter Snell, l Fou rth, D. firs t, \Vashington, D. C., 1871.
1lary C. ~nell,
5 "
''
"
•·
"
"
Lewis D . Stockwell, l First Bapti st , Hartford,* 18i0.
Lydia ~tockwell,
5 "
"
"
ttlrs. Mary A. 'l'h•)mpson. ttirst, East Windsor.
:Mrs. Sarah .J, Wild er, Howard Pre s, San Francisco, D. 2dPres.,
Mrs. Kate M. Way, First, East Hartford.
t
ffi~~eL~
nH~i
~~!,11~;:k~1f~~t1~·;J
~artford.
!} fJt~i.sH~i:~e,
43
4l
45
46
47
48
!
ggri:
1~~-{:aiie
{>
~il~kin.
·51
5'Z
58
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
if l)~!~fi&.~:t~a~tt
Biark.
65 ~lrs. J a ne Corn elia Hartley.
11
66
67
68
69
70
Altoona,
May 1. 1870 -
Maria
Helen R. Hazen.
i 1rs.
Hub bard . First. Glastonbury.
Marion (:-,./orth, ,\ be r dein . D P ~r k, ll artfo rrl., 1~74.
Mrs. Georg e rta Randa.Ii, 1-<'irstBaptist, Hartford, D . Windsor Ave. Bap.,1872.
Kate L. Sheldon, Park , Hartford .
July 3. 1870.
71 Ji.frs. Elizab eth M. Fowler, Unionville,
Conn.,*
n Fanny H . Hazen.
73 Mr s . .Nellie A. Talcott , Fi r st , Columbus. Ohio.
November
1873.
6th , 1870.
74 Clinton E. Andrews, Thom pso n , * t87i.
75 Seth King, Pearl ~treet, Ha r tfo rd.
76 Mrs. Agnes ,J. McCoy. Second, Hartford.
77 Henry M. P erk in s, Third, Chicopee, Mass, D. New Glouc este r , Me., 1874.
January
1,
1871.
78 Mr s. Loui se Alvord Carpenr,e r. RJ1t on , D . Uolton, 1873.
79 'Mrs . Abbi e Colgrove, Fou r t h, Hartford, D. l1'ourth, Hartford. 1875.
80 Mary Ad ella. Hartley.
Har,\ford.
83 I sa b el A Eili s,
84 Mrs . Jane Hills
85 Mr s . Jan e R Kline,
86 Mary E. Klin e,
*1873.
87 Cora gdith Lord , D. Plymouth, Worceste r, Mass.
88 HPlen L . LJm a n.
~ ;~;i~l~~~
rlEi~ft~i
M~~~}~~ury, Vt., D. New Glouce~ter, Me., 1874.
1
91 1.lrs. l\fargar, ~t .\I. Smith,
,..1876.
0-l Mrs. Marv StudlPr, li, irst Pres., \Voodb rldge, N. J.
93 Timothy 'E Steele, l East Har tfo .rd.
94 Clara J. !Steele.
5 "
"
.
!lo Mrs. lJelia Wells, Cba.pel St., New Haven, D: Fourth, 'Hartford, 1875.
\h
11873.
Pa.
<t.~1t/N1
~)~fi~
!k1;'ir,st.
k~~'.f~ht
�OBRONOLOG/0.AL
84
RECORD.
March 5. 1871.
96 Charl es C. Bowers. ( D.12.~h St. Refo;.med, Bro~klyn , N~.Y., 18i7.
!YI
)1 . Bow ers, 5
Hartford
Ada l\I. K. Lord, D. Plymouth, Worcester, Mass .• 1873.
John McKenzie.
J os eph 1~ettit,
Pearl Street , Hartford.
~liui a
98 Mrs. J. L. Jaycox, Fourth,
99
100
101
102
103
JI»
105
106
107
J
Eliza A. P ettit,
•·
"
•·
Hcnriett f~ Isab el 'alcott.
\\ illiam L. \\' oodrufl', l Park, Hartford, D. College St., New Haven, lST.-3..
Julia J. H. \Voodru:ff', 5 North, N. Haven, D.
·•
"
·•
Geo. W, ,voodrutr,
l First , Ausouia.
0
Altuca M. T. Wood.ruff·, 5
'
May 7, 1871
}e~
t~}-~iiJf!eB(:n~~~lf1~ft~1lY:~·cfi~l~~~?Ianchester.
110 George~- Durham.
111 \\ illiam A. Hill.
112
July 2, 1871.
~!~;.:1a{~
~1ri1~~.r}i1~~~f{~1~rg~d~
1
1876.
if.·{WdCJ~~~3~•ri~~tou,
113
Guoll.win, Second, Hartford, D. Asylum Hill, 18i5.
114
Hartford.
ll5 Edwin B. Gri swold _\ l
"
116 Fanny W. Griswolu, 5 '"
117 Lucy A. Hale.
118
119
Mrs. ~mily
,v~sL
f.\\1;1~~i~:r1~sp!!~/j:
Ex., 1872.
120 Clara A. Smith.
November
5. 1871.
Albert A. Arnold, Elmwood, Providence, n..I., D. \Vethcrsfield, 1873.
,va .rren J. Breckenridge,
t :::;econd. Hartford, D. )J'orth, )'litldletowa, 18W.
Jane g_ Breckenridge,
)
••
•·
·•
·'
"
••
Charles E. Enright.
Mr s. Hannah 11. Henry,* 1814.
lW Ilownrd Lt. Lord.
127 C11arles Mnehl, Second, Hartford.
128 John McCoy.
121
122
123
124
125
r;~~fa~:-'j~_~ji~~~?iark,
129
Hartford.
130
"
"
131 l1,111ma S . :Moody,
13·l John W. Pease.
133 Mrs . Harriet P. Smith, Methodist l\ piscopal, Marlboro', N. Y.
David
Spencer,
t
Pearl
st.,
Hartturd _,l>. J:"ourtl1, Hartford, 1874.
13-1
·•
"
•·
..
"
"
136 Almira M. Spencer 5
136 )latthew Swift, Pearl St .. Hartford.
137 Caroline H. Swift, Second, Hockv11lc.
January
7, 1872.
138 Gertrude Terry Cowles.
139 Wnlt tff G. Cowles.
]40
141
Charles L. 1-lcnry.
Geo. Allen King.
142 Sarah Adehtide King-.
143 Martha S. Merrow, First,
144 F.mmctt Alonzo
Manchester.
Parker.
145 Emily Eliz .abeth. Parker.
146 Mrs. Amelta S. Pease, Park. Hartford.
147 Mrs . Catherine T. Shay, First, Middletown,*
148 Thomas H. Enright.
149 Harri et E. F.nright.
150 Augustus W. Hoberts.
151 Juliana Roberts.
t
5
t
5
18n.
March 3, 1872.
May 5, 1872.
152 William W. Billings, l First;Windsor,
Ex ., 1877.
1
153 Cornelia A. Billings, 5
"
·
154 11lrs Ha1;riet T. Bo.con, Second, Hockvlll _e:
�OHRONOLOGIO.AL
29
so
31
si
33
SJ
85
36
37
38
39
40
41
4t
1
1
Jnmes Camobell, .Jr., Second, Mnnchester, D. Second, Hartford,
~11•s. Harriet
M. Dennison, ·Fourth, Hartford.
Clarence 11. F.lmer, * 1873.
Mrs. ·Mary S. Fnch, Second, :Manchester.
\Yilliam ~llav.
Mrs. Sarah Jane Smyth, Second, Hartford.
41
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
M
57
58
59
60
61
6~
6
61
i61 21
6
1875.
July 7, 1872.
'Mrs. "Elizabe th M. Conve rse, Collinsville.
Marvin n. Edgerton, Tolland.
Mrs. Polly A. Morey New Hartford .
Mrs. Eva ,J.M. f\lerrill, New Hartford.
Mrs. Mary F. B.icllards.
43
45
46
47
48
S5
REOORD.
September
1, 1872.
November
3, 1872.
Lucy /Do~gel Arnold. Baptist, Pawtuxet,
Mrs. Ca1·01ine B Hill}Ea st Hartford.
·william McKeowu,
Hampton.
Isab<'lla McKeown,
"
:Margaret H. McKeown.
"
R. I., D. Wethersfield,
1873.
Anna M. McK eown .
:Mary E McKeown.
Henry J. Elliott,
Talcott F-trePt, Hartford,* 1877.
Plymon th , St. Paul, ~finn.
Presbyt e rian, \Vest Hoboken, N. J.
:.\frR. Frances E. R. Gates
Mrs . Anna .M. Livingston,
t
Janu ary 5, 1873.
.John H. Goocle11,
Stafford Springs.
Narcissn G, Goodell,
"
"
Frank J. Grimes,
Center, Brattleboro',
Charlotte P. Grimes,
"
••
Mrs. Josephine S. Smith, East Hartford.
Vt.
* 1876.
May 4, 1873.
:Kathan Coe, l Presbyterian, Stamford, N. Y., D. Stamford, N. Y., 1876.
Esther l\l. Coe, 5
''
"
''
..
u
"
September
7, 1873.
7 !\ Emma C. Burt.
Joseph C. Stockwell, I Fourth, Hartford.
11
Jennie M. Stockwell, S
"
2, 1873 .
November
.James P. Brainard, Seeond, Hartfor<l.
George \V. Carpenter, Kirkpatrick Pres., Rin:,roes, N. J,, D. East Hartford,
O
:Marietta l{. Carpenter,
"
"
u
M~!:
~t:i:ieJiin~_ug;~6~;t,e;r:;:f~~t·
Mrs. Nellie A. (l shamJ Bliss.
Nathan Olds, Fourth, Hartford,
"
i~1 Mervin
8 5
C
T. nussell,
6 Cynthia
11
'
D. Willimantic,
D. Terryville,
1877.
May, 3, 1874} Fourth, Hartford.
il!~~eE.
i{~
~~!~E
1
::
Thomp son Barber.
::
July
5, 1874.
7 Mary Louise Barb er.
.lS :Mri,. Julia. Auzustiue McKenzie .
99 Alfred T. I<ichards, l Second, Hartford.
"
•'
00 Laura. R. Rich!.lrds. 5
01 ?i.fary Louise Sheu.Ion.
September
'? Mrs.Nellie F,. Cnirnes, Bristol.
08 Leonard w. Hale, }
!
Jennie A. Hale,
. North,
-
--------
6, 1874.
Wilbrlllham; Mase.
l
I
1876.
,,
1, 1874.
March
---- -- -----
1876.
I
�CHRONOLOGICAL
September
RECORD.
29, 1874.
205 James B. Gregg, First, Cambridge, Mnss .
November
200 NPllie F. Gridley, Unionville,
201 Lizzie S. Lord.
\.,
l, 1874.
D . West Hartford, 1877.
January
3, 1875.
mi1~~~l
J1i:u.,~ti:~•u:1J~r~:'i~fleld.
208 Mrs. :Mary N. Gregg, r.hest. nutStreet
Presbyterian,
1
Louisville,
Ky .
March 7, 1875.
211 F.dward W Bliss, First, Hartford.
2l2 Mrs. Clarissa W. Cornwell, Canaan Four Corners, N. Y.
213 Mrs. Laura Robertson, Pearl Str~et, i-larUord.
May 2
1875.
214 Mrs. Mary J. Charlton, Wallingford.
215 Mrs. Louisa W. Child~, Co lerai ne, i\la ss .
2lti Mrs. Leona N. Su11iva.n.
July 4- 1 875,
217
'HS
219
220
2i1
221
klrt~~{-1~gi~~
Fl:g,r~~c~~~l~'ira~1~~~~-idge,
Mass.
Mrs. 1\•[ary B. Gregg, First, Caml>ridge, Mas s.
Alice E. Gridley.
Julia A. Gridley.
Mary Welles Gridley. ·
September
5, 1875.
223 Lizzie A Denslow.
224 Alic e E. Holdridge, D. Second . ,vest ·winsted .
225 Mrs. L. A . Holdridge, First, 'Windsor, 0. Secoucl, West Winsted .
,'
Novemb 3r 7. 1875.
22~ Philo P. Bennett, l First, Hartfor d.
227 Sophia N. Bennet.ti) Virst . Hartford ,* 187i.
228 Mrs. Francil)a P. Burt , First, Hartford .
229 .John F. Burt. First, Hartford.
230 David H. Gale. l
. Gale, 5 N. S. Presby terian, Peoria, Ill.
231 Flora 11:
2s-i Mrs. [da Hutchinson, Second Pr esbyter ian, l'-lewark, N. J
233 Frederick S. Lyman.
231 Mrs. Sarah S. Needh im, Chestnut St reet Presbyterian, Louisville, Ky.* 187).
235 William H. Robertson l
5
·28ti Emily P. Robertson.
237 Sanford R. Cady.
2.'lS Silas H. Cornwell .
239 Henry W. Martin.
January
March
240 Hattie Eliza Cornwell.
241 Edwar<l Goodwin t{obertson.
2. 1 876.
5 . 1876.
M ay 7. 1876.
242 Nettie Roberts Adam s.
243 Carrie Estelle Bugbey.
244 Ella Mana Bugbey.
245 Ida Mary Charter.
216 Elizab et h Bushnell Clark.
247 Mrs. Eunice L. Foster.
248 Lucille H . T. Foster .
249 Lillie :Merriman Griggs.
250 Mrs . Sarah A. Howaru, Second Baptist, East Lyme .
251 Mrs. Mary L. ~laehl.
252 Mrs . Caroline P. Moody, Methodi st Epi sc opal, Bristol.
253 George L. Tiffnny,
A1toona, Penn.
251 Nahum C. Wilder, ( Second Presbyterian,
)
"
•1
u
..
2.'>5 Sarah .J. 'Wilder.
256 Henry Horatio Wi1les.
\le7 Florn , Naomi Willt!B ,
I
�OHRONOLOGIOAL REOORD.
ms Jnmes f!amobP-11,,Tr., Second, Manchestel', D. Second, Hartford,
156 :ri.1rs.Harriet M. Dennison, Fourth, Hartford.
Fi7 Clarence IL F.hner, 4 I8i3.
95
1875.
ms M1·s. Mary S Fnch, Se cond , Manchester.
159 William ~llav.
160 Mrs. Sarah Jane Smyth, second,
Hartford.
July
161 ·Mrs. F.liza.beth M. Converse,
7, 1872.
Collinsville.
162
~f
lf,6
167
16~
169
1i0
Lucy mongel Arnold, Baptist, Pawtuxet,
Mrs. Caroline B Hill } East Hartford.
1.ViJliam l\lcl{eown,
Hampton.
Is:ctbe11a McKeown,
••
Marga _ret H. l\lcK eown.
"
i~\~6~-~~·
1~\~lH~rtford.
163
16i Mrs. Eva J, M. Merr111, New Hartford.
165 Mrs. Mary F. l!ichards.
September
t'il
1, 1872.
R. I., D . Wethersfield,
Anna M. l\JcR eow n ,
172 :Mary E . Mc Keown.
Novemb
er 3, 1872.
1877.
173 Henry J. Elliott, Talcott F-trert, Hartford,*
1i4 Mrs. Frances R. R. Gates Plymonth, St. Paul, Minn.
\Vest Hoboken,
175 Mrs. Anna .M. Livingston, Presbyterian,
} Sta~~ord Sprtngs .
176 ,John H. Gooden.
177 Narcissa G. Goodell ,
( Center, Brattleboro',
178 Frank J. Grimes.
04
"
179 Charlotte P. Grimes, f
18U Mrs. Josep hine S. Smith, East Hartford.
181 :Kathan Coe, } Presbyterian,
182 Esther M. Coe,
''
18-1 Emma C. Burt.
11'4 Jo serh C. Stockwell,}
185 Jennie M. Stockwell,
186 .James P. Brainnrd,
Vt.
* 1876.
May 4, 1873.
Stamford, N. Y., D. Stamford, N. Y., 18i6.
"
"
..
11
"
September
Fourth,
"
7, 1873.
Hartford.
"
November
2, 1873.
Second, Hartford.
i~Jfi!~f:ti:ii.cC~~;~~i~~~irk~~Lrick
P~rs., Rin~pes, N. J,, D. East ~artford,
March
1, 1874.
~:f~~1J.•
½~~1~!:
~_r:i~~eJ.iin
~_ug~~~~cr.e
;r: 1
D. ~Villimantic, 1876.
'?lfrs. Nellie A. {[sham) Bliss.
Olds, Fourth, Hartford, D. Terryville, 18i7.
192 Nathan
193 Mervin T. nnsscll,
B. Bu ssell,
195 Mary E. Hu ssell,
19-i Esther
5
May,
3, 1874.
July
5, 1874.
Fo urth, Hartford.
"
"
196 Cvnthia Thomp son Barber.
l\fary l,ouis e Barber.
197
HIS
199
200
201
N. J.
5, 1873.
January
mt
1873.
"
"
:MrR. Julia. A ng-ustine McKenzie.
Alfred T. Hichards, ( ::;econd, Hartford.
J.aurii J{. Richard s. 5
·•
·'
Mary Louise Shc1don.
September
6, 1874.
20'2 Mrs. Nellie F,, Calrnes, Bristol.
20.3 Leonard W. Hale, t
204 Jennie A. Hale,
S Nortb, Wllbra.bo.m/Maee.
1~76.
�CHRONOLOGICAL
36
September
RIJJOOI{D.
29, 1874.
205 James B. Gregg, First, Cambri<lgc, Mass.
1. 1874.
November
2nR Nellie F. Gridley, Unionville,
207 Lizzie S. Lord.
D. West Hartford,
.January
1877.
3, 1875.
11~'if::fleld.
1:Jii~~•~\1i:~•,;,'ii~1!t
~ro
tt~~
208 Mrs. Mary N. G_regg, r.11est.nut Street Preshyterian,
Lonisville,
Ky.
Mar ch 7, 1875.
211 F.dward W . Bliss, First, Hartford.
2t2 Mrs. Clarissa W. Cornwell. Ca.naau Fom· Corners, N. Y.
213 Mrs. Laura Robertson, Pearl Street, Hartford.
May 2
1875.
214 Jllrs. Mary J. Chorlton, Wallingford .
215 Mrs . Louisa W. Child~, Coleraine , Mass.
216 Mrs. Leona N. Sullivan.
.July 4- 1875.
ttraiif
klr~~1c:~~;.i
217
Fl:1~
~~~·idge. Mass.
''.!18
219 Mrs. Mary B. Gregg, First, Cambridge, Mass.
Alice
E.
Gridley.
220
2·11 Julia A. Gridley.
221 Mary \Ye11es Gridley .
September
5, 1875.
223 J,izzie ·A Denslow.
224 Alice E. Holdridge, D. Second, ,vest Winst ed .
225 Mrs. L.A. Holdridge, First, Winds 1Jr 1 O. Second, ·west Winsted.
·c
Novemb ~r 7. 1875.
First , Hartford.
2211 Pht1o P. Bennett,
187i.
227 Sophia N. Bennett} t,·irst, Hartford,*
228 Mrs . Francina P. Burt. P'irst, Ha rtt"on l.
229 .lohn. F. Uurt. First, Hartford.
230 David H. Gale, l
Gale, 5 N. S. Presbyterian,
Peoria, Ill.
23l Flora J-1:.
l'-lewark, N. J
232 Mrs. Ida Hutchinson, Second. Presbyterian,
233 J<""'rederickS. Lyman .
Loui sv ille, Ky. * !-1}.
23! ?\.·Jr s. Sarah S. Needh un, Chestnut Street Presbyterian,
l
2S5 Wil1iam H. Robertson
· 5
2Sti Emily P . ~obertsun.
237 Sanford R. Cady.
2.'18 Silas H. Cornwell.
239 Henry W. Martin.
.January
March 5 . 1876-
240 Hattie Eliza Cornwell.
24l Edward Goodwin Hobertson.
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
Nettie Roberts Adams.
Carrie Estelle Bugbey.
Ella Maria Bugbey.
lcla Mary Charter.
Elizab eth Bushnell Clark.
2. 1876.
May 7. 187 6.
Mrs. Eunice L. Foster.
Lucille H. T. Foster.
).illie Merriman Griggs.
Mrs. Sa.rah A. Howant, Second Baptist, East Lyme.
Mrs. Mary L. Maehl.
252 Mrs. Caro1ine P. Moody, Methodi st Episcopal, Bristol.
253 George L. Tiffany,
25-1 Nahum C. Wilder, ! Second Presbyterian , Altoona, Penn,
5
"
2M Sarah .1. Wilder,
2.'\6 Henry Horatio \Vi11es ...
257 Flora Naomi Willes.
·•
..
.•
_j -\
l·J
'
..
;
•'
!I
i
�CHRONOLOGICAL
July
258 Clara M. Dennison.
RECORD.
1. 1876.
259 Susie Webb Greeue,
260 Frederick
Maehl, Second. Norwich.
September
3, 1876.
261 Mrs. Almira D. Wheeler, First, Enfield.
Novcimber
262 George Ma.ehl , Second, Norwich,
263 Hattie E. Pease.
264
265
266
267
t
January
5. 18767, 1877.
Frank Harris Cooley .
Helen Frances Cooley.
George Stronach , ( Ta ernacle, Lewes. Sussex, 11Eng.
b:mily Stronach, 5 ::St. !.nn c's ,
,.
March
4, 1877.
t~~:&fneg'i'.'.'Bingham. IIano Yer.
270 Harriet Patterson, Presbyt erian, l'ictou, N . S.
0
271 Susie A . Bray.
272 William Howarth .
273
274
275
276
277
E . Henry Bingham.
William D. Camp.
i\lrs. Snrah H. Eaton.
Mrs. Nellie L. Graves.
Mrs. Elizabeth Howarth.
278 William J . McCoy.
279 Mrs. Mary Parsons.
280 Mrs. Julia A. Seaver.
May 6, 1877,
July
September
l, 1877.
2, 1 87 7 .
281 Julia M. Kelsey, Windsor Avenue
Baptist, Hartford .
11
282 Loella A. Kelsey,
"
••
37
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA7190266020003451&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&search_scope=WCSU&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US">Link to Primo record</a>
<a href="http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_H362_W56_1877/#page/1/mode/2up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page turner version</a>
Title
A name given to the resource
Manual of the Windsor Avenue Congregational Church, Hartford, Conn. : containing historical notes, articles of faith, practical rules for the Christian life ... and a catalogue of members to September 20, 1877
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
F104.H362 W56 1877
34023001507534
Description
An account of the resource
37 p. 19 cm
Subject
The topic of the resource
Windsor Avenue Congregational Church (Hartford, Conn.)
Hartford (Conn.) -- Church history
Congregational churches -- Connecticut -- Hartford
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Hartford : Printed by Clark & Bulkley,
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Windsor Avenue Congregational Church (Hartford, Conn.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1877
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
According to the Historical Notes, the church had its beginnings in a Mission Sunday School in 1864. In 1870, members of the Congregational churches in Harford and elsewhere formally constituted themselves as a church. This volume contains the Articles of Faith, Covenant, Rules, and a list of clergy and members.<br /><br />The Windsor Avenue Congregational Church building, erected in 1871-1872, now houses the Faith Congregational Church, whose lineage includes the city's oldest African-American congregation.<br /><br />The church is a stop on the Connecticut Freedom Trail and was listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1993.<br /><br /><a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Avenue_Congregational_Church" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Avenue_Congregational_Church" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Avenue_Congregational_Church</a>
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
b9dc89e7-4b26-4a47-90a5-aa4f2c676c57
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3110/F104_K5_W47_1862.pdf
be9af70ab43eb3400b51051b6f5afa22
PDF Text
Text
ARTICLES
OF
FAITH
AND
COVENANT
OF THE
WESTFIELD CHURCH,
::Do..
"', t_ \
WEST
KILLINGLY,
WITII
, O V")
CT .
A
LIST OF MEMBERS,
MARCH 1, 1862.
PRINTED
DANillLSONVILLE:
AT THE TIUNSCJUPT
1862.
OFFICE.
CoVI I'\ •
�SHISTORICAL
i NOTE.
The first meeting relative to the formation of this church
was held June 29th, 1801, and consisted chiefly of members
of neighboring churches, residing in this place. Aftet· several subsequent meetings for settling preliminaries, au ecclesiastical council, consisting of pastors and delegates from the
Congregational Churches in Brooklyn, Plainfield, North
Killingly, and South Killingly, was convened August 25th,
1801, for the purpose of organizing the church. The Articles
of Faith and Covenant having been signed and presented to
the council, the church was organized, consisting of thirteen
members.
�RULES
ADOPTED BY THE WE STFIELD CHURCH.
I. There shall be an Annual Meeting of the Chui-ch in
the month of January, at a time to be fixed by the Pastor
and Deacons.
II.
At the Annual Meet ing, the following Officers and
Committees shall be chosen for the ensuing year :
l. A Clerk, who shall keep the records of the Church,
including admis sions, dismissions, and deaths of members, and
adult and infant bapt ,isms.
2. A Treasurer, who shall take charge of all moneys
belonging to the Church, and all collections for religious and
charitable objects, and keep an account of the same, and
report at the Annual Meeting.
3. An "ExamininJ Committee," consi8ting of not more
than five members, to be joined to the Pastor and Deacons,
who shall be members, ex: officio, of this Committee.
4. A "Committee on Discipline," consisting of five members, who shall take cognizance of public offences in the
members ·of this Church, and, when requisite, present the
cases to the Church for discipline.
5. A "Committee of Conference," who shall confer with
members of sister churches resid ing here and habitually
communing with us, and invite them to transfer their membership to us .
6. An "Assistant Clerk," when deemed advisable by the
Church.
�4
III.
All persons offering themselves for admission to
this Church shall be examined by the Examining Committee ; and if approved by them, shall be propounded to the
Church.
If no objections are made and sustained by the
Church, the candidates shall be publicly announced to the
congregatio~ on the second Sabbath after being propounded;
Lecture occurand at the ·Church meeting or Preparatory
ring in the second week after this announcement, the question shall be taken on their admission.
The Candidates elected shall become members by signing
the Articles of Faith and Covenant;
and if they have not
previously qiade a pqblic profession of religion, they shall
Every
publicly assent to them before the Congregation.
candidate shall be seasonably furnished with a copy of the
Articles of Faith and Covenant for examination.
IV.
Members of this Church removing from this place,
shall apply for dismission within one year after their removal,
or render to the Church sufficient reasons for neglecting to
do so ; and it shall be the duty of the Pastor or Clerk to
remind delinquent members by letter, of this rule, as often as
once a year.
Members whose absence exceeds a year shall not receive
letters of dismission in the usual form, until the Chnrch is
reasonably satisfied that their walk has been such as to enti. tle them to recommendation
as in good and regular standing:
and no letter of dismission shall be valid more than one year
from the time when it is granted.
V. No person shall be considered eligible to membership
in this Church, who does not agree to abstain from using,
furnishing to others, or trafficking in intoxicating
liquors as
a beverage.
VI.
The Examining Committee shall report at the Annual Meeting, on the state of the Church during the year.
VII.
Ordinary
Church business may be transacted
at
�5
the regular weekly Conference Meeting, and after the Preparatory Lecture.
VIII.
No alteration shall be made in the Articles of
Faith, the Covenant, or t~e :Rules, except at a regular or
special meeting of the Church, and by a vote of two-thirds
of the members present; such alteration having been proposed in writing at a previous meeting: and all male
members of lawful age shall be entitled to vote in the
transaction of Church business.
FORM
OF
ADMISSION.
ADDRE3S.
BELOVEDFRIENDS:
You have presented yourselves in this public manner,
to make a profession of your religious faith, and to enter
into covenant with God and with this church.
God, angels,
and this assembly, are witnesses to the transaction.
The
profession which you now make, and the engagements into
which you now enter, are of the most solemn moment : they
will be heard on high; and will be exhibited on your trial
at the last day.
The following you acknowledge as your
COID'ESSIO"N OF FAITH.
ARTICLE 1. You believe that there is one, and but one
God 1 ; the Creator,2 Preserver,3 and Moral Governor 4 of
�6
the universe; a being of infinite power,• wisdom, and
knowledge,6 holiness,' justice,• truth,9 and goodness.'°
I. Deut. 6 : 4. Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.
Isa. 45 : 5. I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God
besides me.
2. Heb. 3 : 4. For every house is builded by some man ; but
he that built all things is God.
3. Neh. 9 : 6. Thou, even thou, art Lord alone : thou hast
made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth,
and all things that are therein, the seas, and al! that is therein, and
thou preservest them all ; and the host of heaven worshippeth
thee. Heb. 1 : 3.
4. Ex. 20 : 2. I am the Lord thy God, which - have brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Isa.
9 : 6. Ps. 103 : 19.
5. Gen. 17 : 1. And when Abram was ninety years old and
nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the
Almighty God ; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
6. Ps. 147 : 5. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his
understanding is infinite. Rom. 16: 27.
7. Isa. 6 : 3. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.
8. Deut. 32 : 4. A God of truth, and without iniquity, just
and right is he.
9. Ex. 34: 6. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
10. Ps. 119 : 68. Thou art good, and doest good : teach me
thy stattites. Jno. 3: 16.
2. You believe that the mode of' the di vine existence is
such, that it lays the foundation for a threefold distinction,the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; 1 and that these
three are one in essence, and equal in power and glory. 2
I. Matt. 28 : 19. Go ye therefore, ancl teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Roly Ghost. Jno. 1: 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Worcl was God. Jno. 1: 14. And
the Word was made flesh, ancl dwelt among us. Acts. 5: 3, 4.
But Peter said, An,i,nias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to
the Holy Ghost? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. I
Jno. 5: 7. 2 Cor. 13: 14.
2. Isa. 42 : 8. I am the Lord ; that is my name : and my glory
will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Gen. 1 : 26.-3 : 22.
3.
You believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New
�7
Testaments were given by inspiration of God,' and that
they are our only infallible rule of faith and practice. 2
I. 2 Tim. 3 : 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Ps. 19: 7, 8. Ps. 119: 129, 130,
2 Peter 1 : 21. Heb. 1 : I.
2. Isa. 8 : 20. To the law and to the testimony : if they speak
not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Acts 17: 11. Matt. 22: 29. Gal. 1: 9. Mark 7: 7, 8, 13. Rev.
22: 18, 19.
4. You believe that God made all things for himself,1
and that he extends his providence over all creatures and
events,' governing them according to his will,3 and for his
glory. 4
I. Rev. 4: 11. Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory and
honor and power : for thou hast created all things, and for thy
pleasure they are and were created.
Prov. l,6 : 4. The Lord
hath made all things for himself; yea, even the wicked for the day
of evil. Rom. 11 : 36.
2. Matt. 10 : 29, 30. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father,
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Dan. 4 : 34,
35. Ps. 135 : 6. Acts 17 : 25, 26, 28, 29.
3. Eph. 1 : 11. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will.
4. Rom. 9: li. For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for
this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my
power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. Rev. 4: 11.
5. You believe that God created man at first in his own
image, in a state of rectitude and holiness,1 and that he fell
from that state,' by transgressing the divine command, in
eating the forbidden fruit. 3
1. Gej. 1 : 27. So Goel created man in his own image, in the
image of God created he him.
2. Eccl. 7 : 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God made man
upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
3. ·Gen. 2: 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it ; for in the day that thou eatest
thereof, thou shalt surely die. Gen. 3 : 6. And when the woman
saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to
the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one w~se, she took of
the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with
her, and he did eat. 2 Cor. 11 : 3.
�8.
6. You believe that -in consequence of the apostasy, the
heart 'of man in his natural state is entirely destitute of
holiness,1 and wholly prone to evil, 2 and has need to be
regenerated and sanctified in order to salvation. 3
1. Rom. 5 : 12. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned. Ps . 51 : 5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
2. Gen. 6 : 5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of
bis heart was only evil continually.
Gen. 8: 21. Rom. 8: 3, 5, 7.
3. Jno. 3: 3. Jesirs answered and said unto him, Verily, vcr- ily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot sec
the kingdom of God. 2 Thcss. 2 : 13. Bnt we are bound to give
thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Tit.
3 :5.
...
7. You believe that Ghrist by his sufferings and obedience unto death has made an atonement for sin ; 1 that he is
the only redeemer of sinners; "' and that all who are saved
by him, are indebted wholly to the mercy and grace of God
for their salvation. 3
1. 1 Peter 2 : 24. Who bis own self bare our sins in bis own
body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness : by whose stripes ye were healed . Isa . 53 : 5.
Matt. 20 : 28.-26 : 28. J no. 10 : 11, 15. Acts 20 : 28. 1 Cor. 15 : 3.
2. Acts 4 : 12. Neither is there sa~vation . in any other : for
there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby
we must be saved. 1 Cor. 3 : 11.
3. Rom. 3 : 24. Being justified freely by his grace, through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2 : 5, 8.
8. You believe that although the invitations of the
gospel are such that all who will, may come, and take of
the waters of life freely,1 yet the depravity of the human
heart is such that none will come, unless God, by the special
and efficacious influence of the Holy Spirit, draw him. 2
1. Rev. 22: 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say Come. · And
let him that hearetb say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.
�9
And whosoever will, Jet him take the water of life freely. Isa. 55 :
I. Matt. 11: 28, 29. Jno. 7 : 37.
. 2. Jno. 5: 40. And ye w(ll not come to me, that ye might have
hfe. J no. 6 : 65. And he said, T_herefore s:,iid I unto you, that no
~an can come nnto me, except 1t were given unto him of my
Father. Ps. 110: 3. Jno. 3: 19.-6: 44.
9. You believe that all who truly repent and embrace
the gospel, were chosen in Christ before the foundation of
the world: ' and that though they may be left to fall into
sin, they are not suffered finally to fall away and perish, but
are kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto
salvation.2
I. Eph. ! : 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before
the foundat10n of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in Jove. Eph. 1 : 5, 11. J:ir. 31: 3. Acts 13:
48. Rom. 9 : 11.-11: 5, 7, 28. Matt. 24: 22, 24, 31.-25: 34. 2
Thess. 2 : 13. 2 Tim. 1 : 9.
2. Jno. 10: 28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.
Rom. 8: 1, 29, 30, 38, 39. Jno. 6: 37,-10: 27, 29. Phil. 1: 6. 1
Cor. 1: 8, 9.-10: 13. Jno. 6: 27, 35, 39, 40. Hcb.10: 39. 1 Peter
l: 5.
10. You believe that Christ has a visible church on
earth,' into which, none have a right to be admitted but
those who exercise repentance towards God, and faith
towards our Lord Jesus Christ, evinced by a holy life.2
I. Matt. 16 : 18. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter,
and npon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. Matt . 18: 17. Acts 2: 47. 2 Cor . 1:
I. 1 Tbess. 1 : I.
2. Ps. 50 : 16. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou
to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Acts 3: 19. Repent ye therefore, and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord . Acts 16 : 31.
Ancl they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be s:ivcd, and thy house. 1 Peter 1 : 15, 16. But as be which
hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversa tion ; Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. 1 Thess. 1:
1, 3.
11.
You believe that the sacraments of the New Testa-
�10
ment are B'aptism and the Lord's Supper; 1 that Baptism is
to be administered only to believers and their households,•
and the Supper only to believers in regular church standing.'
1. Matt. 28 : 19. Go ye therefore, ancl teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost. l CoT. Il : 23, 25 . For I have received of the Lord,
that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the
same night in which he wus betrayed, took bread, &e.
2, Gen. 17 : 7. And I will establish my covenant between me
and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an ever lasting covenant-; to be a God unto thee, and to thy seeil after
thee.
Gal. S : 29. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's
seed, an<} heirs according to the promise.
Rom. 15 : 8. Now I
s2y that Jesus Qlu;ist was a minister of th;i circumcision for the
truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.
Gal.
3: 15, 17. Acts. 3: 25. Ga l. 5: 1. 2.-3:
27, 29. Rom. 11: 17,
24. Luke 18: 15, 16. "[See also the practice of the Apostles, which
was to baptize households or families.] Acts 16 : 14, 15. And a
certain woman named Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened, that
she attended unto the things spoken of Paul. And when she was
baptized and her household, &c. See also Acts 16 : 33. 1 Cor. 1:
16.
3. 1 Cor. 11 : 27, 29. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread,
and drink this cup of the Lo1·d, unworthily, shall be guilty of the
body and blood of the L~~d, &c. Matt. 26 : 26-30.
12. You believe that habitual communion with God,'
watchfulness over the life, 2 holy meditation,' and a conscientious attendance upon public,4 family ,5 and secret • worship, together with the undeviating practice of righteousness,7 temperance," sobriety,' sincerity,' 0 and truth," are
the indispensable duties of every Christian.
1. 1 Jno. 1 : 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we
unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us : anil truly
our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son ,Jesus Christ.
2. 1 Cor. 16 : 13. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you
like men, be strong.
Prov. 16 : 32.-25 : 28.
3. Ps. 1 : 2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in
bis law doth be meditate clay and night.
Gen. 24 : 63. Ps. 119 :
97.-104:
34.-63: 5, 6.
4. Heb. 10: 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; bnt exhorting one another: and .
so mnch the more as ye see the day approachibg.
Matt. 18 : 20.
Jno. 20: 19. 1 Cor. li: 23. Ps. 84: 1, 2, U.
5. Gen. 18 : 19. For I know him, that he will command his
�11
children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way
of the Lord, to do justice and judgment;
that the Lord may bring
upon Abraham that which he hath spoken .of him. J csh. 24.: 15.
2 Sam. 6 : 20. Acts 10: 2, 30. Eph. 6: 18.
6. Matt. 6: 6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closct,and when thou hast shut thy door,pray to thy Fatherwhich
is in secret; and thy Father which see th in secret shall reward thee
openly.
7. Eph. 4: 24. And that ye put on the new man , which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 1 Jno. 3: 10.
Mic. 6 :8.
8. Luke 21: 34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time
your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, arrd drunkenness, and
cares of this life, and so that day come upon yon unawares.
.
9. 1 Peter 5 : 8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adverrnry the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour.
10. 2 Cor. 1: 12. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our
conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly
wisdom , but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in
the world, and more abundantly to yon-ward.
11. Col. 3: 9. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put
off the old man with bis deeds.
· 13. Finally, you believe that there will be a resurrection
of the body, both of the just and the unjust: 1 that there
will be a final judgment; at which the thoughts of all
hearts will be revealed : that all will then receive a just
and final sentence according -to their works : 3 -and that the
happiness of the righteous, and ,the punishment of the wicked will be endless.
1. Acts 24: 15. And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and unjust. _Jno. 5: 2"°, 2.9. l Cor. 15: 20-22.
2. Acts 17 : 31. Because he hath appointed a day, in the which
he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he
hath ordained ; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in
•that he hath raised him from the dead.
3. 2 Cor. 5 : 10. For we must all appear before the judgmentseat of Christ ; that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that be bath done, whether it be good or bad.
Ecc. 12: 14. Rom. 2: 5-10.
Matt. 13: 40-42, 47-50.
Dan.
12: 2. Jude 6. Matt. 19: 29.
All these things you hearti1y profess and believe.
You will now enter into covenant with God and with
this church.
�12
COVENANT.
You do now in the presence of God and man, avouch the
Lord Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be your God,
the supreme object of your affections, a°i:idyour chosen portion
for ever. You cordially acknowledge the Lord Jesus Ohrist
in all his mediatorial o:ffices,-Prophet, Priest, and King,as your only Saviour and final Judge; and the Holy Spirit
as your Sanctifier, Comforter, and Guide. You humbly and
cheerfully devote yourself to God, in the everlasting cove·nant of grace.
You consecrate all your powers and faculties to his service
and glory : and you promise tp take the Scriptures as the
rule of your life and conversation; and that through the
assistance, of his Spirit and grace, you will cleave to him as
your chief good : that you will give diligent attention to his
word and ordinances, to family and secret prayer, and to the
observance of his Sabbath : that you will seek the honor of
his name, and the interest of his kingdom : and that henceforth denying all ungodliness and every worldly lu13t,you
will live soberly, righteously and godly in the world.
[The ordinance of baptism will here be administered.]
You do now cordially join yourself to this as a church
of Christ, engaging to submit to its discipline so far as con_formable to the rules of the gospel, and solemnly covenanting to strive as much as in you lies, for its gospel peace,
edification and purity: to walk with its members in Christian
love, faithfulness, circumspection, meekness and sobriety; to
maintain actual communion with this branch of Christ's
church, so long as God in his providence shall give you
�13
opportunity: and ab~ndoning the sinful pleasures and amusements of the world, -to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Thus you covenant and prom-
ise.
[Here the Church will rise.]
We, the members of this church, do now receive you into
our communion, and promise to watch over you with Christian affection and tenderness, ever treating you in love as
members of the body of Christ, who is head over all
things to the church. This we do, imploring the great
Shepherd of Israel, our Lord and Redeemer, that both yo11
and we may have wisdom and grace to be faithful in his covenant, and to glorify him with the holiness which becomes
his house for ever .
•
And now, beloved in the Lord, let it never be forgotten
that you have here come under obligations from which you
cannot escape. You can never withdraw from the covenant
which has now been confirmed. ·wherever you go, these
vows will be upon you; they will follow you to the bar of
God, and will abide upon you for ever.
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through
the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in
every good work, to do his will, working in you that which
is well pleasing in his ~ight., through Jesus Christ;
whom be glory for ever. AMEN.
to
�14
OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH.
PASTORS.
REv. GORDONJOHNSON, Ord. Dec. 12, 1804. Dls'd. Jan. 31, 1809.
REV. RosWELL WRIT1fORE, " Jan. 13, 1813.
"
May
1, 1845.
"
"
Mch. 25, 1856.
REV. THOMAS0. RICE,
" Jan.
REv. 'l'Hos. T. WATER1fAN,Inst. Jan. 18, 1858.
REY. W:u. W. DAYEXPORT,
Ord.Aug.
21, 1861.
2, 1843.
Jan. 30, 1861.
DEACONS.
Mch. 14, 1813. Died
JAMESDA..'IIELSON, Elected,
SmJB.IBL HUTCHrns,
ADA1[B. D.u-TILSON,
WARRENSTEARNS,
"
"
"
Oct. 23, 182i.
Mch. 14, 1813. Res'd. Nov. 27, 1828.
Nov. 27, 1828.
Nov . 27, 1828. Dietl
Jan. 23, 1862.
•
MEMBERS.
Tbosa members marked thus,*, are deceased; those marked "R," have been
dismissed to other churches; those marked thus, t, have been excon1municated or suspended. The churches from which members have been received are
set against their names in italiC$.
ORIGINAL
· *Mr. Zadoc Spalding.
*Mr.
•lifr.
*Mr.
*Mr.
MEMBERS.
Aug. 25, 1801.
Boaz Stearns.
Zadoc Hutchins.
James Danielson . (Dea.)
Penue l Hutchins.
(Aug. 29, 1817.)
(April 20, 1805.)
(Oct . 23, 1827.)
(Oct. 17, 1841.)
�15
*Mrs. Elizabeth Hutchins.
*Mr. Samuel Stearns.
*Mrs. Mary Stearns.
*Mrs. Abigail Stearns.
*Mrs. Sarah L. Danielson.
*l\fr. Shubael Hutchins. (Dea..)
"Mrs. Hannah Spalding.
"'Mrs. Anna Kies.
(}Ich. 20, 1806.)
(Feb. 6, 1861.)
(Oct.-, 1832.)
(Apr. 24, 1852.)
(Apr. 14, 1841.)
ADMISSIOKS.
*Mrs. Avis Hutchins.
*Mrs. Mary Hutchins.
*Mr. Gordon Johnson. (Rev.)
*Mrs. Judith Dexter, Pomfret.
*Mrs. Sarah Danielson.
1802.
(Mch. 15, 1825.)
1804.
(April-,
1823.)
1807.
1812.
*Mr. Josiah Dean.
*Mrs. Sarah Day.
*Mrs. Mary Dean.
*Mrs. Nab by Malbone.
, *Miss Betsy Day.
*Miss Avis Hutchins. [Mrs. Whitmore.]
*Miss Polly Hutchins.
tMr. David Day.
1813.
*l\fr Henry Spalding.
*Mr. William Danielson.
nMr. Oliver Carpenter.
*Mrs. Luna Johnson, Colchester.
Rl\fr. William Prince.
*Mrs. Nancy Jillson.
*Mr. Warren Stearns. (Dea.)
*Miss Han.nah Smith. [Mrs. Clark.]
nl\Iiss Diana Alexander. [Mrs. Carder.]
Mr. Zolva Whitmore. (Rev.)
*Mr. Eleazer Williams.
*Mr. William Cundall.
(Apr.-,
1820.)
(Sept. 18, 1812.)
(April 3, 1843.)
(Sept. 25, 1860.)
(Sept.15, 1827.)
(Feb. 5, 1813.)
(July 12, 1819.)
(Feb. -,
1832.)
(Jan. 23, 1862.)
(Sept. 16, 1841.)
(Apr~! 24, 1829.)
�16
*Miss Nancy Rice. [Mrs. Cundall.]
*J\Irs. Annis Day.
*l\Irs. Sarah Tanner.
t Mr. William Carder.
*Mrs. Miriam Grover.
*Miss Lucinda Davenport.
[Mrs. Alexander.]
*Miss Susannah Williams.
*Mrs. J\Iary Williams.
*Miss Mary Williams. [Mrs. Williams.]
1t:IIiss Sarah Williams. [Mrs. Lyon.]
*Miss Elizabeth Cundall.
*Miss Hannah Cundall.
J\Iiss Mary Gillett.
R:\fiss Leona Lane. [:\Irs. Lamb.]
Ri\fiss Hannah Whitmore.
1814.
*Mr. Jonathan Cutler.
*Mrs. Keziah Cutler.
R°Mr.Barzillai Fisher.
*Mr. Silas Hutchins.
*J\fr. Abraham Rice.
*Mrs. Prussia Fisher.
*Miss Althea Ingalls. [Mrs. Waters.]
*Miss Henrietta Carder. [Mrs. Sabin.]
*Miss Anna Chamberlin.
*:'.\!rs.Cynthia Rice.
*:lfiss Sophia Greenman, Thompson.
*}Irs. Nancy Sikes,
do.
*Miss Charlotte Alexander.
(April 5, 1824.)
(May-,
1839.)
(Nov. 1, 1861.)
(Feb. 17, 1814.)
(June 9, 1841.)
(Sept. 11, 1837.)
(Jan. 19, 1828.)
(:\fay
4, 1814.)
(Jan.-,
1836.)
(Oct. -,
1861.)
1816.
Mrs. Anna Wilson, Raynham, Ms.
1817.
(}lay 1, 1821.)
(Oct. 1, 1837.)
*J\fr.John Sabin.
*Mrs. Clarissa Cundall.
*Mrs Christiana Fisher.
*l\frs. Louisa Fisher.
1819.
Mr. Elisha Danielson.
1820.
*Mr. Nathan Fuller.
�17
"'Mr. Laban Fisher.
aMr. John Danielson.
(~Ich. -, 1840.)
"Mrs. Lydia Fuller.
nMrs. Abigail Fisher.
*Mrs. Lydia Cha~b_:rlin.
(Jan. 23, 1839.)
*Mr. Zadoc Spaldmg.
"Mr. Comfort Tiffany.
Mr. David Fisher.
nMr_. Warren Chamberlin.
nMr. John Chollar.
Mr. Isaac T.Hutchins.
*Mr. Jacob W. Danielson.
nMr. Herbert A. Reed.
*Mrs. Sally Martin.
Miss Harty Dexter. [Mrs. Danielson.)
(May 11, 1820.)
*Miss Elisabeth Danielson.
"Mr. Samuel Danielsau..
(Sept. 16, 1849.)
*Mr. Benjamin Tanner.
(Feb. 10, 1843.)
"'Mr. Willard Danielson.
Mr. George Danielson.
(Sept. 30, 1837.)
"'Mr. Elisha P. Spalding.
(Mch. -, 1841.)
"'Mr. Henry B. Bacon.
RMr. William Hutchins.
RMr. NathanielE. Johnson. (Rev.)
nMrs. Amy Chamberlin.
nMrs. Elizabeth Danielson.
aMiss Lucy Danielson. [Mrs. Crosby.]
Mrs. Lydia B. Morse.
nMiss Eliza Bacon. [Mrs. Taft.)
11.MissSally Bacon. [Mrs:)-llen.]
Miss Henrietta Spalding. [llfrs. Burroughs.]
*Miss Eliza Draper.
*Miss Eliza Tiffany. [Mrs. Morse.]
*Mrs. Anna Young.
nll1iss Joanna Hutchins. [Mrs. Sprague.]
*Miss Almira Rice.
(Aug. 30, 1824.)
(Nov. 28, 1823.)
*Miss Mary Spalding. S. Killingly.
Mr. Adam B. Danielson. (Dea.)
'
Mr. Hezekiah L. Danielson.
Miss llfolancia W. Robinson. [llirs. Danielson.)
*Miss Mary Ann Huntington.
(May -, 1836.)
nl\Iiss Betsey Stowell.
�18
RMiss Mary Dexter. [Mrs. Elliott.]
RMr. William Reed.
R~Iiss Marcia Learned. [Mrs. Woodworth.]
RMiss Melora Alexander.
[Mrs. Sherman.]
Miss Sally Day. [Mrs. Warren.]
Miss Lucy Perry. [Mrs. Perry.]
nMrs. Celinda Reed.
R)fr. Havilah Mowry.
*Mr. Samuel Stearns.
*Miss Mary Bassett.
nMiss Mary Danielson. [Mrs. Buck.]
1821.
*Mr. Alexander Thompson.
*Mrs. Bethia Young, S. Killingly.
Miss Harriet Bushnell.
RMrs. Et1nice Thompson.
R)iiss Elizabeth Chamberlin. [Mrs. Rickard.]
Miss Jane Danielson.
Mrs. Roby Randall.
1822.
Mr. Luther Day.
Mr. Welcome S. Fisher.
R~fiss Wealthy Day. [Mrs. Alton.]
*Miss Lucy Ann Bassett. [Mrs. Alverson.]
Miss Eliza Bassett.
*Mr. Samuel Davis.
nMiss Mary S. Willard.
1826.
1827.
n)fr. Asher Starkweat':J.cr.
(June-,
(May -,
1834.)
1839.)
(Dec. 24, 1822.)
1824.
1825.
*Mrs. Chloe Tiffany.
*Miss Lucy Danielson. [Mrs. Sprague.]
*Miss Mary Ann Danielson.
nMrs. Eliza Chollar, N. Killingly.
*Mrs. Julia A. Day,
do.
*Miss Maria Millet.
..
(Aug. -,
(Sept. -,
1827.)
1825.)
(June-,
1839.)
�19
nMr. Henry Dexter.
Mrs. Aurelia Danielson, S. Rillingly.
nMrs. Celinda Sparks, Attleborough, Mass.
Miss Amy C. Bacon.
nMrs. Roxanna Starkweather.
Mrs. Mary Stearns.
nMiss Julia Randall.
[Mrs. Batty.]
Miss Julia A. Field.
[Mrs. Bliss.]
1828.
*Mr. Jabez Parkhurst.
*Mrs. Sally Parkhurst.
Mr. Erastus Hammett.
Mrs. Priscilla Hammett.
Miss Lucinda Day.
nl\Iiss Maria C. Rice. [Mrs. Keenan.]
nMr. John Sparks.
Miss Mary A. Malbone.
[Mrs. Bacon.]
*l\Ir. William Eaton.
nMiss Cynthia Randall.
[Mrs Baker.]
*Mrs. Lucy M. Danielson.
*Miss Almira Bassett.
[Mrs. Bacon.]
nMr. Jabez A. Allen.
nMr. Seth Draper.
Miss Sarah Anna Young.
[Mrs. Backus.]
*Mrs. Ruth Hutchins.
Miss Roxanna Hutchins.
[Mrs. Kinney.]
Miss Mary Aun Taylor.
[Mrs. Munroe.]
*Mrs. Mary R. Danielson.
nMiss Mary Chollar.
[Mrs. Osgood.]
[Mrs. Johnson.]
Miss Mary Ann Durkee.
Mrs. Laura S. Danielson.
Mr. Cyrus Whitmore.
Mrs. Lucy Whitmore.
Mrs. Sarah Hutchins.
nMiss Roby Rouse.
*Miss Eliza M. Randall.
[Mrs Johnson.]
*Mrs. Ann Shepard.
*Miss Celia Cook.
1829.
*Mrs. Mary A. Austin.
(April 21, 1843.)
(July -, 1841.)
(Oct. -,
1838.)
(July 3, 1840.)
(Jan. 3, 1832.)
(May-,
1837.)
�20
Mr. Anthony Mowry.
R~fiss Clarissa Johnson.
Miss Esther Williams.
1830.
[Mr s. Danielson.]
1831.
• *Mr. Eleazer Warren, S.Killingly .
*Mrs. Jerusha M. Warren, do. do.
Miss Lurana W. Park.
[Mr s. Holbrook.]
RMiss Avis L. Whitmore.
[Mrs. Weld.]
*Mr. John B."Jlyde.
Mr. Daniel L. Clark.
R11fr.Cyra Bassett.
R11fr.William Alexander.
RMr. Silas Mason.
RMr. Nelson Leavens.
*Mr. Ebenezer Young.
tMiss Mary A Preston.
[Mrs. Pond.]
Miss Martha Mowry.
1832.
RMr. John Bassett.
1vir. Jonathan Dexter.
Mr. Marvin A. Dexter.
tMr. William Dexter.
1\fr. George H. Lcavans.
Rl\frs. Susan Bassett.
Mrs. Sophia F. Dexter.
R::\1issHarriet Fisher.
[1Irs. Martin.]
nMiss Roxanna Bassett.
[Mr s. Hutchins.]
*Miss Patty White.
*Mr. Samuel Hyde.
*1\Ir. Isaac Cundall.
Mr. James Bussey.
t Mr. Joseph Kelly.
Mr. William Chollar.
*1\fr. Thomas Backus.
Mr. Giles ·woodworth .
tMr. John J. Angel.
RMr. Gardiner G. Clark.
*Mr. Edwin Kelly.
Mr. William Fuller.
R11fr.John P. Comins.
(.Tan. 1, 1832.)
(-, 1841.) .
(Nov.-,
1838.)
(Aug. -,
1838.)
�21
Mr. George A. Niles.
*l\Irs. Ann Hyde.
•:rt[rs. Philura Woodworth.
Mrs. Deborah Tanner.
nMiss Elizabeth P. Chollar. [Mrs. Leavens.]
Miss Jemima Young. [Mrs. Stearns.]
Miss Harriet Young. [l\Irs. Hyde.]
nMiss Elizabeth Cundall.
[Mrs. Spalding.]
*Mrs. Celinda Chollar.
*Mrs. Henrietta Angel.
R:1tiissSarept i Law. [Mrs. Tanner.]
Miss Rebecca F. Law. [Mrs. Darby.]
*Miss Deborah P. Law.
Miss Cordelia W. Preston.
[Mrs. Winsor.]
R1\frs. Susan Parkhurst.
n1\fiss Lucy P. Chollar. [Yl:rs. Potter.]
nl\fr. Waterman A. Fisher.
*l\Ir. Lewis Williams.
nMr. Jared Williams.
Mr. Zadoc Wilson.
Mr. Samuel S. Danielson.
Mr. Daniel Wilson.
R1\-Irs.Calista Dexter.
Miss Almira Cady. [Mrs. Adams.]
*Miss Hannah W. Wilson. [Mrs. Willis.]
Miss Abby Fisher. [Mrs. Brewster.]
*Miss Ocia A. Thompson.
l\Ir. Abner F. Bacon.
*l\Ir. Frederick Day.
l\Ir. Lyman Lamb.
Mr. William C. Bacon.
ni\<Ir.Joshua Wilber.
*l\Ir. Simon S. Hutchins.
*l\fr. Rufus Jillson.
nMr. Chester Parkhurst.
*Mrs. Abigail Lamb.
*Miss Ann Blake. [Mrs Bacon.]
*Mrs. Ludovisa Howe.
*1\-Ir.James H. Spalding
Mr. Orville M. Capron.
RMrs. Margaret L. Wilber.
Miss Harriet N. Whitmore.
(Oct. 12, 1847.)
(June-,
1837.)
(Sept. 19, 1854.)
- (llfoh. -,
1838.)
(Dec.-,
1840.)
(May
(--,
(Jan.-,
4, 1841.)
1838.)
1837.)
�22
Mrs. Abilene H. Hutchins.
pir. Ziba Warren.
n1Iiss Jerusha Bacon. [j\fr s. Field .]
*j\frs. Huldah Davis.
*:;\fissFrances M. Whitmore.
R1iiss Polly Cutler.
Rllliss Abby Cutler . [Mr s. Cole.]
*Mrs. Harriet K. Hutchins.
Mr. George Law.
R~ir. Charles Cady.
*Mr. John B. Young.
*i\Ir. John Kenyon.
R~Ir. Elisha Chamberlin.
*j\fr_Ezra R. Chamberlin.
llfiss Jane Comins . [Mrs. Titus.]
Miss Clarissa R. Cundall. [Mrs. Fuller.]
Miss Polly Richmond.
*nliss Sally Fisher. [Mr s. Sydleman. ]
R~fiss Mary S. Comins. [Mrs. Lillibridge.]
*Miss Sally Leavens.
pfr. Silas Hutchins.
Miss Lucy Bacon.
Miss Celia Davis. [Mrs. Nichols.]
Miss Harriet O. A. Young. [Mr s. Tiffany.]
RJ\Iiss Fanny Comins. [Mrs. Chamberlin.]
Miss Emily Fisher .. [)frs. Day.]
Mr. Henry William Hyde.
Mrs. Mary Ann Dexter, Brooklyn.
Mr. Sam~1el Reynolds.
*Mr. J ol.tn Blackmar.
t Mr. George Day.
tMr. Nathan Law.
*Mr. Lorin Hoyle.
Mrs. Sally Reynolds.
*i\frs. Esther Kenyon.
Miss Susan Hoyle.
•
*:;\Iiss Celia Austin. [Mrs. Bennett.]
Pfrs. Mercy Blackmar.
[Mrs. Joslyn.]
i\fiss Sally Hoyle.
Miss Sarah A. Woodworth.
*Miss Betsey Olney.
*Mrs. Sabrina Tanner.
(Aug. 21, 18-!0.)
(Jan. 8; 1855.)
(Nov. 14, 1837.)
Mch. -,
1841.)
(May-,
1838.)
(Nov.-,
1856.)
(Sept. -,
l838.)
�23
t :1.Ir.Artemas
Graves.
1tMr. Ebenezer Richmond.
Mr. Horace E. Davis.
R1ifr. Ezra G. Johnson.
*Miss Betsey Bridges. [1,Irs. Richardson.]
*j\fiss Abigail Davis.
*Miss Mary L. Fisher. [Mrs. Whitcomb.]
Mr. Phillips Tanner.
Mrs. Sally Tanner.
RMiss Eliza Durkee. [Mrs. Salisbury.]
*Mr. Edwin Draper.
*Miss Lucy Thompson.
*Mr. David A. Bacon, S. Killingly.
*Mrs. Sarah Bacon,
do.
RMiss Sally Thompson. [Mrs. Carder.]
R?lfiss Roxanna W. Thompson. (:\frs. King sley.]
t llfr. John S. Kenyon.
l\Irs. Phebe Clough. [Mrs. Washburn.]
R::\1:issOlive Fisher.
*Mr. Jonathan Warren.
Miss Lucy Kelly. [Mrs. Green.]
*Mrs. Eunice Hyde.
*Miss Celia Kenyon.
Mr. William L. Dyer.
*Miss Amy Hoyle.
°(Mch. -,
1838.)
(July 27, 1859.)
(July 12, 1835.)
1833.
*llfrs. Jemima Illake.
Mr. Horace Burroughs.
l\fr. Edmund P. Tiffany.
*llfr. Charles E. Morse, W. 1Voodstock.
t Mr. Wjlliam Brown.
Miss Elizabeth Reynolds.
*Miss Lydia Pisher. [Mrs. Keith.]
1831.
Simon C. Kelly.
*lfrs. Milly Day, Plainfiel,d.
Mrs. Sarah G. Danielson, N. Killingly.
t llfr.
*llfr. Thomas Danielson,
Mrs. Adah Danielson,
1835.
T hoinpson.
do.
(Nov.-,
1839.)
�24
Mrs. Elizabeth Bonn.
Mrs. Philena Davis, S. E.illingly.
n)Ir. Robert D. Dorrance, O:rjord, Ms.
nMrs. Lucy Dorrance,
do.
1836.
n)fr. Benjamin F. Durkee.
1837.
uMrs. Louisa Fisher.
1tMr. Stowell L. Weld, Provid ence, B. L
ui\Irs. Esther Jenks.
nllfiss S:irah Ann Davison. [Mrs. King.]
Mrs. Cynthia Dexter.
ul'lfrs. Eunice Dexter, Thompson.
1838.
*i\Irs. Sophia Leavens, Sturbridge, Ms.
*Mrs. Erasta Danielson, Thompson.
*Mrs. Harriet Law, Providence, B. L
*Mrs. Mary S. Segur, Thompson.
Mr. Nathan ·wood, S. Killingly.
1840.
*Mr. Augustus Hammett, N. Yorlc Oily.
*Mrs. Phebe W. Hammett,
do.
n.)Uss Lucy A. Lamb. [Mrs. E.1sterbrooks.]
u)Iiss Mary A. Lamb. [Mrs. Pierce.]
ui\Iiss Eliza E. Parkhurst.
[Mrs. Mahrs.]
uMiss Tamar i\L Davison. [Mrs. Buck.]
Miss Mary i\L Adams. [Mrs. Lillibridge.]
ui\frs. Amy A. Chamberlin.
*Miss Sally A. Dean. [i\frs. Card.]
uMr. Leonard Thompson, 1v. Killingly.
1t)frs. Abby Thompson,
do.
1841.
Mr. David A. Dean, Goventi-y,B. L
l\Irs. Sarah Rathbun, Lisbon, Gt.
1t)fr. James A. Fisher.
1t)Iiss Nancy H. Fisher.
*Mr. Joel Davison.
1tMr. Thomas i\I. HutchinE.
Miss Chloe P. Davison.
(Dec. 8, 1839.)
(Sept.-,
1839.)
(,June-, 1840.)
�25
*Mrs Lucy Comins, N. Killingly.
*Mr. Edmund Badger, Brooklyn.
*Mrs. Jane Badger,
do.
1842.
RMr. Ananias Austin.
RMrs. Althea Austin.
*Mrs. Nancy Hutchins.
RMiss Adeline A. Day. [lllrs. i,J,tes.J
Miss Julia R. Wilson. [Mrs. Pierce.]
tMr. Hezekiah D. Law.
Miss Ann Comins. [Mrs. Ward.]
RMrs. Cynthia Champion.
*Mrs. Peddy Pickering.
*MissJulia Ann Sparks. [Mrs. Logee.]
*Miss Almira Sparks. [Mrs. Wood.]
Mrs. Mary Arnold. [Mrs. Matthews.].
RMr. William B. Ames.
RMrs. Lucy Ann Ames.
Mr. Oliver B. Burnham.
Mrs. Margaret B. Burnham.
Mr. Danforth Newell.
*Mr. James H. Hutchins.
*Mr. Simon Spalding.
RMr. Samuel H. Grosvenor.
RMr. Joseph D. Bates.
RMr. Caleb H. Johnson.
tMr. William H. Chamberlin.
RMr. Richard R. Buck.
RMr. Isaac N .Cundall. (Rev.)
Mr. Leonard A. Tanner.
Mr. Francis Burroughs.
Mr. Elam C. Beach.
Mr. Charlas Stone.
RMr. Jesse S. Ely.
Mr. Henry Spalding.
n.Mr.Barnabas B. Hyde.
Mr. George W. Spalding.
tMr. Amasa Olney.
Mr. George W. Danielson.
Mr. Pardon Bennett.
Mr. William Comins.
BMiss Caroline Comins. [Mrs. Congdon.]
Miss Elizabeth Olney.
(Mch. 12, 186!.)
(May -, 1842.)
(Nov. 24, 1842.)
(Apr. 21, 1844.}
�26
Miss Eliza M. Tanner.
[Mrs. Comins.]
Mrs. Bethena Dean.
R..1dissMary E. Spalding.
fMiss Averilda Olney. [Mrs. Wiggins.]
Miss Emily E. Davison. [Mrs. Warner.]
RMr. Joseph W. Cundall.
*Mrs. Eliza Young.
*Miss Althea Hutchins.
&Miss Laura Ann Parkhurst.
[Mrs. Rathbun.]
Mrs. Phila Parker.
&Miss Zipporah Anu Webb. [Mrs. Chafee.]
fMiss Olive F. Rathbun.
[Mrs. Chamberlin.]
*Miss Lucy B. Chamberlin.
Mrs. Mary Davis.
Mrs. Jane Spalding.
*Miss Sophia Greenman, Thompson.
(May -, 1842.)
&Miss Susan M. Davis. [Mrs. Truesdell.]
fMr. Smith B. Chase.
Mr. Edward Davis.
Mrs. Elizabeth Rickard, Pomfret.
•Mr. William H. Hutchins.
Mrs. Mary Ann Newell.
•Mr. Zebina Adams.
-(Dec. 1, 1859.)
Mr. Lorenzo Lillibridge,
&Mr. Ebenezer P. Rathbun.
Mr. David A Gleason.
Mr. Edward A. Dean.
Mrs. Rhoda D. Adams.
Miss Emily Ann Adams.
Miss Lucy Ann Newell. [Mrs. Potter.]
Miss Angeline C. Woodworth.
Miss Marcia Ann Hyde. [Mrs. Sherman.]
Miss Elizabeth Ann Woodworth.
[Mrs. Moyses.]
"Miss Lydia L. Backus.
*Miss Rebecca W. Hutchins.
RMr. Samuel S. Sprague.
&Miss Esther P. Hutchins.
[Mrs. Sprague.]
Miss Ellen Williams.
&Mr. Joseph B. Whitmore.
Mr. William P. Spalding.
Mr. Calvin Cooper.
Mr. Stephen Rickard. Mr. Benjamin B. Parkhurst.
�27
Mr. Israel Simmons.
nMrs. Harriet B. Ely, N. Killingly.
RMrs. Jane Bassett . do. do.
nMiss Eliza A. Davis. [Mrs. Kingsley.]
nMrs. Martha Handall.
Miss Lucy J\{. Chase. [Mrs. Young.]
RMrs. Nancy F. Stone.
nMr. Leavens Jenks.
Mrs. Mary Ann Simmons.
nMr. Charles II. Fisher.
Mr. Edward L. CundalL
lliss M. L. Josephine Dean.
Miss Charlotte T. Danielson.
[Mrs. Capron.]
_Miss Lucy S. Danielson.
nMr. George I. Stearns. (Rev.)
Miss Mary Bassett. (Mrs. Spalding.]
Miss Elizabeth P. Newell.
Mrs. Anna Davison, Broolclyn.
nMr. Prosper Alexander.
nMiss Avis L. Rickard.
[Mrs : Burgess.l
nMr. Justin Hammond.
tMr. Peter Boss.
Mr. David E. Hall.
nMrs. Christiana Bartlett.
Mrs. Martha J. Boss.
nMr. Erastt1s D. Hutchins.
[Mrs. Segur.]
Miss Him-iet Cundall.
Miss Pamelia Spalding.
nMiss Emeline Johnson.
nMiss Lucy Elizabeth Johnson.
nMiss Betsy Randall.
[Mrs. Gilbert.]
nMiss Adelia Darby.
[Mr.s. Baker.]
RMr. Simon Spalding, 2d.
nMiss Abby C. Spalding.
Mrs. Sarah F. Danielson.
Mr. Joel Davison, Jr.
Mr. Daniel W. Davison.
Mrs. Dolly Niles.
*Mrs. Relief Hall.
nMrs. Lydia Ohiey.
Mrs. Betsy R. Ely, Broolclyn.
*Miss Olive Badger,
do.
Miss Laura Badger,
do.
[Mrs. Ashley.]
�28
nMrs. Bathsheba B. Sprague, Warren, Ms.
Mr. Edwin Ely, Harwinton.
nMrs. Mary Johnson, Thompson.
Miss Catherine A. Cundall, Bapt. Ohh. Plainfield. [Mrs. Hyde.]
*Mr. Arthur Gleason, Pomfret,.
nMrs. Sarah Gleason,
do.
Mr. William James,
do.
Mrs. Abigail W. James, do.
*Miss Lucy Backus.
*Miss Eunice Danielson.
1tMrs. Susan Hammond.
nMr. Jesse Handall.
tMr. William K. Kies.
*Mr. Henry Kies. (Rev.)
KMr. George W. Kies.
1844.
nMr. Daniel E. Day.
RMiss Abigail S. Stearns. [Mrs. Austin.]
Miss Lucy M. Brewster. [Mrs. Carpenter.]
Mrs. Lucy Brewster, .Hampton.
1845.
*.Mrs.Pamelia Angell, Ware Vill. Ms.
RMr. Ebenezer Kelly, N. Killingly.
nMrs. Esther Kelly.
do. do.
Mrs. Susan N. Leavans, Franklin, Gt.
rufr.Geo. A. Cundall.
nMrs. Mary E. Pinckney.
nMrs. Emily Bigelow, Brooklyn, Gt..
*Mrs. Clarissa Dexter, Pomfret,, Ot.
RMrs. Sarah Cundall, Norwich, Ot.
Miss Lydia Corey, W. Medway, Ms. [Mrs. Hawkins.]
1846.
Mr. Bishop T. Bliss, Townsend, Vt.
tMr. William Osgood, .Abington, Ct.
Mrs. Roxanna Bacon, Worcester, Ms.
*Mrs. Melora Carder, N. E.illingly.
Mr. John P. Chamberlin, Cincinnati, Ohw.
Mrs. Elizabeth P. Chamberlin, do.
do.
*Mr. Bela Carpente;, .Attleboro',Ms.
*Mrs. Mary C. Rice, Bapt. Chh., Pittsfield, Ms.
RMr. Charles H. Fuller, New York City.
RMrs. Martha Fuller,
do.
do.
�29
*lliss Ellen S. Day. [Mrs. Griggs.]
*Miss Mary D. Danielson. [Mrs. Jaques.]
*Miss Mary Danielson.
1847.
nMiss Sally Austin, N. Killingly, Gt.
Mrs. Hannah Pray, Pomfret, Ct.
nMr. Charles Allen, Westminster, Ct.
nMrs. Harriet Allen, Abington, Ct.
nMr. Joel Baker; Jr., Brooklyn, Ct.
nMrs. Matilda Converse.
JAN. 2, 1848.
nMr. Joseph B. Crandall, Buffalo, N. Y.
*Mrs. Maria Theresa Crandall.
McH. 6, 1848.
*Mr. Orlin Clark, Bradford, Vt.
Mrs. Orill C. Clark, do. do.
,
MAY 21, 1848,
nMr. Jarvis Crandall, ToUand, Gt.
RMrs. Harriet H. Crandall, Norwich, Ct.
RMiss Martha Jane Crandall, Plainfield, Ct. [Mrs. Richmond.]
RMiss Mary T. Crandall,
do.
do. [Mrs. Hull.]
JULY 2, 1848.
nMiss Emily M. Randall. [Mrs. _Perrin.]. .
Miss Elizabeth L. Tanner. [Mrs. Williams.]
SEPT. 3, 1848.
Mrs. Charlotte H. Jacobs, Lafayette St. Pres. Ghh. Buffalo, N. Y.
Nov. 12, 1848.
Miss Alce H. Williams, S. lfoodstoclc, Ct.
McH. 4, 1849• .
nMrs. Lydia R. Day, Raynham, Ms.
JULY 1, 1849.
Miss Charlotte H. Niles, Central Village, Gt. [Mrs. Thomas.]
Nov. 4, 1849.
nMr. Charles Hartwell, Amherst, JJ£s•.
nMiss Amelia D. Jones, B. Hadley, Ms.
McH. 3, 1850.
Mr. Nelson E. Williams, S. lVoodstoclc, Ct.
MAY 5, 1850.
&MissLucy E. Edmands, Meth. Chh. Lowell, Mass.
'
�30
JUNE
16, 1850.
rufr. Harley P. Angell, N. Scituate, R. L
RMrs. Waity C. Angell,
do.
do.
•Mrs. Lucretia H. Woodworth, E. Haddam, Gt.
•
OCT. 13, 1850.
Ri"\lrs.Caroline J. Hill, 1st Pres. Chh. Buffalo, N. Y.
Nov. 2, 1851.
n."\lrs. Margaret M. Rice, Pine St. Chh. Boston, Ms.
Nov. 16, 1851.
llr. John Waldo, Lisbon, Ct.
Mrs. Lydia Waldo, do. do.
Mca. 14, 1852.
Mrs. Abigail T. Burroughs.
Miss Hannah Howard. [Mrs. Sharp.]
Miss Clarissa A. Adams.
Miss Eliza M. Danielson.
:Mr. Henry Williams.
Mrs. Margaret Gardner, Central Vill., Ct.
RMrs; Jedidah Chamberlin, Bozrah, Ct.
MAY 16, 1852.
Mrs. Ellen Maria Hutchins, N. Killingly, Ct.
Miss Clarissa Day, S. Killingly, Ct.
Miss Harriet Day,
do.
do.
Nov. 7, 1852.
Mr. Rufus Robinson, 1st Chh. Pomfret, Ct.
Mrs. Nancy Robinson,
do.
do.
Nov· 6, 1853.
Miss Mary Frances Stearns. [Mrs. Root.]
Miss Abby Dexter. [Mrs. Crosby.]
Miss Mary Dexter.
RMr. Amos D. Lockwood, SlatersviUe; R. L
Rlfrs. Sarah F. Lockwood,
do.
do.
RMiss Sarah D. Lockwood,
do.
do. [Mrs. Danielson.]
Nov. 27, 1853.
Mrs. Harriet G. Carpenter, Eastford, Ct.
JULY 2, 1854.
Mr. Samuel Dorrance Day, 1st Pres. Ohh. Elicottville, N. Y.
Mr. Simon S. Waldo, 1st Ohh. Canterbury, Gt.
Mr. Ezra Hutchins, N. Scituate, R. L
Mrs. Mary Ann Cochrnn, Epis. Ohh. 7rinit11, Nevlfoundland.
�31
SEPT. 3, 1854.
•Mr. George B. Robinson, East Hampton.
Nov. 5, 1854.
Mrs. Mahala Allen, 1st Chh. Pomfret, Ct.
Mrs. Lucinda Fisher, do. do. do.
Mrs. Helen 0. Rickard, Pres. Chh. Hunter, N. Y.
Mr. Charles S. Hawkins.
McH. 4, 1855.
Mr. Orrin Ashley, Hampton, Ct.
RMrs. Diana Carder, Brooklyn, Ct.
McH. 25, 1855.
(Dec. 12, 1860.)
*Mr. Nathan Olds, Westminster, Ct.
Mrs. Lois A. Olds,
do.
do.
Mr. William B. Sprague, Scolland, Ct.
Mrs. Joanna Sprague,
do.
do.
MAY 6, 1855.
Miss Sarah Waldo, Canterbury, Ct. [Mrs. Wales.]
JULY 1. 1855.
Miss Adeline Barstow, Westminster, Ct.
Miss Hannah Hindley, Slatersville, R. L
Miss Clarissa Johnson, Cincinnatus, N. Y.
Mr. Horace Day, S. E.illingly, Ct.
Mrs. Annis R. Day, do.
do.
Mr. Edward Dexter.
Mr. Albert Danielson.
*Miss Ellen G. Danielson.
Miss Joanna D. James.
Miss Harriet P. James.
Miss Sarah S. Hall.
Miss Melissa L. Kies. [Mrs. Vaughan.]
Mrs. Marietta Davis. ·
•Miss Harriet G. Danielson.
Miss Harriet 0. Backus.
Miss Charlotte Tanner.
Miss Emily Danielson.
Miss Su!\11,nllf. Bacon.
Miss Harriet E. Bacon.
RMiss Maria Jane Tracy.
RMiss Mary Jane Bacon. [Mrs. Williams.]
Miss Emily Maria Smith. [Mrs. Cundall.]
Miss Julia A. Aldrich. [Mrs. Waldo.]
�32
nMiss Elizabeth S. Danielson. [Mrs. Cundall.]
Miss Elizabeth R. Drowne.
Miss Clarissa S. Waldo. [Mrs. Cook.]
Miss l\Iaria A. Davis. [}Irs. Darling.]
Mr. William Albert James. ·
nMr. Pliny Prat.t.
n1virs.Helen J. Pratt.
RMr. John W. Danielson.
nMr. Henry E. Simmons.
Mr. Nathan Olds, (Jr.)
nMiss Elizabeth E. Brown.
nMr. Isaa c Adams.
Mt. John Hutchins.
*Miss Hannah Hutchins.
Miss l\Iary Hutchins.
Miss Elizabeth Hutchins.
Mr. George H. Hutchins.
Miss Mary R: Da!lielson. [Mrs. Chollar.]
Miss Eliza F. Danielson. [Mrs. Ayer.
nMiss Susan S. Lester. [Mrs. Johnson.]
nMiss Mary F. Lester. [Mrs. Fuller.]
Mr. Ebenezer S. Young.
nMr. George A. Bacon.
Mr. Samuel ·D. Danielson.
Mr. Evan H. Malbone.
Mr. William H. Chollar.
Mr. Elisha Carpenter.
Mrs. Eliza M. Adams.
*Mr. Peleg R. Walker.
Mr. Francis P. Johnson.
Mr. Henry F. Hyde.
Mr. Samuel Hutchins.
nMiss Amelia D. F. Lockwood.
Miss Olive D. Adams.
Miss Emma R. Humes.
Miss Frances P. Davis.
Mis Cornelia J. Golder.
RMr. Martin W. Walker.
Miss Harriet A. Hutchins.
Miss Mary Ann Kies.
Mrs. Meleatiah C. Jackson.
*Mr. Edwin Waldo.
(Sept. 3, 1861.)
(Sept. s, 18.60.)
�Mr. Solomon Drowne.
Miss Mary L. Drowne.
Mrs. Susan L. Drowne.
Miss Elizabeth McFlynn.
Miss Charlotte W. Day.
[Mrs. McLaughlin.]
SEPT. 2. 1855.
Mrs. Mary Torrey Howe, N. Killingly.
Nov. 4, 1855.
Mrs. Emily Jencks, Slatersville, R. L
Mrs. Nancy Gallup, Pres. Ohh. York, Pa.
Mr. Joseph Danielson.
JAN. 6. 1856.
Mrs. Susan E. Miller, Pres. Chh. Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mr. Havilah M. Sprague.
.
,
JAN.-, 1857.
Mr. John Dexter, Richmond St. Chh. Providence, R. L
FEB.-, 1857.
Mrs. Emily Bigelow, Richmond St. Chh. Providence, R. L
JULY 12, 1857.
Mr. Henry Hutchins.
1tMr. Charles C. Cundall.
Mr. John D. Bigelow .
Mr. J. Augustus Spalding.
Mr. Robert Hughes.
Mr. Joseph C. Ayer.
Mr. James Danielson, Jr.
Mr."George Lloyd.
Mr. Edwin W. Davis.
Mr. Cyrus P. Green.
Mr. George E. Jewett.
Mr. William E. Simmons.
Mr. Edward T. Marvel.
Mr. Earl W. Fisher.
Mr. Benjamin W. Gallup.
Mrs Hannan S. Spalding.
1tMrs. Hannah M. Hughes,
nMrs. Emeline Angel.
Miss Ellen L. Davis.
1tMiss. Ann C. Tucker. [Mrs. Jackson,]
Miss Mary J. Dexter,
Miss Mary E. Hyde,
�34
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
t Miss
Miss
l\Iiss
Miss
Maria Hutchins.
Isabella Kerr.
Sarah E. Chamberlin.
Laura A. Chapman.
Lucy C. Card. [Mrs. Noyes.]
Sarah R. Fuller.
Elizabeth H. Coxon. [Mrs. Snow.]
Maranda Z. Leavans.
Ann Kerr.
SEPT. 6. 1857.
Mrs. Emily H. Humes.
RMiss Mary Jane Keigwin. [.Mrs. Barrows.]
Miss Jane E. Coon.
Miss Emma J. Stearns.
Miss Phebe E. Gordon.
JAN. 3, 1858:.
Mr. William C. Tucker.
Mr. Edwin A. Peckham.
Mr. Ahira Z. Kies.
Miss Caroline F. Bacon.
Miss Sarah G. Danielson.
Mrs. Lucy W. Chamberlin.
RMiss Harriet A. Chamberlin.
[Mrs. Little.]
---,
1858.
Mrs. Harriet N. Hyde.
Miss Calista Bacon.
Miss Ellen A. Oatley.
Mrs. Adeli:-, A. Hutchins.
Mr. William M. Johnson.
Mr. Herbert S. Danielson.
Mr. Thomas IC Bates.
Mrs. Mary Jane Bates.
Mrs. Harriet L. V. Chamberlin.
Miss Emily Fuller.
[Mrs. Lathrop.]
Mrs. Rnth L. Chapman.
Miss H. Frances Weld.
Mrs. Mary Hutchins.
*Miss Mary Ann Day.
"Mr. Roswell Whitmore, (Rev.) By LeUer.
(April 2, 1861.)
Mr. Stowell L. Weld, 1st. Pres. Ghh. Syracuse, N. Y.
"llfr. Henry G. Dunham, High St. Gong. Ghh. Providence, R. L
Mr. Elijah M. Jackson, Gong. Ghh. W. Woodstock, Gt.
�35
Mr. Cyrus Coburn, Meth. Chh. Lowell, Mass.
Mrs. Sarah T. Coburn, do.
do.
do.
Mr. Elisha L. Potter, Lisbon, Ct.
RMr. T. T. Waterman, (Rev.) Cong. Chh. Winona, Minn.
Mrs. Ludentia A. Weld, 1st. Pres. Chh. Sy1·acuse, N. Y.
n::IIrs. Almira B. Dunham, Richmond St. Chh. Providence. R. L
RMiss Hannah E. Dunham, Cong. Chh. Central Village, Ct.
RMiss Anna Maria Woodward, Wauregan, Ct.
Mrs. Cynthia Bemis, S. Royalston, Mass.
•Mrs. Lucy Ripley, Windham, Ct.
Mrs. Abigail A. Adams, Windham, Ct.
Mrs. Amy Wood, S. Killingly, Ct.
Mrs. Abigail Whitcomb, Meth. Chh. rV. KiUingly, Ct.
Mrs. Emma Hammond, Brooklyn, Ct.
Mrs. Maria S. Potter, Plainfiel,d, Ct.
RMrs. Delia S. Waterman, Cong. Chh. Winona, Minn.
RMiss Lucy M. Waterman,
do
do.
do.
Mrs. Nancy A. Dewing, Westminster, Ct.
Mrs. Mary D. Peckham, Bapt. Chh. Waktjield, R. 1.
Mrs. Nancy P. Hall, Sutton, Mass.
Jan.-,
1859.
RMrs. Elizabeth McAlister.
Mch. -, 1859.
'"Mrs. Bathsheba M. Pratt.
(Feb,. 25. 1861.)
May-,
1859.
Mr. Van Buren Dye.
Mrs. Charlotte Brown.
July-,
1859.
Mrs. Fanny A. Leavens.
Mrs. Mary P. Hammett.
Sept. -, 1859.
Mr. George S. Truesdell, Dayville, Ct.
Mrs. Susan M. Truesdell,
do.
do.
Mrs. Eliza E. Mahrs, Medway, Mass.
Nov. -,
Miss Romelia L. Peckham.
JAN.-,
Miss Mary Curtis. [Mrs Arnold.]
Miss Rhoda M. Adams.
Miss Sarah Kerr.
Miss Mary Russell.
1859.
1860.
�36
Mrs. Sarah Kerr, Meth. Chh. Ireland.
May-,
1860.
Miss Julia E. Jencks.
Mrs. Jane H. Humes, Meth. Church in Iowa.
Mrs. Eliza Thompson,
Mrs. Ella T. Clapp,
--
-,
1860.
Bapt. Chh. E. Greenwich, R. L
do.
do.
.
Aug. 30, 1861.
Mr. William W. Davenport. (Rev.) Eliot (;hh. Roxbu1-y.
Nov. 1, 1861.
Mrs. Anna B. Williams, Central Vill. Ct.
J.A.N. 3, 1862 ..
Mrs. Josephine A. Hutchins, Richmond St. Ohh. Providence, R. _L
t:,
SUMMARY.
MARCH
Received from other churches,
~ "
on profession of faith,
Total,
Dismissed to other churches,
Removed by death,
Excommunicated,
Total,
Present Members, •
1, 1862 •.
Hales.
57
235
Females.
130
373
Total.
187
608
292
503
795
78
72
20
131
137
5
209
209
25
170
273
443
122
230
352
�37 _
P R ESE~
T
)1
E _\f B E R S .
::\L,ncH 1, 1862.
A.,lams, Abigail A.
Adams, Almira C.
Adams , Clarissa A.
Adams. Eliza :\I.
Adams ; Emily Ann.
Adams, Olive D.
Adams, Rhoda D.
Adams, Rhoda M.
Allen, :Mahala .
.-\.mold, ::\Iary C.
Ashley, Orrin.
Ashley, Laura B.
Ayer, Joseph C.
Ayer, Eliza F.
Backus, Harriet O.
Backus, Sarah Anna.
Bacon, Abner F.
Bacon, Amy C.
llacon, Calista C.
Bacon. Caroline F.
Bacon; Harriet E.
Bacon, Lucy.
Bacon, Roxani;ia.
Bacon, Susan l\I.
Bacon, William C.
Bacon, Mary A.
Barstow, Adeline.
Bassett, Eliza.
Bates, Thomas IC.
Bates, l\fary Jane.
Beach, Elam C.
Bemis, Cynthia.
Bennett, Pardon.
Bigelow, John D.
Bigelow, Emily.
Bliss, Bishop T.
Bliss , Julia A.
Bonn, Elizabeth.
Boss , ::\Iartha J.
Brewster, Abby F.
Brewster . Luer.
Brown, Charlotte.
Burnham. Olin•r B.
Burnham ; ::\largarei B.
Burroughs, Francia.
Burroughs, Abigail 'f.
Burroughs, Horace.
Burroughs, Henrietta S.
Bushnell, Harriet.
Bnssey. James.
Capron, Orville M.
Capron, Charlotte T.
Carpenter, Elisha.
Carpenter, Harriet C.
Carpenter. Lucy J\f.
Chamberlin, Harriet L. V.
Chamberlin , John P.
Chamberlin, Elizabeth P.
Chamberlin, Lucy W.
Chamberlin, Sarah E.
Chapman, Laura A.
Chapman, Ruth L.
Chollar, William.
Chollar, William H.
Chollar Mary R.
Clapp, Ella T.
Clark, Daniel L.
Clark, Orill C.
Cobnrn, Cyrus.
Coburn, Sarah T.
Cochran, Mary Ann.
Comins, William.
Comins, Eliza 111.
Cook. Clarissa S.
Coon; Jane E.
Cooper, Calvin.
Crosby, Abby D.
Cundall, Edward L.
�38
Cundall, Emily :Ilaria.
Danielson, Adah.
Danielson, Adam B.
Danielson, :IIelancia W.
·
Danielson, Albert.
Danielson, Aurelia.
Dn,nielson, Elisha.
Danielson, Sarah F.
Danielson, Eliza l\I.
Danielson, Emily.
Danielson , George.
Danielson, Harty.
Danielson, George W.
Danielson , Herbert S.
Danielson , Hezekiah L.
Danielson, Laura 8.
Danielson, Jane.
Danielson , Jame~, Jr.
Danielson, Joseph.
Danielson , Lucy S.
Danielson , Samuel D.
Danielson. Samuel S.
Danielson; Esther W.
Danielson, :lfrs. Sarah G.
Danielson, :Miss Sarah G.
Darby , Rebecca F.
Darling, :Ilaria A.
Davenport, Williaµ:i ,Y.
Davis, Edward.
Davis , Marietta.
Davis , Edwin W.
Davis, Ellen L.
Davis, Frances P.
Da,·is. Horace E.
Dcivis, Mary.
Davis, Philena.
Da,·ison, Anna.
Davison. Chloe P.
Davison, Daniel W.
Davison, Joel.
Dav, Char lott e ·w.
Day, Clarissa.
Day, Harriet.
Day. Horace.
Day, Annis .R. ·
Da.v, Lucinda.
Day. Luther.
Day, Emily F.
Day, Samuel Dorrnnc!'.
Dean. Bethena.
Dean. Da,·id·A.
Dean, Ed1nnl1l1 A.
Dean , :ILL. Josephine.
De,ving, .Nancy A.
Dexter, Cynthia S.
Dexter, Edward.
Dexter, John.
Dexter, Jonathan.
Dextn·, Sophia F.
Dexter, Marvin A.
Dexter, :lfary Ann.
Dexter, :lfary.
Dexter. :lfarv J.
Drowne. Blizaheth R.
Drowne , ::\.fary L.
Drowne, Solomon.
Drowne, Snsan L.
Dve. Yan Buren.
D)'er, William L.
Ely, Edwin.
Ely, Betsy R.
Fisher.
Fisher;
Fisher.
Fisher,
Fnll<'r,
Fuller.
Da,id .
Lucinda· P.
Earl W.
Welcome S.
Clarissa R.
ll'illiam.
Gallup, Bt>njamin W.
Gallup, Xancy.
Gardner, ::\.Iargaret.
Gleason. David ,L
Golder, Cornelia .J.
Gordon. Phehc E.
Green. Cvrns P.
Gn•cn. Li1cy K.
Ilall, Darid E.
Hall, Nancy P.
Hall, Sarah S.
Hammett, Erast us.
1-IammPtt, Priscilla.
Hammett. Marv P.
Ilammonll, Emma.
Handall, Roby.·
Hawkins. Char les 8.
Hawkins. Lnlia C.
Ilindlc) •.·Hannah.
Holbrook, Lurana W.
Howe, :l[ary T. ·
Ho?lc. Sall.v.
�39
lie\·nolds. :S,1lly.
Hovle. Snsan.
Hughes. Robert.
Hume s, Emil.v, H.
Hn1ncs, ·E,n1na R.
Humes, Jane II.
Hutchins, Elizabf'th.
Hutchins. Ezra.
Hutchins, George 11.
Hutchins, Harriet A.
Hutchins. Henry.
Hutchins, :11rs. )far~ ·Hntchins, Isaac '1'.
Hlltchins. Abilene lf.
Hutchins, John.
llutchins, Adelia A.
llutchins, Josephine A.
Hutchins. :\Iaria.
Hntchins, :\Jiss :'l[ary.
IIutchiirn, Samuel.
Hutchins, Ellen :Maria.
Hutchins, Sarah.
Hyde. Catherine A.
Hyde. Harriet X
Hycll'. 1-Ianiet Y.
Hyde, Hcmy F.
Hyde, Henry \\'illiam.
Hyde, :\far:, E.
Jackson , Elijah :\J.
Jackson , :'lfeleatiah C.
Jacob s, Charlotte n .
.fame s. Harriet P.
James. ,Joanna D.
,Jame s; William.
,James, Abigail W.
.fanw s, William Albert.
.Jencks, Emily .
.Jenck s . Julia E.
Jewett, George E.
.rohnson, Clarissa.
Johnson, Francis l'.
.Johnson, :\Iary Ann.
Johnson. ililliam 11.
Kerr, Ann.
Kerr , Isahella.
Kerr, )frs. Sarah .
Kerr, :lfiss Sarah.
Kies, Ahir;i, Z.
KiPs. :\fa1·y .'rnn.
Kinne_Y. Roxanna U.
Lamb. Lyman.
Lamh. Leona L.
Lathrop, Emil~·.
Lrn\·, George.
L<'a,·ans, Geoxg<' 11.
Lea \·ans, :\Iarancla .Z.
Lea.ran~, Sn!=-anX.
Leavens, Fanny A.
Lillibridge, Lorenzo .
Lillib1·idge, :\far.v :;II.
Lloycl. Georg(•.
:\Iahr~, Eliza E.
:\Jal Lone. Ernn l L
:\lan·el, Edwanl 'I'.
:\fatthe,1·s, :\fan A.
·
JfcLaughlin, fjizaheth -:'IL
)filler, .'lnsan E.
:\Ior~e, Lydia B.
)fowry, Anthony.
:'lfowry, :\Iartha.
.\Ioyses, Eliza beth A.
:\Inn roe, Jlai)· _\nn.
.:\'ewell, Danforth.
XPwell, Mary Ann.
Xewell, Elizabeth P.
Xichols . Celia D.
Xilcs, George• A.
::\'iles, Dolly.
Xo_v(•s, L11cy C.
Oatlev. Ellen A.
Olds, 'Lois A.
Olds , Nathan.
Olnc•,v, Elizabeth .
Parker. Phila.
Parkhurst, Benjamin B.
Peckham, Edwin A.
Peckham, :\Iary D .
Peckham, Romelia L.
Perry. Lucy.
Pierce. Julia R.
Potter, Elisha L.
Pottel'. J\Iaria S.
Potter. Lncy A.
Pra:v. Hannah.
Rathbun, Rarah.
Reynolds. Ramn<'L
�40
Reynolds. Blizabeth.
Richmond, Polly.
Rickard, Helen 0.
Rickard, Stephen.
Rickard, Elizabeth.
Robinson, Rufus.
Robinson, Nancy.
Root, Mary Frances.
Russell, Mary.
Segur, Harriet C.
Sharp, Hannah H.
Sherman, Marcia A.
Simmons, Israel.
Simmons, Mary Ann.
Simmons, William E.
Snow, Elizabeth H.
Spalding, George W.
Spalding, Hannah S.
Spalding, Henry.
Spalding, Jane.
Spalding, J. Augustus.
Spalding, ~fary B.
Spalding, Pamelia.
Spalding, William P.
Sprague, Havilah M.
Sprague, William B.
Sprague Joanna H.
Stearns, Emma J.
Stearns, Jemima Y.
Stearns, Mary.
Stone, Charles.
Tanner, Charlotte.
Tanner, Deborah.
Tanner, Leonard A.
'fanner, Phillips.
Tanner, Sally.
Thomas. Charlotte H.
'rhompson, Eliza.
Tiffany, Edmund P.
Tiffany, Harriet 0. A.
Titus. Jane C.
'l'rnesdell, George 8.
'l'ruesdell, Susan :;\l.
Tucker, iVilliam C.
Yanghan,
:\Ielis~a L.
\Valdo, John.
Waldo, Lydia.
"\Valdo, Simon S.
Waldo, Julia A.
'\Vales, Sarah W.
"\Vanl, Ann C.
W amer Emily E
Warren; Sally D. ·
iVashburn, Phebe C.
iYeld, H. Frances.
Weld, Stowell L.
Weld, Lu\:lentia A.
Whitcomb, Abigail.
·Whitmore, Cyrus.
Whitmore, Lucy.
Whitmore, Harriet X.
,,'hitmore, Zolva.
Williams, Anna B.
Williams, Ellen.
1Villiams. Alce H.
Williams; Henry.
Williams, Nelson E.
Williams, Elizabeth L.
\Vilson, Daniel.
1Yilsou, Zadoc.
\Vilson, Anna.
Winsor, Cordelia W.
Wood, :\'athan.
iVood, Arny.
Woodworth, Angeline C.
Wooclworth, Giles.
Woodworth, Sarah Ann.
Young, Ebenezer 8.
Young. Lncy :'IL
��
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3110/WESTFIELD-CONGREGATIONAL001.jpg
31beb0e714309e2c5466d87edcef158c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA7177870070003451&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&search_scope=WCSU&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US">Link to Primo record</a>
<a href="http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_K5_W47_1862/#page/1/mode/2up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page turner version</a>
Title
A name given to the resource
Articles of faith and covenant of the Westfield Church, West Killingly, Ct. : with a list of members, March 1, 1862
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
F104.K5 W47 1862
34023001507401
Description
An account of the resource
40 p. 18 cm
Subject
The topic of the resource
Westfield Congregational Church (West Killingly, Conn.)
Danielson (Conn.) -- Church history
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Danielsonville [Conn.] : Printed at the Transcript Office,
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Westfield Congregational Church (West Killingly, Conn.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1862
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
This church was established in 1801 by an ecclesiastical council of pastors and delegates from the Congregational churches in Brooklyn, Plainfield, North Killingly and South Killingly.<br /><br />This volume contains an historical note, Covenant of Faith, Rules and a catalog of members.<br /><br />For additional historical information, see:<br /><br /><a title="http://westfielducc.org/our-history/" href="http://westfielducc.org/our-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://westfielducc.org/our-history/</a>
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
965553c6-2170-4b6b-bf5e-3e864752e674
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3106/F104_W24_W37_1902.pdf
6e7d5171565e314ed45c65f437766ae1
PDF Text
Text
T
HE
. ONE
HUNDRETH
A N N I V E RS A RY of the
Wapping Congregational Meeting House
Erected
1801
and Occupied
1802
in South Windsor,
Connecticut
OCTOBER ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH
NINETEEN
HUNDRED
& TWO
���..
���REV.
J.
E. HURLBUT.
��3
SATURDAY MORNING.
Service at 10.30.
Organ Voluntary.
Doxology.
Rev . F. R. Waite
Scripture Reading,
Gloria.
Rev. E. E. Colburn
Prayer-(Response
by Choir), ·
Anthem-"Great
is the Lord."
Opening Address,
The Pastor, Rev. J. E. Hurlbut
Responses. Rev. Roscoe Nelson
Rev. D. E. Jones
Rev. C. A. Jaquith
Rev. E. W. Burch
Rev. W. F. English, Ph. D. Rev. W. Stanley Post
Hymn 603--"Glorious
Things of Thee are Spoken."
Benediction.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
Service at 2.00.
Organ Voluntary.
Anthem-"Praise
God."
Prayer-(Response
by Choir),
Rev. W. B. Tuthill
Address,
Rev. C. H. Barber
Historical Addresses,
Dea. C. C. Vinton and W. A. Howe
Anthem-"Let us Kneel before the Lord."
Reminiscent Addresses,
J. M. Talcott and Mrs. E. S. Bissell
Hymn 597-"Blest be the Tie that Binds."
Benediction.
SUNDAY MORNING.
Service at 10.45.
Organ Voluntary.
Doxology.
Invocation.
Gloria.
Bible Reading-(Response
Anthem.
Baptism of Children.
by Choir).
�4
Prayer.
Mrs . Alice Ewell
Solo--''The Planes of Peace, "
Rev.
W . S. Hawkes
Sermon,
Lord
God
Almighty
.''
Hymn 1-"Holy,
Holy, Holy!
Benediction.
Sunday School Service.
SUNDAY EVENING.
Service at 7 .00.
Praise Service--Old Time Hymns and other selections .
Sermon,
Rev . E . N. Hardy
Hymn 599-"I Love Thy Kingdom , Lord."
Benediction.
�s
PASTORS.
1765---1800
MATTHEWROCKWELL, \
MosEs TUTHILL,
f
July 10, 1829-1832
HENRY MORRIS,
July, 1832-May 1, 1835
DAVID L. HUNN,
June 29, 1836--April 29, 1840
Installed,
MARVINRooT,
Jan.-,
1843
Supply,
0. F. PARKER,
o. F. PARKER, Ordained and Installed,
Jan. 3, 1844-Oct. 24, 1848
WM. WRIGHT,
Installed,
Aug. 22, 1854-May 1, 1865
W. S. HAWKES, Ordained and Installed,
Nov. 12, 1868-Mar. 31, 1871
CHARLESDRAKE, Supply,
1871
STEPHEN FENN,
1873; died Feb. 19, 1875
HENRY E. HART,
June 20, 1875-June,
1878
CHAS. N. FLANDERS,"
Nov., 1878-Jan.6,
1884
GEO. A. BRYAN,
May 1, 1884-Nov. 1, 1886
DANIEL PHILLIPS,
April 1, 1887-April 1, 1388
G. 0. McINTYRE,
May, 1888-Aug. 1, 1889
E. N. HARDY,
Aug., 1889-Sept.
1, 1890
F. M. HOLLISTER,Ordained and Installed,
Dec. 31, 1890--Apr. 5, 1892
C. A. REDGRAvE, Supply-,
June 1, 1892-June
1, 1895
W. STANLEYPosT, "
Oct. 1, 1895---April 1, 1900
Oct. 1. 1900JOHN E. HURLBUT, "
THE CENTURY CYCLE.
The centuries have run their round,
The Fathers sleep beneath the ground.
God's acres hold their precious dust,
While God, in whom they put their trust,
Their spirits keep against that day
When heaven and earth shall pass away
And kingdoms be, by promised word,
The kingdoms of His Christ, our Lord.
Whence came these men of courage tried
Who for their faith had gladly died
If by their death that faith could be
God's gift to lands beyond the sea?
In ancient annals we may read,God sifted nations for this seed.
The rack, the dungeon, sword and stake,
Where martyrs died for Jesus' sake,
This dreadful work of sifting did.
�6
Then God, in Holland, this seed hid
Until, beyond the swelling wave,
Columbus to the old world gave
A continent so grand and great
That God no longer had to wait.
His time had come to plant this seed,
The world's great hope, the world's great need,
That long to Him for help had cried,
In Pilgrim met and satisfied.
These men of sturdy faith and mold
Sought not this land for greed of gold,
But love of God and truth and right,
And as God said, "Let there be light,"
And on creation's night there broke
That light that into being woke
Those starry hosts that made this world,
As round the throne of God it whirled,
The home of races yet unborn:
So broke for liberty God's morn.
From tyrant's shackles faith set free
When God said, "Let the Pilgrims be."
'Tis true that with the Pilgrim band
There later came to this fair land
The Puritan of faith the same.
From this twin stock the courage came
That made the Saxons pioneers,
Not taking counsel of their fears,
But westward pressing, thither led,
By Southern Cross above their head
Last seen by eyes in Eastern sky
When Christ upon the cross did die,
Till globe encircled this hosts' van
Came back where journey they began.
Not here need we these names rehearse,
For oft before, in poets' verse,
These names with reverence have been told,
As novice counts her beads of gold
And with each bead, breathes forth a prayer,
So midst the nations everywhere
These names are found as incense rare.
Thus has it come to pass that we
From all these lands those rivulets see
That have been as a river grand
To water and enrich this land,
For when Old Glory waves above
With liberty men's hearts must move,
And peoples of all clime and race
�7
With those to manor born take place
As citizens, their lives to give
To make America to live,And while this alchemy shall hold
To change all metals into gold,
The gold of character and right,
We still shall be the beacon light
Of hope to nations yet unborn
And lead to God's Millennial Morn.
But let us now a short time look
Upon the page of open book
That gives us views of long ago,
That these men we may better know.
Not palaces of marble white
That shine as pearls in sunshine bright,
Or blaze at night with lights that seem
Creations of Aladdin's dream,
Filled with a furniture so fine
That in its making and design
Artistic skill its zenith found.
Not this, but huts of logs, where ground
Made hard by usage was the floor,
No glass for windows or for door,
With furniture of homely make,These were their homes where morn did wake
The hymn of praise to God who gave
His Son from sin the world to save,
And with the hymn the heartfelt prayer
For this, God's fellowship and care
In all the work of each new day.
At night, e'er head on pillow lay,
The praise again for blessings brought,
The prayer that for protection sought
As night, with perils new, drew nea,r.
Not that these men knew aught of fear,
But in new countries, with the fight
To wrest from Nature in her might
The treasures of her wooded soil
That call for sacrifice and toil,
Another conflict must be fought
As savage beast and foe oft sought
Their life blood. What! have we forgot
The Deerfield massacre?
That spot
But one of many in this land
Where suddenly an Indian band
From far off Canada swooped down
As hawk on prey, and morning found
But smoking ruins left to tell
�8
Of those who in death's struggle fell,
Or captive to a cruel foe
Stained with their blood the winter's snow,
Till Canada was reached to be
The place of their captivity.
Have we forgotten this? Then we
Know naught of cost of liberty .
.And with these homes of praise and prayer
Went meetinghouse that everywhere
Was centre of each hamlet's life,
I ts presence stilling angry strife,
As mother, 'mid her girls and boys
With loving counsel, keeps peace poise,
And helps her children strong to grow,
And in the ways of wisdom go,
The meetinghouse and home to be
The hands of Christianity;
And here in W apping hamlet came
This meetinghouse that place to claim
One hundred years ago, for then
We find, writ by a woman's pen:
"Today, for which let God be praised,
A meetinghouse was safely raised."
June third that day, yet year went by
And fall with flaming torch drew nigh
As forest trees with colors bright
Flashed with a thousand rays of light
Before the house completed stood
Pronounced by those who saw it good,
For if we should this house compare
With meetinghouses everywhere
One hundred years before this day,
Then of this building we would say,"A palace as compared with hut."
Of course with architectural strut
Of present day, this is not true,
But I would rather this church view
Than many that this name now bear
Whose wondrous shapes not anywhere
In earth or sky or sea are found,
And which with echo so abound
That preacher's voice is made to be
As droning bug or buzzing bee.
�9
Since then, some changes have been made,
The floor been lifted up and laid
Where it is now; below you see
The old floor as it used to be,
The old square pulpit, where the Word
With no uncertain sound was heard,
But with heart passion all aflame,
"Thus saith the Lord," the message cameThe galleries that circled round
Where unnailed floors gave out a sound
Quite deafening, as the youngsters' feet
Their tipping surface used to meet.
For here it was the children sat
To often feel the warning pat
Of tithing master's ruling stick
'Gainst which it was no use to kick,
For no despotic prince or king
Did rod of might or justice swing
With more determined zeal and sway
Then tithing master of that day.
And of these boys one pastor said
That oft, into temptation led
By jackknife, of the ancient kind,
"Much ingenuity of mind"
Did show, constructing their profile
On wall in quaint artistic style.
Which was but their prophetic ken
Of what they did when they were men
To make their mark in Church and State.
So if development be late,
These noisy boys,-yes,
girls as well,Will yet to generations tell
What good New England stock can do
When time and tact has worked it through.
These both long since have passed from view:
Like preacher and like people too,
They had their day, their work did well,
And we are here of this to tell
And honor give to these true men
Who served their age with sword and pen,
And hoes as well, for we of late
Have had this man brought down to date,
"The man with hoe," by poet's ken
The grandest of God's noblemen.
�IO
One hundred years they worshipped here:
The bridal train, the funeral bier
Passed up these aisles. The words were said
Before men laid from sight their dead
In graveyard, as in England found
To compass meetinghouse around.
That comfort gave and hope and life
When soul was tost with passion's strife,
Or godly counsel well applied
To hearts of groom and blushing bride,
That joy which overflowed them then
Might not rest in the hope of men
But God, whose joy could only be
That which should last eternally.
From out these homes, the children went,Their strength and wisdom gladly lent
To make the town, the city, state,
To be as they today are ·great,
This nation of all nations found
In liberty to most abound,
In righteousness and justice too,
Its part in God's great work to <lo.
We have not time today in verse
These noble deeds to all rehearse,
But what is better, let men see
Their virtues in our lives to be,
And when this Anniversary Day
Of century that has passed away
Will blossom in the centurv new .
To make us noble, strong and true,
Our work for God to grandly do.
This is the welcome we extend
As you these services attend.
Our Church, our homes, our hearts, throw wide,
While as our guests you here abide.
JOHN E. HURLBUT.
�9
PAPER
BY DEACON
VINTON
In the history of the settlement of the Town of East Windsor, the people living on the east side of the "great River" had
become so numerous that they petitioned and obtained leave
of the General Court to establish separate worship.
Some of the names of the forty-four men who signed this
petition were Nathaniel Bissell, Samuel Grant, Samuel Rockwell, Thomas Stoughton,
John Stoughton,
Simon Wolcott.
Such liberty was granted by the Court, May 10, 1694, under the
name of Windsor farm.
The services of Timothy Edwards were secured the November following, and he commenced his labors among this scattered
people.
The families to which Mr. Edwards ministered were scattered
upon one long winding path, a little way back from Connecticut
Meadows, which reached from Hartford town line, four miles
below his home, to an equal distance above.
This road, which
at the first was only a rude bridle path, was gradually improved
and enlarged, as the years passed on, until it became to be
known at the Street, a name which still continues in common
use and distinguishing it from all other roads in this vicinity.
Mr. Edwards was ordained in 1698-his
ministry lasting
more than sixty-three years-only
ending by his death in 1758during which time parishes had been established, one in Ellington, in 1735, and another parish on the east side of the river
under the memorial of Thomas Grant and others, subscribing
thereunto, inhabitants
of Wapping, on east side of second
Society in Windsor.
Leave was granted in 1761, in consequence
of their distance from the place of public worship, that they
might be a half ecclesiastical parish, and for five months in the
year might procure preaching themselves, and be exempt from
taxation in the old parish during that portion of each year.
This peculiar organization long ago ceased to exist, but may be
regarded as a forerunner of the present Congregational Church
in Wapping.
We have
then the somewhat
remarkable
fact of four
ecclesiastical parishes existing upon the east side of the Connecticut River, within the limit of the ancient town of Windsor,
before the Town of East Windsor itself came into being.
About the year 1700, and following, settlements were being
made in Wapping and vicinity, which for a time made themselves accommodated
by attending
services in the Second
Society, but as the roads were extremely bad they petitioned
for winter privileges-that
is-hire
a minister for six months
in the year-or,
during the winter months.
This seemingly
reasonable request was for many years neglected, but was finally
conceded.
�10
The first meetinghouse
was under the title of a schoolhouse,
about 1765, and it stood near the present parsonage
of the
Congregational
Society.
The windows were boarded up above
and only those below were glazed.
This church edifice became so dilapidated
that the six
months' winter privileges were extended to eight by leave of
the General Court; the warm weather
was substituted
for
winter.
The people worshipped
the rest of the season with
the Society in the "Street,"
which invited them to do so, free
of tax.
Their edifice was us ed onl y spring, summer and fall,
until it became so entirely out of repair , as to acquire the appellation of the "W apping barn" and was pulled down in 1789,
by some young men, out on a frolic.
After some delay a church edifice was designed, and the
frame for the structure
was raised in 1801, and is the one in
which we now worship.
rt · stood a year without
covering.
In 1802, a subscription
was raised to cover the building and
glaze the windows.
The pulpit and seats were rough and
unfinished.
A pillow with clean case was carried ever y Sunday
and placed on the pulpit for a cushion.
The building was
erected by people of different denominations
living in Wapping
on a mission plan.
The Congregationalists
were to become sole proprietors b y paying the others - which they did in 1816 and 1817.
In 1829, money was raised by subscription
to lath and
plaster the house, build a breast work around the gallery ', and
a pulpit, at which time the settees were removed and the repairs
which were contemplated
were completed.
Services
were
continued in the house during the following years, up to the year
of 1843, when the Rev. 0. F. Parker commenced
his labors
here, and through his efforts the building was changed to its
present plan and shape.
1
PAPER
BY WM. A. HOWE.
We celebrate today the Centennial of the occupanc y of this
house of worship, and though for thirty years it was in an
unfinished
state, here worshipped
the fathers and mothers,
and today their children meet to recall the past, and to look
forward with hope to the future.
It is well for us to remember those who laid the foundations
of our Church and of our State, those who, amid perils and
privations,
planted what we are now enjoying, the fathers and
mothers of our own goodly Connecticut.
The Pilgrim Fathers came to New England first, and we
give them due honor, but there were others beside those who
came in the Mayflower.
New England had its Winthrops,
its
Cotton, its Hooker, its Eaton, its Davenport,
and others, the
Puritan Fathers of Massachusetts
Bay and of Connecticut.
There were wide diversities of view, not only as between the
�II
Pilgrims and the Puritans, but equally wide differences among
the Puritan Fathers of Massachusetts Bay. John Cotton and
Thomas Hooker were the leaders in opposing views concerning
both church and civil affairs. Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield were settled by those who were in sympathy with Hooker,
corning mostly from Dorchester, Newtown, now Cambridge,
and Watertown.
We have descendants of the early settlers
of each of these towns in our church and congregation.
Thomas Hooker and his friends did not favor independency,
so we find in the further development of the Connecticut church
order, a closer relationship between the churches than prevailed
in the mother colony of Massachusetts, and under the Consociation System our churches grew and prospered, and when
many of the old churches of Massachusetts became Unitarian,
our Connecticut churches , with but one exception, stood firm
on the old foundations.
The three towns in 1639, formed the first known written
Constitution in the world. Here in Connecticut were laid the
foundations of our State and of the Nation.
Our fathers of Connecticut gave the right to vote in civil
affairs to those who were not members of the church, while
Massachusetts restricted it to church members only, and very
naturally Connecticut attracted rnany settlers who were not
members of churches.
Though the settlers of these three towns
brought with them churches already organized, these churches
were very small as compared with the number of inhabitants.
Wethersfield in 1640, with more than sixty families, had but
seven male church members, and the churches of Hartford and
Windsor, though probably larger, were also small, though no
very definite statement as to numbers is given.
In some of our early settlements the church organization
did not come in till several years after. In a Connecticut town
settled in 1640, there was no church organization for a period
of sixty-seven years, though there was a succession of ministers
and a house of worship.
Our Puritan forefathers insisted on having the meetinghouse
and the public worship of God, even when they were not associated together in church estate, and the towns not only supported the same, but compelled attendance on the Sabbath
Day. In 1669, one town was negligent in the matter, and the
General Court or Assembly of Connecticut resolved, "if the sayd
people's prudent consideration do not move them to make such
provision of a suitable person, sound and orthodox in his principles and apt to teach, so approved by 'four neighboring ministers who were named,' the Court will themselves procure and
settle a preaching minister amongst them and take sufficient
order that he be maintayned by them at their next session."
It was not the idea of our fathers that the church organization alone was responsible for the support of public worship,
but it was like the school, a public necessity, for the benefit of
�12
all , and to be paid for from the public treasur y, and the rates
paid by those who w ere Episcopalians
or Baptists were paid
for the support of tho se churches; all oth ers paid to the Congr egationalists,
and this was the law till 1816.
In 1694, the part of Windsor on the east side of the river
was incorporated
as a distinct societ y, and after 1700 the mor e
eastern portion of Windsor began to be settled . In 1735, th e
northeastern
section was made a society b y the name of Ellington , and in 1757 the societ y of North Windsor was incorporated.
The di v iding line began at the mouth of Scantic River , following
it to the crossing of th e road leading to Enfield , thence following
the line of the Stiles lot to the east end of the three mile lots,
thence on a lin e parallel to th e north line of Hartford to th e
east part of the town and the Ellington line. This line runs
by Mr . Nevers' place, farther east b y Mr . Hosmer's and a little
below Mr. J. A. Belknap 's, to a point just north of W. A. Howe 's,
which point is the southeast corner of the old North or Scantic
parish; thence the line ran northerly
past the house of Mrs.
E. S. Bissell to the southwest corner of Ellington .
The same year, 1757, Benjamin Stoughton, Dani el Rockwell ,
Daniel Skinner, Samuel Smith, Daniel Bissell, Thomas Bissell ,
Thomas Grant, Thomas Sadd, John Rockwell, Rockwell Grant,
John Boynton, Robert White, Aaron Strong, James Fitch and
George Smith, inhabitants
of Wapping, petitioned the General
Court for the privilege of separate religious worship and to be
made a society . They speak of the difficulty of going to the
street, especially in the winter, that there were thirty-eight
families with 250 souls living at a distanc e of from four to eight
miles from their present place of worship.
The General Assembly did not grant their request.
In 1760, another petition was sent, which was also refused,
and again in the spring of 1761, thirty-three
persons petitioned
with the same result, but in October following the fourth petition
was successful, and W apping was made a half society or winter
parish , and was permitted to have preaching for five months
in the year.
A petition to the General Assembly soon followed,
asking for another month, but it was not granted .
Services were held at first in private houses till in 1765 the
first house of worship was built on or very near the site now
occupied by our parsonage.
It was left in an unfinished state,
and was not fit for winter use, and the five months were changed
to a more favorable season, the people going to the Street
during the other seveff months.
Five famiiies living west of the east end of the three mile
lots were included in the half society, the bounds on the west
going in and out on the three mile line to include these families.
There were no easy carriages or even wagons in those early
days, and the fathers and mothers went to meeting on horseback, taking such of the children as could be carried in front on
the horse or behind; the rest of the family walked, and the road
�to the Street must have been in very bad condition at times.
Some of us remember seeing the very first road vehicles our
grandfathers had.
There was preaching in Wapping as early as 1762 . Matthew
Rockwell, son of Deacon Samuel Rockwell of East Windsor,
a graduate of Yale in 1728, preached to the people, for how
long a period is not known . Services were for a part of the year
only , and for this reason Wapping could not well have a resident minister.
Mr. Rockwell, living at the Street, could come
ov er and preach for so long a time as he was wanted.
Rev . Moses Tuthill preached here for three years. His wife
was of the Edwards family.
He graduated at Yale in 1745.
He died at Southold, L. I., 1785.
His first ministry was at Granville, Mass.
Then he
preached in Delaware, and later came to East Windsor.
He
appears to have been here in 1769. He is said to have been a
man of talent, though eccentric, and if he was eccentric, his
wife was not less so . When in 1745 or '46 he asked of Rev.
Mr . Edwards, the hand of his daughter Martha, Mr. Edwards
assured him that she would be a thorn in his flesh; that God's
grace might perhaps liv e with her, but that no man could with
any comfort.
He took the risk, and married her. He is said
to have been a faithful and acceptable minister of the Gospel,
his ministry "blessed with prosperity and peace."
One Sabbath Mr. Tuthill did not appear in the pulpit, and
after waiting for some time , his wife, who was present, was
asked where Mr. Tuthill was? She said that, as she had stayed
at home to take care of the children long enough, she told him
it was his turn now, so he stayed at home in her place.
At another time Mr. Tuthill failed to appear in his pulpit,
and after waiting a while, inquir y was made as to his absence.
His wife sa id that he went off down to the woods on Satu r day
and he had not come back. She did not know why. So some
of the men went to find him and in the woods they came to a
hollow log with a man's feet sticking out. Mr . Tuthill had
followed something which had run into the log, and he having
a long surtout with cape , it had rolled up when he tried to back
out an.d he was fast. The men pulled but could not get him
out, and they had to split the log before he could be released.
After his death his family came to live in W apping in a
house near Mr. Waldo Belcher's and where Mrs. Tuthill died
in 1794. TwQ daughters lived there for some years after.
In April, 1772, thirty-one persons petitioned the General
Assembly for eight months' preaching, which was granted.
The petitioners
were Benjamin Stoughton,
Ezra Rockwell,
John Rockwell, Thatcher Lathrop, Samuel Smith, Isaac Rockwell, Nathan Kingsley, Gideon Grant, Justus Loomis, Daniel
Rockwell , Daniel Rockwell, Jr., Ebenezer Rockwell, William
Grant, Oliver Skinner, Abner Rockwell, Noah Barber, Barzillai
Green, Matthew Sadd, Isaac Grant, John Skinner, Timothy
�14
Skinner, Daniel Skinner, Daniel Skinner, Jr., Timothy Bissell,
John Bowlen, David Wright,
Alexander
Elmer, Rockwell
Grant, Benjamin Smith, Zalmon Kingsley, Phineas Strong.
With no services for four months in each year, it is evident
that no permanent ministry could be secured.
In January, 1799, the old house of worship was torn down,
and it was not till 1802, one hundred years ago, that the present
one was occupied.
Various ministers preached to the people.
Rev. Mr. Blakely, a Baptist minister, preached for two years,
1816, '17, and with considerable
success, though there was
s~me dissatisfaction with him on the part of some of the congregation.
The close of his ministry here marks also the end of
the W apping Half Society.
With the new State Constitution,
the Ecclesiastical
Society of the . Standing Order, as it was
called, was changed to a voluntary organization, and the School
Society was separated from the Ecclesiastical, retaining the old
Society boundaries.
For about nine years following there was no preaching
service in Wapping.
The people who attended church, went
to the Street, and some, perhaps, to Scantic.
Some of them
were members of the First Church.
Intemperance
came in
and made sad havoc in the community.
About 1826, Rev. V. Osborn, a Methodist minister, began to
preach to the people of W apping, and continued for two years.
He was disposed to be controversial and there was friction and
dissatisfaction
in his congregation.
In 1827, he organized
the Methodist Episcopal Church in this place with eight members, and which in 1833 erected its present house of worship.
Today the pastors and people of the two churches are in harmony, working together in this vineyard of the Lord.
It was a time of theological controversy, not only as between
Arminians and Calvinists, but there was a sharper and more
bitter one, even, between the old and new schools, both in the
Presbyterian
and in the Congregational
churches.
The East
Windsor Hill Seminary was founded to combat the heresies
of the New Haven Seminary.
Drs. Tyler and Taylor, now we
trust of one mind and knowing more than they could know
when on earth, were leaders of opposing forces. Men contended
earnestly for the faith which was supposed to have been once
delivered to the saints, and in our churches "the doctrines"
were made promiIJ-ent in religious teaching.
In 1838 at the examination
of a young girl of fifteen for
admission to this church, one of the deacons questioned her
as to her belief in foreordination.
Some of the people here
were members of the First Church, and in discussing this question, "Must our children be brought up under a religious belief
different from the one which we and our fathers embraced?"
resolved to make an effort to sustain a minister of their own,
and Rev . Hiram N. Brinsmade labored among them for six
months.
A revival commenced in the North School District,
�among children belonging to the school, which soon spread to
the adults, anri. the organization of a church began to be talked
about.
Mr. Brinsmade closed his labors here in the spring of 1829.
Mr. Roland and Mr. Kennedy supplied till July when Rev.
Henry Morris began his work here. A Council met at the house
of Mr. Samuel Hall, February 2, 1830. Rev. Samuel Whelpley
of the First Church was moderator.
The Council proceeded
to organize a church.
Twenty-five persons were received by
letters from the First Church and three from the Second or
Scantic Church, a total of 28. In April, 22 united on profession
of faith and four by letter, making a total of 54 members at the
beginning of this church.
The next year there was a powerful
work of grace, beginning with a protracted meeting of six days
conducted by Mr. Barrows, an evangelist, commencing August
30, and before Mr. Morris closed his pastorate
in 1832, 28
persons united on confession.
Rev. David L. Hunn began his ministry here July, 1832,
coming from the neighboring church at Vernon, and the church
soon received several families from the North or Scan tic parish
and from Vernon.
Deacon Anson Bissell from the Scantic
church, became a deacon of this church.
Deacon Bissell had
three sons who became ministers.
Rev. Dr. Lemuel Bissell
for many years connected with the Mahratta mission in India,
and whose children, Rev. Henry and Misses Julia and Emily
Bissell are prominent in missionary and medical work in that
mission. Rev. Henry N. Bissell was a pastor in Michigan and
Rev. Sanford Bissell, in Illinois.
In September, 1832, and January, 1833, the church received
14 by letter, 11 of whom were from the Scantic church and
three from Vernon.
Four united on profession, two of whom
were from Scantic.
By 1836, the southern portion of the North parish had been
transferred to Wapping, and from these families we have today,
some of those who are active in our church work.
June 29, 1836, Rev. Marvin Root was installed as pastor.
September 26, 1837, the church became connected with the
Hartford North Consociation.
Mr. Root resigned April, 1839,
but the resignation was not accepted.
He was dismissed April,
1840.
The church was supplied by various ministers and in the
latter part of 1841 when the church was still without a pastor,
21 persons were received on profession of faith.
The early period of the church was marked by most wonderful
seasons of revival.
January 1, 1843, Mr. 0. F. Parker began
to supply the pulpit and January 3, 1844, he was ordained and
installed pastor.
In 1846, 13 persons united with the church,
the fruits of a revival.
About 1845 or '46 the church edifice had come to be unsatisfactory, and the question of repair or rebuilding was agitated
�and with differing minds, but in January, 1849, the remodelled
church was dedicated . Mr. Parker's health failed and he was
dismissed a few months previous to the dedication.
For the next following years there was no settled pastor.
Rev. John Frazer supplied for two years.
Rev. Mr. Strong,
one, and Dr. Tyler and others from the Seminar y supplied till
the coming and installation
of Re v. William Wright, in 1854 .
Mr. Wright was dismissed aft er a pastorate
of nearly eleven
years . When th e church was without a pastor in 1852, 14
united on prof ession and again in Janu a r y, 1868 , six more wer e
added.
Rev. Winfield S. Hawkes was installed pastor in 1868 and
in January, 1869 , 13 more were receiv ed , the fruit of his labors .
He was dismissed March, 1871.
Rev . Charl es W . Drake follow ed and was succe eded by R ev.
Stephen Fenn, who died here three years later.
Rev . Henry
E . Hart, his successor, received 29 to the church in the three
years he was with us.
Our next pastor , Rev. C. N. Flanders , was with us six years,
and in this time th e afternoon services were given up.
Rev. G. A. Bryan was here for eighteen months and in thi s
time the Christian
Endeavor
Societ y was formed.
Rev.
Daniel Phillips served here one year.
Rev. 0. G. McIntyre
followed and in August, 1889, Rev . Edwin N . Hardy came to us ,
quickening into new life the Endeavor Society and the church ,
and during that one year 19 new members were added to the
church .
Rev. F. M. Hollister 's pastorate of a year and three months
followed . He was dismissed April , 1892, being called to Waterbury.
Rev . C. A. Redgrave
supplied for the next three years,
followed by Rev. W. S. Post as acting pastor till April, 1900,
a pastorate of four and a half years.
Mr . George B . Hawkes, son of our former pastor , supplied
during the summer, and October 1, Rev . John E. Hurlbut
came to us, from the Church of the Cov enant, Worcester, Mass.
In February
of last y ear the church became incorporated
under the state law , and the Society transferred
to the church
the real estate, house of worship and parsonage , the trust funds
which were then in its possession and the support of public
worship here . Fourteen
of our young people came into the
church during the pastorate of Mr. Post, and since our present
pastor came 15 more have professed their faith in Christ.
The hope of our Church is in its young people who are coming
in to take the places of some of us who will soon pass away.
We owe much to those who have sustained our Christian Endeavor Society, and the Junior Society, the nursery from which
this church has received some of its fruitful members .
In January,
1833, after the accessions from Scan tic and
Vernon, there were 98 members, since which there have been
�received 223 by profession
number is 124.
PAPER
and
151 by let ter.
Th e present
BY MRS. E. S. BISSELL.
In vis iting the home of his childhood a celebrated physician
once said, . "It surprises me how the sight of these familiar
fields, rocks and brooks bring back to my mind impressions
made upon me by my famil y training.
I suppose they are the
friends to whom I uncon sciously told my joys and so rrows .
But the straRgest part is that they bring back so vividly m y
fat her , mother, brother and sister, that they seem to be present
with m e now , I hear m y father telling of the building of that
ho us e, our home, till I realiz e more fully than in m y childhood
days the tremendous power of his muscular frame, his indomnitable will and his loving heart."
And so my friends within these walls and listening to the
history of effort, discourag emen t and final success in obtaining
per mission to build a house of worship, we feel the very presence
of those resolute m en and women who gave us this heritage .
Though memory cannot quite reach the beginnings, we look
upon the faces of those who were there, and many incidents of
the past come floating through our minds as recounted to us in
our youtn by those "gone before ."
William Sadd, one of the original members of this church,
te lls of the hard work and scant gatherings of money that they
might have a home place of worship .
Lyman Sadd, a young man of 28 or 29 years, the first superintendent of Sunday school which was formed before the church
was organized, with the woman of his choice, Mary Skinner ,
as his wife, devoted their energies for years to the best interests
of church and Sunday school.
Aunt Mary Lyman-as
we familiarly ca lled h er-I can see
her with the little ones gathered around her , looking up lov ingly in her face, as she told them of the love of Jesus, and of
the necessity of always doing right .
She was never too old to be wanted as a te ac her. Class
after class passed into life's arena and still she was at h er post.
Some of the oldest here present were doubtl ess among h er bo ys
and girls .
Rosina Green tells of the la ck of cushioned pews and plastered
walls. No smoke troubled
the singers' voices.
Footstoves
contained the only artificial heat . Home-made woolen stockings
in cowhide boots kept the feet of the sturdy farmers warm ,
while their hearts glowed with spiritual fire kindled at the famil y
altar , and fanned by the preach er's words of exhortation
and
warning.
Was it a hardship for those men and women to gather within
that desolate room , and, seated on the rude b enches made of
slabs, listeD. to long doctrinal sermons, for enoon and afternoon,
�18
and Sunday school, with only time in the intermission
to eat a
cooky or two and replenish coals in footstove from neighboring
fires?
If a hardship it was a hardship they loved, made bearable'
by looking forward to a better condition of creature comforts
and an expectation
of the continued
presence of God's Spirit.
Religion to them was life.
As George McDonald says, "Religion is not an addition to
life, or a starry crown set upon the head of humanity . The
man to whom virtue _is but the ornament of character, something
over and ·above and not essential to it , is not yet a man ." So
their life was growth and when the meetinghouse
becam e the
home of one denomination
they grew united in effort to better
their home.
Instead
of rough slab seats with men on one side of the
room and women on the other, and children in the gallery, they
wanted family pews and pews they had.
Instead of galleries
with floor boards unnailed,
they wanted them finished and so
it was.
The opportunity
for the children to devise mischief
was great.
And whether the stick of timber that fell from the
side gallery into Priest Root's pew, where his wife was sitting,
was aided by the kick of little toes will probably never be known.
Those square pews!
They embody my first recollections
of
church going, and the minister, who wore the first pair of gold
spectacles
I had ever seen, was a terror to my childish imagination.
I thought his double pair of eyes could tell even my
thoughts.
But seated on a low stool behind the high back of
the pew with father and our family and Uncle Kellogg and his
family, I thought
I could escape his vision.
My little cousin
Jennie, younger than myself, now risen to the dignity of Grandma
Howe, beguiled the time by playing bopeep with her handkerchief.
I essayed to do likewise, but a reproving
glance from
Aunt Margaret convinced
me that the minister could see me
through
the boards.
As Nicholas Minturn,
who was always
studying cause and effect, looking from a garret window, seeing
the tree tops in the distance swaying in the breeze, concluded
it was the trees that caused the wind to blow, so I concluded
that my misdemeanors
had come to be unbearable
and father
suddenly
decided to take us to Vernon to church.
Alas! I
never saw those square pews again.
Progress was the watchword . Life was growth, and the church home was again to be
renovated.
Some wanted
the old building removed
and a new one
built on a hill to the northeast,
claiming it would be more
nearly the center of the parish.
Mr. Parker preached a sermon
on "Sanballat
and Tobiah hindering
the work of the Lord,"
which caused offense not only to the High Hill people who
seceded, but to some who remained.
The subsequent
history
of those who seceded justifies us in believing that they were not
lacking in Christian love and service.
I am told that three heads of families left the room in sermon
�time. James Skinner said he did not blame them and felt
inclined to do the same thing himself.
My sister, Mrs. Par so ns ,
to ld me that she remember ed that when father drove home
that da y he plied the whip with unusual v igor, say ing , "Get up,
Sanba llat , go it Tobiah."
He with William Kello gg and Oliver Dart, unlike Tobiah
and Sanb allat, had their part and lot in the remodelling, inasmuc h as the y paid th eir full quota in money for the repairs,
but the y and their families left and went to Vernon. Just here
I wo uld like to r ead a portion of a letter received from my sister
in Milwaukee.
"My recollections of th e old church as it was in the times
befo r e th e advent of Mr. Parker, through whose endeavors it
was remodelled are restricted to the ex terior with the exception
that on th e day of the sermon where in the High Hill people
were scored for " hind eri ng the work of the Lord." I distinctly
remember sitting in a high backed, square pew next the wall on
the right hand aisle about a third of th e way from door to pulpit.
All the pews b y the wall were of the square, old fashioned kind,
but I think those in the center of th e building were like the
mode rn slip though short and narrow.
The exterior as I recall
it to my mental vision, was a ve ry model of ugliness, high,
sq uare and somewhat weather beaten , wi th a multitude
of
cur tainless windows that seemed to stare reproachfully at the
little reprobate, who at an early age developed a dislike of long ,
doc trin al sermons and of th e books in the Sunday school library.
"A t that tim e, th e only Looks she could get hold of were memoirs of good little children who suffe red so patiently that they
died young.
"To my childish mind the logic of it all was that it didn't pay
to be good and patient in illnes s.
" I wanted to live and grow up and I hated those scenes so
thoro ughl y that eve n the walls of the old church where the books
were kept nev er failed to arouse m y " innate cussedness" and
at the same time to awaken my New England conscience to such
an extent that I felt as though the Day of Judgment was staring at me through th e ugly , curtainless windows.
To this day
I am inclined to shiver at th e thought of the old church as it was,
and without entering into the wh ys and wherefores of the oppo sition movement , which took us children from ·w apping at an
ear ly age, I am trul y grateful to those who persist ed in their
efforts to transform the ugl y old building into a n ea t , tasteful
modern church .''
Staunch members continued the building.
Herman Hall,
who lived on the sit e of the present high sc hool building, gave
th e stone underpinning , and was always active in the interest of
the edifice. H e took care of the bui ldin g, in other words was
janitor for upwards of tw ent y years, and received in compensa tion one dollar a year.
It was the custom for the congregation to stand during the
�20
long prayer (said sometimes to be an hour long, timed by the
watch).
After the custom..,.ceased.,..Deacon
Horace..,,_Stoughton
always reverently stood facing the minister with his head slightly
bowed, while John Stoughton also stood with his back to the
minister and looked out of the window.
The children, both boys and girls, went barefoot in the
summer both at their homes and at school, but it was out of
character to appear on holy ground without shoes on their feet.
They carried them in their hand till within sight of the church
when they would put them on, much to their discomfort.
One
lady here present tells me that she remembers when she was
four years old,walking over two miles to church and wearing a
blue dress with polka dots, and when near here, put on her shoes
as was the custom, as did her sister with her.
This little girl was in after years assistant superintendent
of
the Sunday school and was also secretary of the Ladies' Sewing Society eight years.
Cora Martin, living with her grandmother,
was dressed ready
for church and then required to sit • still till all were ready to go.
That to her was the most tedious part of the day.
A penny for
keeping quiet in service time was a compensation.
Then in the
intermission
a walk to the graveyard was enlivening.
Doubtless heads of dill, caraway seed and fennel (meeting
seed as it was called), beguiled the time for many little ones.
You who pity those children for being made to go to church,
please remember they could not have been hired to stay at home.
They were used to hardships and were not carried around on
pillows till they were six years old.
It seems strange to us to think of our late Deacon Collins as
a little boy, but Mrs. Alonzo Barber tells me she remembers
at the time Mr. Barrows held protracted
meetings, that he and
his sister Henrietta, with other children, were baptized.
He was
then about ten years old. She also remembers Mrs. John Collins
(the deacon's mother), Mrs. Eldad Barber (my grandmother),
and Mrs. William Sadd, going forward for prayers.
The singing in church was an important
feature, and was
at one time led by Colonel Frederick H. Sadd, who, with his
tuning fork pitched the tune, beat the time, and the choir followed his lead with uplifted voices as near together as possible.
The "Psalms and Hymns" was universally used and had to
be set to appropriate
music by the chorister.
If the leader was absent an attempt would be made to start
the tune, sometimes pitched so high that at the second verse
another member of the choir would hurriedly start on a lower
key, and "others boldly waded in and chased each other" till
they triumphantly
:finished the tune.
I do not know just when instrumental
music was introduced
but the need of a reliable guide was felt and a bass viol played
by A very Stoughton was used, though I think a euphoniad was
tried first.
�21
Mr. Lorin Loomis had a small melodeon which he brought
to church with him, taking it home at night.
He took it to rehearsals also. It was a happy day for the choir (and congregation too) when they were able to purchase their first organ .
The donation party was one of the events of the year. Perhaps not so much to the minister and his family, as it is possible
Will Carleton went behind the scenes in many a parsonage
when he wrote "Elder Lamb's Donation."
But to the young
people it afforded a social opportunity unequalled by any other
event.
Sleighing parties were planned and singing schools started
when all met together at the minister's and weddings were the
outcome.
The monthly missionary concert was a regular part of the
service, and not to be interested in foreign missions was falling
short of duty and bordered on heathenism.
Doubtless interest
in the subject was increased by the fact that Deacon Anson
Bissell's son Lemuel, went out as a missionary to India.
The young ladies who were appointed by the church , among
whom were Harriet Green and Fanny Skinner, to canvass the
parish and collect money for the American Board sometimes
met with sharp rebuffs as though begging money for themselves,
but oftener found members ready with money laid by in store
for those who should gather the Lord's tithes .
In order to preserve due decorum during divine service, a
tithing man was annually appointed.
He was to have special
care of the boys and girls in the gallery and also to waken sleepers in the congregation . The boys and girls naturally found
playing and whispering more interesting than the sixthlys and
tenthlys of the sermon, but Laura Ann, Amelia and Miranda
The boys who
found the reprimand at home not so interesting.
were taken by the coat collar down the gallery stairs dreaded
the approach of the tithing man and were made glad to keep
their ears busy and their tongues idle . Sometimes the pastors
took matters in their own hands and publicly rebuked disturbers.
Mr. Root once, when annoyed by whisperers, stopped in his sermon and in his deep toned voice said, "Boys, keep your tongues
between your teeth ." I can remember when the tithing man's
labors were confined to the singers' gallery, where the boys liked
to sit behind the singers.
Lorenzo Crane as tithing man was
not so much feared, as he persuaded to good behavior by sugar
plums instead of force. Perhaps the removal of the singers to
the front in the audience-room made the office less onerous.
The youth of today are more angelic and only need a figure head,
the present tithing man never exercising the power of his office.
Well do I remember those singers in the gallery, Chauncey
Stoughton, Wolcott, Gertrude, Charlotte, Cornelia, Sarah, Alice,
Laura, Josie, Helen, Edith, Henry, Frank, Revillo, Seth and
many others.
I think one only remains in the choir who was
among the gallery singers.
�22
I have mentioned the custom of standing in prayer time.
It was also the custom for the congregation
to rise when the
choir sang and turning with their backs to the preacher face
the singers in the gallery.
But there • came into our midst a
lady from the city unused to the custom, who stood facing the
minister and remained so in her decided but unobtrusive manner.
The next Sabbath and succeeding ones many followed her example until half turned one way and half the other.
The pastor
asked for uniformity and all quietly gave up the old custom.
So
much for the force of Mrs. H. W . Sadd's example.
Does memory bring back to us the sermon preached?
It
certainly does many texts . "And lo, a cake of barley bread
tumbled into the host of Midian," was the text of the first sermon Mr. Hawkes preached
here.
Mr. Winch
from Enfield
preached here one Sunday from the text, "Thou fool."
Others
had this text, "Speak unto the 'children of Israel that they go
forward;"
and another, "First cast out the beam out of thine
own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to pull the mote out of
thy brother's eye."
Rev. Daniel Phillips, whose stay here was only too short,
gave a discourse one fast day on the political phase which was
much enjoyed.
Mr. Hardy's prayer meeting talks made us feel the necessity
of our own right living and our responsibility
for our neighbors
conversion.
Mr. Wright in his farewell sermon spoke of the impossibility
of pleasing everybody . One wanted the minister to do things
in his way and another in his way, and perhaps he commits the
unpardonable
offense of having a mind of his own.
While the Seminary was located at East Windsor Hill this
church had the benefit 'of weighty instruction.
Doctor Tyler
and Doctor Thompson, professors in the Seminary, frequently
discoursed on Foreordination,
Total Depravity,
Perseverance
of the Saints, Original Sin, Future Punishment,
Sanctification
and Redemption.
Were candidates for admission to the church
supposed to fully understand
these subjects?
I remember talking with two daughters of a former member
here.
One joined the Congregationalists
and one the Methodists.
When asked why they did not both join the same church
the reply was, "I believe in total depravity and live up to it.
She believes in falling from grace and practices it."
Method"Assurance of 1:wpe," was a subject often discussed.
ist camp meetings were held in neighboring woods.
One year
the camp meeting ground was near where Elam Belknap now
lives.
A crowd had gathered when a down pour of rain drove
them to their tents and then from their tents to houses in the
neighborhood.
Lorenzo Dow, an eccentric preacher with great
force of character, with other Methodist brothers, found grandfather's hospitable
roof a shelter from the storm . Naturally
conversation
at meal time was upon the all engrossing topic of
�religion.
The great man insisted on ones knowing that he was
saved, and exclaimed, Oh, ye miserable, whining Presbyterians,
you hope and hope and are always hoping you are saved.
Now
I am just as sure of going to Heaven as I am of eating that piece
of meat.
In his earnestness
he gesticulated
so forcibly with
his hand that held the fork, that the piece of meat became
loosened and fell to the floor and the dog ate it up. This story
has been told with variations but Mrs . Howe will vouch for its
actual occurrence, as related, in the house now her home.
One hundred years is a long time in the retrospect and we are
obliged to pass over many familiar incidents , but the Civil War
was a time that touched men's hearts and tried men's souls.
From this church and community
went many of manhood's
fairest promise.
Forty years ago on the 25th day of August,
1862, a war meeting was held in the basement of this church.
At that time quite a number from this place signed their names
to the roll and enlisted for the army.
This was one of the most
solemn meetings ever held in this house.
The music was a drum
corps, but it brought tears from a great many of those present,
for it was almost certain that some of those boys would never
come back to meet with us again in the old meetinghouse.
With them went the prayers of those left behind.
With the
prayers went work and sometimes twice a week did the sewing
society meet to lay out and do work for the suffering soldiers.
Stockings were knit, bandages made of lint prepared with careful hand, and contributions
received and forwarded, not only to
personal friends but for the common cause in which our boys
enlisted.
There was no time or inclination
for church dissension.
The most important
feature in church work is spiritual prosperity.
In union is strength and strength means growth and
growth means not only increase in numbers but increase in
creature comforts in our place of worship, a sense of home life.
We are growing to feel the need of a place of social prayer.
Some of the best prayer meetings that I remember were
held in homes of the the people.
This audience room is too
large for our best social prayer.
Unless there is the heat of
brotherly love (and he that loveth God lovet h his brother also)
the prayers freeze in the atmosphere.
We should hate to find
ourselves in the condition of the church whose roof leaked badly.
Patching was of no avail, so they had to tear off the whole roof.
There they found accumulated
prayers that had ascended no
higher than the roof and had mildewed.
When the mid-week service is held there is a dampening
influence in the scattered
audience and we earnestly desire a
cozy, warm prayer meeting home and a place for our best social
development.
To that end we are working to collect funds
In building it we want the foundation laid firm
for a chapel.
and solid on the ;Rock Christ Jesus and its structure such as
shall contain only the Spirit of the Lord, even the Holy Spirit.
�24
Then shall we all agree that our church is a part of the new
Jerusalem.
That in its construction are the elements of strength
as of iron, the brilliance of the ruby, the transparence
of the
sapphire, the lustre of the diamond, and the ductility, softness
and malleability of gold. "Instead of our fathers shall be our
children."
They began worship in an unfinished building but they did
not hold that they had more religion on account of it. They
knew that their religion would enable them to carry forward
the work.
Their steadfastness
was such as progressed.
George McDonald says, "Some apparent
steadfastness
is
but sluggishness and comes from incapacity to generate change
or contribute
toward personal growth."
When Rev. W. S. Hawkes first came among us we felt our
weakness, then began our strength.
From paying a salary of $500, we agreed to pay $800.
Though applying for aid to the H. M. S. we were persuaded
by Mr. Hawkes that we could do the work ourselves and we did
it and not only paid his salary with reasonable promptness
but built a parsonage and gave more to missionary work than
in previous years.
Following this effort which some criticised as unwise and
impossible was a sifting of hearts as to whom the gold and
silver belonged, also a question as to whom the hearts belonged.
The barley loaf overturned the tents and revealed the insecurity
of our reliance.
Church members were pricked in their hearts
and the unconverted
said, "We would see Jesus."
Friends
near and dear to us accepted Christ as their Saviour and established the family altar, for Mr. Hawkes insisted on a thorough
consecration.
Our hearts go out with a bound of joy and thankfulness,
first to our Heavenly Father, then to our earthly fathers who
gave us this heritage.
And we would pass on to our children
more than we have received and cement the bond of Christian
love and fellowship.
MRS.
E. S.
BISSELL.
Exodus 22:12.-"Honor
thy father and thy mother; that
thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee."
Genesis 17:16.-"I
will bless her, and she shall be a mother
of nations."
Judges 5:7.-"Deborah
arose .....
a mother in Israel.."
The Bible gives great prominence
to the family; every
reader must have noticed it; almost at the beginning we have the
institution of the ideal family; one man and one woman, united
for life, thenceforward
one, so far as aims, interests and rewards are concerned.
At the two beginnings of the race,
Adam and Noah, it was "father and mother," two, not three
or more, father and mother; not a hint of more than one wife.
All nature exhibits the male as physically stronger, and the
�leader, which is also assumed in the Bible regarding man; and
often when the man is spoken of he stands for the whole
family . But while this is constantly so, there are not wanting
records of women of such individuality
that they are accorded
special notice; and wifehood and motherhood
are constantly
honored in the history of God's people . Sarah, Abraham's wife,
is particulariy named and promised blessings.
It is one peculiarity of our Holy Book, the Bible, that it makes prominent
mention of women and children; no such records are found in
the holy books of any other religion . Although in most of the
Bible history it is assumed that women exerted their due influence and performed their tasks, yet a multitude are named;
we readily recall Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Jocobed, the
mother of Moses, Zipporah his wife and Miriam his sister ,
Deborah, "a mother in Israel," who was 9ne of the Judges or
Rulers, the mother of Jabez, whose name is not given, but whose
prayer shows that she was a notable woman; Ruth the Moabitess, Hannah the mother of Samuel, Abigail the wife of Nabal
and afterwards of David, the woman of Shunem of Elisha's day,
and others.
The stories of Ruth, Naomi, Abigail and the Shunemite show us a glimpse of the rural home life of those days, and
that in some cases, if not in many, it was sweet and godly; from
which we may gather that all through those troubled days there
were some who kept the traditions of the Fathers and feared
God; and it was just so in Europe preceding the Reformation;
through those Dark Ages there were among the people pure
he.arts and homes where the fire of Pentecost was kept burning.
During the later years of the Hebrew kings, preceding the Captivity, we hear little of the women; but we may be sure there
were good mothers to have produced Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack
and Abed-Nego.
At a later period the story of Zacharias and
Elizabeth and Mary the mother of our Lord, show us that good
women were not wanting in Canaan at that time . The Hebrews
had always honored women as other nations, as a rule, did not;
and the coming of the Savior put special honor on them;
and
from Mary of Nazareth down through the Christian Ages woman
has been receiving her right.
And it is along this particular
line of thought I am to speak today . From the sermons of
Stephen, Peter and Paul we see how much the early Christian
preachers dwelt on the story of the Fathers of the Hebrew people; the Fathers of the Christian church are just as worthy
of mention, and were as truly called of God as were the Patriarchs; and the leaders of the Reformation were their rightful
successors; and the Fathers and Mothers of America, those who
first came to these shores, and their immediate children, who
were the pioneers of these towns where Christian institutions
were planted and have flourished, are as worthy of mention on
the Lord's Day in Church service as those whose names are
written in the Bible. These are later Worthies of Faith, some
of whose names would undoubtedly
have been included in the
�XI th of Hebrews had that narrative been written one hundred
years ago instead of eighteen hundred years ago . In that remarkable
chapter women are named and others referred to .
On such occasions as this it is more common that the Fathers
receive mention; although often the term is used generically,
and the Mothers are just as much meant as the Fathers.
I love
and honor the Fathers; none more than I; but today I am to
speak particularly
of the Mothers-the
women of our early history; to emphasize what we of America owe to them.
Most of you must be aware that many of the first attempts
of Europeans to colonize America were made by " men only."
The Spanish colonies around the Gialf of Mexico were thus started
and only succeeded after many failures . The ever recurring
story makes it almost seem as though Spaniards thought men,
monks and the Inquisition
were enough , without good women
to be honorable wives and mothers . And what was true of the
Catholic Spaniards at the south was also true of the Protestant
English in Virginia, and at several places on the coast of Massachusetts, New Hampshire
and Maine . And in Canada Louis
XIV followed the Catholic Spanish method.
When the term of
service of his soldiers expired, which he had sent to Canada, he
used his influence to induce both officers and men to settle in
that land; but after a time that astute monarch was quite surprised and pained to learn that the French population was not
increasing, although half-breeds were multiplying
from Indian
mothers; Louis at once set about correcting his mistake, and
proceeded to provide French wives and mothers by Government aid; the prospect of a husband, a home, and a dower of
money was held out as an inducement
to women and girls to
cross the ocean to Canada ; and many ship-loads were thus sent
over; while much the larger number were respectable, yet among
so many thus secured, of necessity, there would be some of indifferent physical, mental and moral quality, which accounts
for the complaint of one of the prominent Nuns who had charge
of these immigrant women, who wrote of one ship's company
as a "cargo of mixed goods ." The historian Parkman says of
this movement of Louis XIV, "It is a pecularity of Canadian immigration, at its most flourishing epoch , that it was mainly an
immigration
of single men and single women.
The cases in
which entire families came over were comparatively
few."
The Protestant
English settlements
which were attempted
on the same plan, with "men only" were failures, all except
Jamestown which almost failed, and was only saved by the coming of virtuous women , the story of which is told in the popular
novel "To Have and to Hold."
The first English settlement which had a healthful and unfaltering growth from the start was that at Plymouth;
and the
women of the Pilgrim band, as wives, mothers,
sisters and
daughters, had been in consultation
with the men before they
left England for Holland, and while in the Low Countries they
�27
were in all the consultations
about coming to the:New World;
and the social unit that came in the Mayflower was not the individual, a man, and he perhaps, a poor debtor, a rake, or a
"ne'er
do well," but the social unit of the Pilgrims was the
family, the Christian family of father, mother and children; and
while there were some young men and women of marriageable
age in that company, they were not sent because of that fact,
but because they were members of some family.
And it is significant of the character of the Pilgrim band that a woman was
in the first boat-load sent ashore for final location at Plymouth,
and a woman, Mary Chilton, was the first to step on historic
Plymouth Rock.
Thomas Weston, a London merchant,
who posed as a good
Puritan, advanced money for the outfit and vessels of the Pilgrims; but soon became disgusted with the small and slow profits; it was his belief that the Plymouth party was hindered by
having their families with them; and he determined
to try for
quicker returns, and sent over a colony of men without family
incumbrance,
who located on the shores of Massachusetts
Bay;
but they soon so rioted among themselves
and so abused the
Indians that they came near causing their own destruction
and
that of the Pilgrims also, who saved them from the Indians and
then from starvation,
and I imagine it was the tender-hearted
Pilgrim women who prompted
the men to their rescue.
As the years went on the large and rich party in England
known as Puritans, found their lot under James I growing harder
and harder to bear; he seemed determined to keep the promise
he had once made that he would "harry them out of the land."
And when he died in 1625 it was soon seen that their lot would
be no easier under his son Charles I; they were now hearing
much about the success of the Plymouth
colony, and in 1627
and 1628 there were many deliberations
among them whether
considerable numbers should not emigrate to this new land; the
historian Green says these matters "were talked over in every
Puritan household;
it is certain that the women of these households knew all about the plans and purposes, and when all was
ready to begin, John Endicott was sent ahead to prepare the
way, and Bancroft significantly says that Endicott's
"wife and
family were the companions of his voyage, the hostages of his
fixed attachment
to the New World."
So woman was at the
first permanent settlement of Massachusetts
Bay as she had been
at Plymouth;
and when the Connecticut
Colony was about to
begin, the advance party was sent by sea and the Connecticut
River, and, as at Plymouth, it was a woman, Rachel Stiles, who
first stepped ashore at Old Windsor.
And it was the same at
New Haven, the godly and refining English woman was there.
Virginia, with its contract women for wives and mothers,
had a dubious growth for many years; what afterwards
gave
that Colony its distinguished
character was the fact that during
the Commonwealth
times in England many of the Cavaliers took
�2S
their families, wives and children, to that Colony, and their
women were among the very best of Old England; and in this
we see again the distinctive English Christian social unit-the
family.
The Pilgrim and Puritan women who helped make these New
England settlements a success from the start were some of the
very best of women-kind of any race or age. One has but to
read their record to admire them, and to discover the secret of
the dominance of their descendants in the making of this Nation.
In the Puritan party of England were many representatives
of the nobility, and some of them were planning to come to
America with their wealth, retainers and titles; but the major
part of the would-be settlers would not agree that the titles and
special privileges of the nobility should be recognized and continued in the new settlements; and so most of them held back
from coming; but quite a number of relatives and some of their
daughters came, and among them Lady Arabella, daughter of the
Earl of Lincoln, and wife of Isaac Johnson, an excellent man and
a great helper of the colony with money and service; in letters
of the time we read much of Lady Arabella's gentle Christian
graces; she and her husband were not rugged enough to endure
the hardships and were among the first to die. Bancroft says
of those early Puritans and their efforts, "Woman was there to
struggle against unforeseen hardships, unwonted sorrows."
As
half the Pilgrim band died that first awful winter at Plymouth,
so about 200 of the Puritans at Salem, Charlestown and Boston
during that first summer.
After describing their sufferings,
Bancroft says, "Their enthusiasm was softened by the mildest
sympathy with suffering humanity, while sincere faith kept
guard against despondency and weakness.
Not a hurried line,
not a trace of repining appears in their records.
. . . . .
For that placid resignation which diffuses grace round the bed
of sickness, and makes death too serene for sorrow and too
beautiful for fear, no one was more remarkable than the
daughter of Thomas Sharp, whose youth and sex, and, as it
seemed, unqualified virtues, won warmest eulogies. . . . .
.
Even little children caught the spirit of the
place; and in their last hours, awoke to the awful mystery of
the impending change, awaited its approach in the tranquil confidence of faith, and went to the grave full of immortality."
It
is easy to see that such men were made what they were, not
only by their faith, but by that faith shared and sustained by
their sweet, intelligent and godly women. If any of you are curious to know more of just what those women were, read the story
of Margaret Tyndall, third wife of Governor John Winthrop. Her
letters show the strong and beautiful character which sustained
and encouraged her husband during the planning for the Puritan
colony. He was a prominent lawyer of good estate and social
standing, and she from a family of still higher social grade; she
not only intelligently counselled him in advance, but cordially
�29
assented to his going at first alone when she must remain behind
for motherhood,
and afterwards
when he had not hidden one of
the trials from her, she was anxious to join him that she might
share them with her beloved husband and so help and cheer him
and advance
the great cause.
It is clearly evident that Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
Bay and the Connecticut
Colonies
would never have been embalmed in song and story if it had not
been for the quality of our foremothers,
who possessed "unfeigned faith" like that of Lois and Eunice, the grandmother
and mother of Timothy.
And with their assured faith was their
placid devotion, their quiet but deep enthusiasm,
their unrepining endurance,
their gentle ministrations,
and their fervid love,
all of which made the men what they were-good
men nobler.
The story of some of those women has been written and given
the world; the story of many more ought to be carefully gathered
together and published to the world before the records are lost.
A concrete case often impresses us more than general facts; and
for my purpose today I have one at hand that is peculiarly appropriate for this place and occasion; for the "mother in Israel"
of whom I am about to speak was born in the town of which
Wapping and South Windsor was a part, and many of her descendents
have lived in this town; and some, I think, in this
parish, and some of them are, I think, here present today.
She
was not one of the first settlers of Plymouth
or Massachusetts
Bay, but the daughter of one of them, who soon left the seaboard
settlements
and came to this Valley and helped to make this
town and surrounding
region; so this woman and her descendants are a part of your history, and her story peculiarly appropriate to this occasion.
I refer to
ESTHER
W ARHAM.
Esther, or as sometimes written in the old records, Hester
Warham,
was born in Windsor, where her remarkable
father
was the first pastor.
It would be highly interesting
to speak
of that Forefather,
but I am to tell of his daughter, a Foremother.
Before her father came to this town he lived a short time in Dorchester, Mass., whose first minister was Richard Mather, another
remarkable
man.
His son Eleazar was called to be the first
pastor of the Northampton,
Mass., church, and needing a wife,
sought her in the family of his father's friend, John Warham;
and having wooed and won the young and attractive
girl, the
impatient
lover hastened
the marriage,
and Esther became a
bride when a month or two less than 15 years of age.
This need
not surprise us, for the character,
mission and environments
of
those first settlers hastened development
of body and mind, and
the Puritans in a corrupt age looked on early marriage as a safeguard of the purity of the home.
Some time before this Governor John Winthrop
of the Massachusetts
Bay Colony, was
�not yet 18 years old when first married in England, and his
second brid e was but 17 y ea rs old at marri age, and both unions
were looked upon with appro v al by all concerned at the time ;
and 70 y ears after the time of E sther's marriage Sarah Pierrepont ,
was onl y 17 years of age wh en sh e m a rri ed Jonathan Edwards ,
th e grandson of our Esther.
Anoth er common practice in those
early New Engl and da ys wa s th e interm arriage betw een
minister s ' families; Esther, a minist er 's d aughter was marri ed
to a minister , th e son of a mini ster , and afterwards six of h er
se v en daughters marri ed minist ers , and some of her sons took
minist ers' daught ers to wif e. This girl wife liv ed happil y with
Mr. Mather 'almo st ten ye ars , and after a widowhood of five
y ears married her husband's
succe ssor in the pastoral office ,
Solomon Stoddard , with whom sh e live d in happin ess 55 y ears.
H e was no common man; th e gr andson of Go v ernor Winthrop's
sis te r , he p os sessed gr eat abilit y.
The President Timothy Dwight of Yale College , one hundred
ye ars ago , said that h e "possessed , probabl y, mor e influence
than an y other clergyman in the Pro v ince during a period of 30
y ears.
He was regarded with a re v erence which will scarcely
be rendered to any other man."
Another said of him, " His look and behavior was such as
gave those who conversed with him, occasion to say of him, as
the woman of the prophet , 'I perceive that this is a man of
God.'"
The Indians called him "The Englishman's
God," and
his grandson, Edwards, said he was a "ver y great man."
Yet
it was he, more than anyone else, who introduced into the New
England churches what was called the "Half-way
Covenant,"
which was accepting
church m embership
before conversion,
whence it was called "a half-way covenant ."
Stoddard was a m an of intell ect and faith, and came to his
belief in the "Half-way
Covenant"
in a singular manner, in
which his remarkable
wife, without intending to lead to that
It is said that, in the common acresult, played a leading part.
ceptation of the term, he was not a converted man when he
began his Northampton
pastorate, and that when that change
did come to him the human agent that led to it was Mrs.
Stoddard.
The way in which the stor y has come down to us
shows how near we really ar e to those days.
My great-grandfather
was born in 1715 , and it is as though
he. having known some of the parties, told the story to his son,
my grandfather,
and he to m y father, and my father to me. We
are onl y three lives, if long ones , away from it . Dr. Increase N . Tarbox , who was born in East Windsor, so a son of
Windsor town, had the story from Dr. Thomas "\iVilli ams of
Providence,
who had it from Dr . Joseph Lath ro p of West
Springfield, who was ordained about the tim e E dwards left
Northampton,
when some must have been still liv ing who readily
recalled Stoddard and his wife Esther.
The nub of t h e story is
that as time went on Mrs. Stoddard feared that h er abl e husb and
�31
had not an experimental
knowledge of Christ as a Savior, which
opinion was shared by some of her intimate friends, a company
or godly women; and Mrs. Stoddard began praying with these
women for her husband's
conversion;
after a while he noticed
that his wife was keeping an appointment
a certain day of the
week, and asked her about it. ' Mrs. Stoddard frankly told him
the burden of her heart which deeply affected him.
Not long
afterwards,
when officiating
at the communion
table,
he
had a new view of Christ as his personal
Savior,
which
produced
a radical
change in his thinking
and preaching.
And it is a curious
and
interesting
fact, showing
how
personal
experiences
are apt to color
and
shape
our
thinking
and conduct, that that experience having come to
Mr. Stoddard
at the communion
table
he ever after
attached a new and deeper meaning to that rite, thinking it almost, if not quite, a saving ordinance.
There is much reason
to accept this story; and it shows both the strong individuality
and the deep spiritual piety of Esther W arham.
Mr. Stoddard
was an advocate
of the Half-way Covenant,
and practiced it; but through the influence of his wife he was so
spiritual minded, and his preaching so pungent, that it undoubtedly saved his congregation
from the spiritual deadness which
prevailed in most of the churches where the Half-way Covenant
was practiced;
and there was a spiritual
atmosphere
in that
town which was ready to be affected by the searching preaching
of Edwards, who succeeded Mr. Stoddard, and whose grandson
he was.
Esther survived her husband seven years, and thus as wife or
widow of pastors she was identified with that church for 77
years.
She was the mother of 13 children, some records say 15;
but 13 grew up, married and had families.
Hers was a remarkable
experience
and hers a remarkable
family.
Of some of the daughters a few words should be said:
The oldest was Eunice Mather, 'who married Rev. John Williams,
first pastor of the Deerfield Church; when that town was captured by the French•and
Indians in 1704, the whole family were
made captives and started for Canada; Mrs. Williams had a babe
but a few days old, and could not endure the hardship;
knowing
that she would soon fall out and probably be at once killed by
the Indians
she took a tender
and affectionate
farewell
of her husband,
in which the same strong
faith of her
mother Esther was prominent,
and calmly waited for her fate
which for her and her babe soon came from the merciless Indian.
Mr. Williams and the other children were carried to Canada.
All but one daughter· were afterward ransomed;
that daughter
would not be given up by the Indians,
afterwards
married
among them, and many of her descendants
are today numbered
among the Canada Indians.
Stephen,
one of the boys was
afterwards the first pastor of the Longmeadow
Church.
Esther
W arham's eldest daughter by Mr. Stoddard was named Esther
�32
after herself, and became the wife of Rev. Timothy Edwards,
first pastor of the first Church of this town; she is spoken of as
having been stately, handsome, of polished manners, thoroughly
educated, having a "business head," being an earnest Christian,
and altogether a strong character;
she and Mr. Edwards lived
together 64 years and she was the mother of 11 children, of
whom the fifth, and the only boy, was the distinguished
Jonathan Edwards; one boy among ten sisters! and perhaps that
was a reason of his sweetness and gentleness of character, for
although as bold as a lion, he was a man of exceeding gentle
spirit and breeding.
Those ten sisters were thorough scholars
and assisted their father in teaching the boys he fitted for Yale
College; like their mother they were tall, all six feet or more
in height! and Mr. Edwards used to facetiously
say he "had
sixty feet of daughters!"
Seven of the ten married in Connecticut, and from them are descended some of the most prominent
families of this town and State.
The youngest of them was Martha, who was the erratic wife
of Rev. Moses Tuthill, the second pastor of this parish, who, I
understand
preached here some time before the church was
organized.
Two of their daughters
inherited
some of their
mother's erratic ways, and lived in this part of the town, the
last of the two not dying till 1837. During my pastorate the
aged people used to tell me anecdotes
of the family, one of
Martha Edwards Tuthill who was a "thorn in the flesh" to her
husband; and perchance, a "means of grace" to him.
Passing over others mention should be made of another
granddaughter,
Jonathan Edwards' daughter Esther, who married Rev. Aaron Burr, President of Princeton,
N. J., College,
who was the father of Aaron Burr, Vice-President
of the United
States; a man of whom many strange things not to his credit
are told.
It has often excited wonder that Aaron Burr should
have been the unprincipled man he was with such a godly ancestry behind him.
But during my studies the past year I have
discovered that Jonathan
Edwards'
grandmother,
mother of
Rev. Timothy Edwards of our First Church, was a woman of
deranged mind, as well as other members of her family; and if
we accept the teaching of heredity we need not be surprised
that some strange and dark individuals appeared among her descendants, as three notable ones did; one each in three successive generations, of whom her granddaughter,
Martha Edwards
Tuthill of this town was one; her great-grandson,
youngest son
of Jonathan
Edwards,
was another; and Aaron Burr, her
great-great-grandson
was a third.
However we view her, Esther Warham was a remarkable
woman; of her mother we know little; but history says her
father was an uncommon
man; being sometimes called "the
gentle Warham," but a noted preacher, who left his impress on
Old Windsor.
It is of local interest to us today that Jolin Warham's daugh-
�33
ter next older than Esther was Sarah.
Her granddaughter
was
Elizabeth Moore Foster, whose body was one of the first buried
in the yard directly back of this meetinghouse.
not far from
where I stand.
I understand
that all the Fosters of this part
of the town, and all the descendants
of Edward Chapman
Grant, are descendants of this woman, granddaughter
of Sarah
Warham, sister of our Esther.
We have seen that Esther was wife of the first and second
pastors of the Northampton
Church and that the third was her
grandson, Jonathan
Edwards;
the fifth was her great-greatgrandson, who was the pastor 56 years, and a grandson of his
was, in our day, pastor 14 years; which shows that the husbands
or descendants of Esther Warham have been pastors of that one
church for 158 years of its history; or 160 if we count the two
years when another was associate pastor with one of the others.
A vast host of her descendants have been Congregational ministers; a half dozen have been College Presidents, some United
States Senators, some Governors, others representatives,
judges,
lawyers, physicians, and many others prominent
men and women of this country.
Among the families descended from her who have furnished
many noted ministers have been two lines of the Williams family,
the Edwards, Dwight, Mather, Stoddard, Hooker, Strong, Porter, Parsons, Baccus,
Hopkins,
Woodbridge,
Park, Hawley,
Sheldon, and Storrs families, and others I have not recalled;
and General W. T. and Hon. John Sherman,
outside the pulpit,
and who -can tell how many others?
As we read her story it not hard to trace her influence; we
see it through her uncommon daughters in the parsonages to
which they went in different parts of New England; her spirituality was felt in many parishes beyond Northampton.
It
reached the parsonage in South Windsor Street in a letter which
she sent her daughter Esther after the birth of Jonathan
Ed wards, congratulating
her on the birth of her son, and referring
to the death of her own daughter Eunice by the Indians, which
breathes a spirit of strong faith and implicit trust in the divine
wisdom.
But, womanlike, there is a postcript to the letter, in
the thoughtful
mother
appears. She says, "P. S. I would
have sent you a half a thousand pins and a porringer of marmalat if I had an opporturtity."
Her influence is clearly seen in
Jonathan
Edwards; many of her traits reappear in him, and it
is interesting
t,o know that he was her pastor some years and
that she lived to see the first great revival that came under his
preaching at Northampton.
How that must have rejoiced her
devotedly pious soul? When we become acquainted
with Edwards' grandmother
and wonderful wife we are not much surprised that he was the man he was. Of him Whittier wrote:
�34
"In the church of the wilderness Edwards wrought,
Shaping his creed at the forge of thought;
And with Thor's own hammer welded and bent
The iron links of his argument,
Which strove to grasp in its mighty span
The purpose of God and the fate of man!
Yet faithful still, in his daily round.
To the weak, and the poor, and sin-sick found,
The schoolman's lore and the casuist's art
Drew warmth and life from his fervent heart.
Had he not seen in the solitudes
Of his deep and dark Northampton
woods
A vision about him falI?
Not the blinding splendor that fell on Saul,
But the tenderer glory that rests on them
Who walk in the New Jerusalem,
Where never the sun nor moon are known,
But the Lord and His love are the light alone!
And watching the sweet, still countenance
Of the wife of his bosom rapt in trance,
Had he not treasured each broken word
Of the mystical wonder seen and heard;
And loved the beautiful dreamer more
That thus to the desert of earth she bore
Clusters of Rschol from Canaan's shore?"
This "wife of his bosom,"
"the beautiful
dreamer,"
was
Sarah, daughter of Rev. John Pierrepont of New Haven, who,
when but 13 years of age, had such remarkable religious experiences; "trances" Whittier calls them, but wholly unlike those
of so-called "mediums;"
but such religious exercises that the
repute of them went far and wide; and Edwards, before he ever
saw her wrote about them and her in his diary, and she became
his wife when but seventeen years of age, and seemed from the
first a matured character; and when the mother of six children
George Whitefield wrote, after a visit to her home, that she was
the most beautiful woman he had ever known; and who, from
abundant testimony, was as practical and winsome, as beautiful. She was a woman after the own heart of Esther W ar:rnm,
her grandmother-in-law.
And while the great men, the Fathers of New England, were departing into cold formality in
preaching and life, it was such women as this foremother and
her daughters
and others like them, who prayed, saw by intuition, and held by mighty but intelligent faith, the great center
of the gospel; and through Esther W arham, her daughter Esther
Stoddard Edwards, and her daughter-in -law, Sarah Pierrepont
Edwards, an influence was exerted on Jonathan
Edwards, by
grandmother, mother and wife, by whom more than by any other
man, the church of New England was brought back.
"
�-
�
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3106/ONE-HUNDRETH-ANNIVERSARY001.jpg
faef4ead31d451b5fbd2e5a7cb708313
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA7190688460003451&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&search_scope=WCSU_ALMA&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US">Link to Primo record</a>
<a href="http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_W24_W37_1902/#page/1/mode/2up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page turner version</a>
Title
A name given to the resource
The one hundreth anniversary of the Wapping Congregational Meeting House : erected 1801 and occupied 1802 in South Windsor, Connecticut
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
b30921557
F104.W24 W37 1902
34023001507658
Description
An account of the resource
34 p., [3] leaves of plates : ill., port. 26 cm
Subject
The topic of the resource
Wapping Congregational Church (Wapping, Conn.) -- History
Wapping (Conn.) -- Church history
South Windsor (Conn. : Town) -- History
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
[South Windsor? Conn. : s.n.,]
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
A program of the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the building of the Wapping Congregational Meeting House in South Windsor, Connecticut. It contains the program of the ceremonies and several papers on the history of the Congregation church in the area dating back to the 18th century.<br /><br /><br />The Church in Wapping, a section of South Windsor, was built in 1801 and initially served several denominations. The Baptists and Methodists later founded their own churches, so that by 1817, only the Congregationalists remained. They eventually organized as the Second Congregational Church in South Windsor in 1830. The Congregationalists later merged with the Methodists to found the Wapping Federated Church, which became the Wapping Community Church in 1936. The original appearance of the church is not known. It was altered to its current Greek Revival style in 1849.<br /><br /><a title="http://historicbuildingsct.com/?cat=9" href="http://historicbuildingsct.com/?cat=9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://historicbuildingsct.com/?cat=9</a>
October eleventh and twelfth, nineteen hundred & two.
Pagination irregular pages 9 and 10 repeated
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Wapping Congregational Church (Wapping, Conn.)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
[ 1902]
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
8b5fdf17-d429-411f-8b0f-4e390e750893
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
Rare books
-
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/files/original/Rare_Books/3101/F104_N93_W55_1844.pdf
96c1adbab36f629170a8b34b8f2e2008
PDF Text
Text
1ItSTORICAL
SKETCHOF UNIVERSALISM
,
IN NORWICH ; CONN .
.A SERMON
DELIVEltED
BEFORE
THE
UNIVERSALIST
THE 5TH
OF ll!AY,
SOCIETY IN THAT PLACE,
1844 .
BY R. 0. WILLIAMS,
PASTOR .
'Tis from the past we shadow forth the land
Where smiles, long lost, again shall light our way ;
The past shall teach us vices to withstand,
And truth receive and wisdom's voice obey .
NORWICH, CONN.
GEO, W ; CONCKLIN,
1844.
PRINTER
,
ON
��TO
THE
READER
.
THE
following discourse has been written under many disadvantages.
The facts presented hav e been collected with considerable difficulty from
the verbal statements of old people in this town,~nd from other sources that
have come within my reach. I have aimed to give an accurate sketc h of
facts as they ·have come to my knowledge. Still I may ha ve fallen unconsciously into errors. The mode in which the facts were obtainedthe only mode in which they could be obtained-renders
it almost impossible to avoid all errors in giving a continuous chain of history. But such
.as it is, the Discourse is offered to the public, with the hope that its errors,
if any, may be freely pointed out, so as to be corrected at some future
time. It is respectfully dedicated, generally, to the members of the First
Universalist Society in Norwich, and specially, to the Secretary of the
Universalist Historical Society, Rev. T. J. Sawyer, of New York.
I take this opportunity to express my obligations to many valued friends
of different denominations to whose courtesy and kindness I am indebted
for much that is contained in this Discourse. It would be improper -p erhaps invidious to mention names. All are rememb ered with pleasure and
gratitude for their kindness,
If I have been so unfortunate as to wound the feelings of any in my
,sketch, I hope for their indulgence. I have deemed it proper to state
facts important and useful to the denomination to which I belong, whether agreeable or . disagreeable to any. If I have spoken with severity, of
any class of Christians, it should be rememb ere d that there are always
exceptions to general rules, and those in the wrong alone are the objects
of censure. While I regret that ther e are many formal professors who
degrade the Christian religion , I am happy to ackn owledge, that I find
,some in my intercourse with other sects, whose candor, liberality and
truly Christian feeling do honor to the nam e of Christ. Such instances
are truly refreshing amidst the continual turmoils of party strife and sec-tarian bitterness. I pray God that there may be more such, and that all
classes of people may come nearer to each other in spirit and feeling, if
they cannot in creeds and theories,
THE AUTHOR.
��DISCOURSE _,
"In qui re, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of
!heir father s.-J ob, viii, 8.
THE entreaty in this passage, addressed to Job by one of his
three friends, may not be inappropriate for the consideration of
peopl e in other ages and different circumstances . All of us
:mrely have need enough of the wisdom and instructio n to be
gained from the generations of our fathers ; but, in order to
gain that wisdom, we must consult their actio ns, and make
inquiry concerning the events of former times. As a denominati on, it is important for us to ascertain those things which
relate to the condition and progress of our distinct iv e views in
times past, particularly in our own neighborhood.
We have
all a common int erest in the inh eritance left us by our ancestors: and to all, I doubt not, it affords a melancholy pleasure
to look back through the dim domains of the past, an d ascertain how they lived, thought and felt with reference to the
great subject of religion.
Our Puritan forefathers crossed the untravelle d expanse of
Atlantic waters, and braved the dangers of the ocean, the vicissitudes of the seasons, and the perils of interm in able forests,
for the sake of enjoying unmolested their own religious opinions . They bore with them and tral'l.splanted into a new and
virgin soil the severe principles of Calvinistic theology fresh
from the author, and enforced by the stern simplici ty of Puritan worsh ip. The country was rapidly settled by a devout
.and pious people. Religion urged them from their yo uthful
hom es ; and to enjoy and preserve it unimpaire d appe ared to be their chief concern. A few bold and ad.venturous
spirits, crowded" and oppressed even in their new home, pene ,
trated into this State and settled on the borders of the Connecticut. And from thence, in 1660 , by a singular incident regar- •1·rumbull's Hist. of Conn., V. I, I'· 58,
�6
ded as a spe cial evidence of divine favor, a settlement was ef~
fected in this town under the auspices of a Mohegan chief.*
On th e settlement of th e State, its ecclesiastica l affairs were
arranged accordin g to the views and feelings then existing
among th e peopl e; and, for nearly an hundred years thereafter, remained u nchanged in all their essential feat ur es. Calvinism, modifi ed ind eed by the petty superstitions of the age,
held dominion ov er th e common mind . The immigrants,
just emerged from the thralldom of Popery, still retained that
superstitious reverenc e for the clergy imposed by the mothe r
church.
Co nsequently, to the clergy were comm itt ed chiefl y
the care and oversi ght of their souls, and the ge n eral concer ns
of religion.
F ew took upon themselves the responsibili ty of
thinking in a chann el different from the common train of
thought~ and of con.seq uence, there was little or no diversity of
faith-no
colli sion of mind with mind,and no jarring interests
or principl es to dcaw out and sharpen the sword of controve rsy. Here sies, which might occasionally spr ing up in indiv id ual minds, w ere imm ediately suppressed, by phys ic al, rather
than intellectu al or moral force . The whipping post was one
of the mild est arguments used to suppress them.
The cree ds
and systems of discipl ine became a matter of S tate po licy and
were sustai _ned by civil enactments.
The p eop le w ere wi llingly taxed for th e support of the clergy, and those taxes were
scrupulously
exacted, even to the sacrifice of the po or man's
cow, or hi s la st bu shel of grain .
Nor wa s r eli gion protected with refer ence merely to its pe~
cuniary support.
Laws were enacte d comp elling attenda nce
on church servi ces, and imposing fines and other penalt ies for
neglect.
Ev en Le g islative resolves were passed, ca ll ing upon
the "Reverend Eld ers" to make inquiries concerning the sta te
of religion and "s end in to the h on orable, the Governor , wha t
they find. " And th en other laws were added to prevent the
profanation of the Sab bath , and espec ially "the unseasona ble
meeting of young people on th e evening af ter the Sabba th day
and at oth er tim es ."t
Thus the church continu ed for a long
"In their wars with the Narragansetts,
the Mohegans were besc iged in their
fort on the banks of the Thames, and reduced to great extremity . Informed of
their condi tion, a Mr . Thomas Leffingwell of Saybrook found means to re lieve
them, and for this service he received from Uncas, the Mohegan chief, a deed of
the town of Norwich.
This probably strengthened the friendship between th e
Mohegans and En gl ish . Soon afte rwards, the deed was confirmed to a com pany
in Saybrook, and Rev. Mr. Fitch, with most of his church r emoved from tha t
place and settled in this town.
tTrumbull' s Hist. of Conn., Vol. II, p . 20, 21. This law seems to haveoee n
pften put in force. Som e years before the war of the r evolut ion. the mot her of
�7
tim e in the same unb roken current, agitated indeed , by vario us
quar~els and minor difficulties on unimportant points; but its
general faith, its ~ode of wors~ip, clerical in~uence and even
superstitions remamed unquest10ned and undisturbed .
,
It was not until about the year 1740, that this deep drea m of
listless quietude in religion was disturbed, and the peop le
aroused with wonder at the appearance of something new .--T his was the great revival that forms so conspicuous a pa rt in
the ecclesiastical history of New England, sometimes calle d,
in the expressive langu age of that age, the "New Light S tir. "
I t commenced simultaneously
in different parts of the coun try ;-- in Massachusetts under Rev. Jonathan Edwards th en of
N orthampton-in
New Jers ey under Rev. Geo rge T enn ent
and others; and was greatly advanced by Rev. George Whit field, who visited this country during its progress.
It spr ead
th rouo-h the country in a manner which indicated the power
of Gtd at work for the accomplishment
of wise an d ben evo lent purposes.
People were aroused as from a long dre am 1and
looked around in vacant amazement upon the wonde rs of the
scene. All classes were affected with a common feeling offear '
and solemnity.
The old citadel of Connecticut orthodoxy
was shaken to its base and trembled to its topmost stone. Even
its celebrated " Platform" was agitated by the interna l move ment.
No one, however, at first entertained fears for th e
creeds or the interests of religion.
But it soon beca m e man i•
fest that this strange work was undermining the long est ab-,,
lished customs of the church.
An alien spirit was silently in sinuating itself into the revered institutions of the land , and
in terrupting the unbroken repose of other yea rs. St anding
upon the present point of time to survey the past, the Ch ris tian,
of liberal and comprehensive views, may well ask, w h ether'
this revival was not one of the best things for the rea l int erests
of religious truth that ever occurred in New Engla nd ? It
surely broke the enchantment of the times, and gave impetu s
to a spirit of inquiry which subsequent ages have not suppressed.
People who had long embraced a mere formal iteli-gion, and were embraced by it with open arms, now began to
look around, inquire into the reality and think for therns eh res·.
I n discreetly for th eir own inter ests , did some of the clergy encourage lay exhortation and public dissections of te lhrfous
feeling. Others objected.
The people, however, soon found
Mr. George Moore, then a girl spent the night, one Saturday nig h t in th !! spring
of the year, at a neighbor's house. Returning early in the morn in g she loitei-ed
by the way to see the ice move down the Shetucket, which was the n breaking
up. Here she was discovered with others, by a special guard ian of the law and.
:fined in the sum of five shillings.
'
�sthat they could speak and exhort to good acceptance
them ~·
selves;
and they improved
their gifts with little reserve or
caution,running
even into extravagances
of almost every kind.
But these were ultimately
advantageous
to the cause of religion.
They served to unveil the follies and formalities of the
existing order of things ; diminish the mawkish veneration in
which that order was held, and show the people their right
and ability to think and act for thems elves.
.
Nor was it lon g before they began to be dissatisfied
with the
old " standing order," and to withdraw
from it and form other
churches.
Those who seceded were called Separatists.
As
their numb ers increased a deep spirit of inquiry spread through
the country,
Never had there been a period, in this country,
of so much and so va1ied inquiry on the subject of religion as
resulted from that revival.*
These things seem to · have been:
divinely ordered for the purpose of preparing
the minds of the
community
for the reception of a new truth from a messenger
of univers al reconciliation.
The power and fruit of this revival had been greatly manifr.sted in the counties of vVindham and New London.
Many
churches of the Separatists
had been formed in various parts .
Some of these became Baptist in faith and discipline;
but generally they adopted the old doctrinal
platforrns of the New
England churches,
and aimed in their reform, only at a higher
degree of practical
and experimental
religion . Churches
of
this kind were formed at New London,
Stonington,
Preston,
Norwich, Lyme and some other places in this neig-hborhood.t
Besides these there ·were a few Quakers,
and at Groton there
appeared a singular sect called Rogerenes.
Th.e controversy
between
the Separatists
and the standing
churc h es, like most other religious
controversies,
was violent
and acrimonious.
The former were unsparing
in their cen-:
sures, and severe in their accusations
of pride, hypocrisy,
and
other vices; and, having by such improper
charges awakened
resentment,
doubtless
experienced,
on that account,
much
abuse and persecution.
As the breach became wider,
the
standing churches gradually
lost their- hold on the public mind, .
fewer superstitions
were interposed to arrest inquiry 1 and the
mass of people seemed to enjoy mor-e freedom
of thought
and of conscience.
At an early period, a church of the Separatists
was formed
"'See a Sermon on the" Vanity and mischief of presuming
on things above
our measure, " delivered in Norwich in 1774, by Rev. Joseph Huntington,
authoi.,
of "Calvinism
Impro ved."
tTrumbull'e
History, Vol. II, p. 538.
�9
or a congregation collected in th1s town, which had Its chief
seat in the neighborhood of the village now called Bean Hill. -tt
Ther e th ey held their meetings whenever they cou ld find a
kindred spirit to dispense to them the wo rd of life. A Mr .
Gamaliel R eyno ld s,a resident of the town and a mason by trade,
but a man of strong tho ug h 1.u1cultiv ate<l mind, usually officiated as their minister.
Th eir ffi1mbers were small, and the
treatment w hi c h they r eceived was not always suc h as th e
Christian r elig ion enjoins, or they had a right to expec t. The
oppr ess ion and severity which th ey experienced made them
liberal towards all seriou s and pious innovators on the estab~
lished church es. Dr . Lord, however, the pastor of the first
church, pursu ed towards them a wiser policy--tteating
them
with uniform kindness-and
thereby secured th eir attac hment
.
in a m eas ur e, to himself and his church .
Before the r ev iv al alr ea dy mentioned, an Episcopal society
had been organ ized in th is town, undet the patronage of the
British government.
In 1769, a fe,v years before the war of
the R evolution, R ev . John Tyl er became its priest, About the
same time, th e church; now ca ll ed the 2d Con g regat ional soNeiciety, was und er the pastoral care of Rev. Mr. Judson.
ther the Baptists nor Methodists had any existence in town as
a separate society at that time.
.
. .
.
Such was th e state of r eligious affairs in Norwich and th~
towns adjoining, when, in th e autumn of 1772, Mr. John
Murray, a pr eache r of univ ersa l salvatio n first made his ap ~
pearance among th e citizens and called their atte nti on to a new
and peculiar doctrine.
Having b een about t\vo ye~rs in
America and pr eac h ed in several pl aces south of Ne\v York,
he had started from that city with a view of going to N ew~
port, R. I. Pa ss in g by land throu gh Connecticut, he stopped
with a friend at Guilford, \v h ere h e was invited to d eliver his
message.
Her e he tnet With several ge ntl emen from Norwich,
who had b een to New H ave n on busin ess and were then on
their return. t Among th em ·was Mr. Samu el Post, who invi ~
ted him to visit this town and spea k to tbe people on the great
subj ec t that engaged hi s attent ion.
On his arrival, a small
~
house of worship , probably the . Separatists' meeting house a.1
ready referr ed to, was provided for him ; but not being- suffi ciently sp ac iou s, the doors of the great m eet ing house occupied
by Dr. Lord w ere thrown open, and, as h e observes, were
.. Th e old school hou se or aca demy recently pulled down at that plac e to make
room for another building, is said to have belonged originally to the Separatists 1
and was used as their p lace of wors hip .
tSee life of Mur ray, page 168.
2
�lb
never afterwards shut against him."
Here he delivered his
message of lov e to a large and attentive audience, equally de ~
lighted with his matter and his manner.
Here he discoursed
upon an important point of theology, which, though interwo~
ven with the whole texture of divine revelation, had been allowed no place in the religious platforms of this new country.,.
After a short stay he resumed his journey to Newport;
but
he left behind him :ci. ~eerl fhat was not sbon to perish.
He
found many warm friends whose hearts were open both to receive his doctrines and m.inister to his necessities.
His second visit was probably made late in the fall of 1773;
on his return from Boston, where he had been for the first
time.
In July, 1774, he left New York in order to make an~
other visit to Boston, and other important places in New England ; and during that journey he came to this place again. Every succeeding visit increased the number and the attachments of his friends, and extended the influence of his senti ment in the community.t
From that time his visits to this
town became more and rnore frequent-as
often as once or
twice a year for several succeeding years.
These gave occasion to many interesting incidents which are still remembered
with much pleasure by some of the older inhabitants
of the
town.
On one occasion he had a meeting appointed at the old
meeting house of the seyond Congr egationa l Society, now under the care of Rev. Mr. Bond.
When he arrived at the place,
he found a lar ge number of people assen1bled ai-ound the
house , but the door was shut and no one could find the key to
gain admission.
Some of his enernies had taken this rr,ethod
to preve 'nt his entering and desecrating
the church.
Soon ,
however, a ·window was raised and a young man lifted in;
the door was opened and l\Ir. Murray mingled with the crowd
as they entered, and ere his enemies were aware of his entrance, he had taken procession of the pulpit and commenced
his sermon.
But the most important event that occurred in ·his ministry
in this place, was a discussion which he held, about the year
·11
"His first sermon is said to have been delivered from Gen. xlix; 10. "The
sceptre shall not depart from _Judah nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until
Shiloh come, and unto .him shall the gathering of the people be." ·
• tSome evidence of the extent of his influence and the number of his friends
may be found in the number of books circulated among them.
In 1 776 an edition _of the Hymns of James and John Reily was published by subscrlption at
Burlmgton, N. J. A copy of that _edition now in town contains, among the
names of subscribers, about forty who are set down as residents of this town.Probably Relly's Union, Dr. Chauncey's anonym ous works, and some others of-a
·· sim ilar kind had a circulation equally extensive.
�11
1779. with the R ev. N ath anie l Niles," a gentleman of consid o.
erab le talents and acquirements who was then a resident of
this town. Th is originated in some doings of the Second Society with refer ence to Mr. Nathaniel Shipman, father of the
pres en t Jud ge Shipman, who was then a member of that society and even a deacon of the church.
It seems that Deacon
Shipm an had depar ted, in a measure, from the doctrinal platform s of th e church,and imbibed the sentiments of Mr . Murray.
For entertaining such heretical views, he was called to an account by th e pa s tor in charge of the second society, who appears to h ave been less liberal and lenient than either Dr. Lord,
or Mr. Strong who h ad now become his colleague.
When
the tri al of his case was had, he was permitted, singularly
enough to be sure, to call on Mr. Murray to assist him in the
defenc e.t After consid erabl e debate, in which Mr. Murray
took a conspicuous part, the case seems to have been dropped
without any decid ed action upon it. .Mr. Shipman absented
Jtims elf, in a great m eas ure , from the church and its meetings;
and some years afte rw ards, _if I mi stake not, he became a Swedenbor g·ian.
Mr. Niles, with perhaps Dr. -Lord, appeared at the meeting
to assist the church against its delinqu~nt deacon. But not .
satisfied with th e result, h e proposed an arrangement with '
Mr. Murray for a public discussion of the chief question in
dispute at another time. A meeting was accordingly held for
that purpo se, thou gh , probably without any formal adjustmen t
of preliminaries.
The discussion wa s brief, but character ized
with much tact, and acuteness of reasoning on both sides ; and
result ed, whatev er might have been its true m erits, in secu"Mr. Niles was not settl ed here as a mini ster but engag·ed in. sec ular business.
H e was born in Braintree, M ass ., and educated for the ministry.
He afterwa rds
came to this town, m arried a young lady of wealth, a sister of our fellow citizen
Simon L ath rop, and th en turn ed his attention to secular pursuits.
After the war
of the revolution h e remo ved to Fairl ee, Vt. H ere h e become distinguished as a
politician and was elected a member of Congress. Hi s popular talents gained him
friends, and set him forth as a mark for th e shaf ts of his politica l enemi.es. Aft er
filling some oth er stations of honor and trust, he died in 1828 aged 86 years, -
All en's Die . of Am . B iography.
·
On e of th e writers of a political and lit erary satire called the "Echo," originally
publi shed in the secular papers in thi s State, between 1790 and 1800, h as the following languag e with reference to Mr. N iles and hi s conn ection with politics,
•• In V ermont where the R everend N iles
To hi s own State confines his wiles."
t See Mr. Murray's accoun t of this transaction in hi s Lett ers and Sket ches, Vol.
I, p . 65. Old people acqua int ed w ith the facts say that this was the meeting de,
scribed in tha t L etter.
�12
ring a popular influence in favor of Mr. Murray and the cause
he had espoused.*
But still dissatisfied,Mr. Niles appears to have been desi:irous
of making another attempt to gain his point. What could
not be obtained in open conflict. was sought for by a resort to
stratagem. Accordingly, when ·Mr. Murray had a meeting appointed at the old church of the second society, several of
the neighb_oring clergymen ~oak adv'.1ntage ~f the oppor~unity
to attend m order to surpnse and silence him. Mr. Niles, if
not the' instigator of this movement, was at least among the
number present.
They entered the church and seated them~elves in a single pew, where they could look the speaker full
m the face. lt had been the custom of Mr. Murray to select
custom which he adhis subject before entering the church-a
hered to on this occasion.
But when he came and found these
clergymen all there, knowing many of them, and suspecting
their designs, he dropped the subject which he had chosen, and
took for his text the passage in Math. xxiii, 2. '' And the
Scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses' seat." And he managed
th€! subject so adroitly to their disadvantage and threw them
into such a confusion that no one attempted a reply.
Among the early and steadfast friends of i\ifr. Murray was
Rev. John Tyler, formerly rector of Christs 1 Church in this
city. He has long been claimed. and not without reason, as a
believer in the final salvation of all men.
Mr. Murray speaks
of him in connection with others, as "among the number of
those who, if they were not fully with him in sentiment, have
uniformly
discharged
to,.vards him the duty of Christian
friends."t
He wrote a series of sermons in defence of the doctrine which were afterwards published anonymously,
nnder
and Salvation clearly
the title of " Universal Damnation
proved by the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament."They were first published in Boston, without the author's consent, from a manuscript copy "found among the papers of a
deceased member of the first Uni versalist church in that city. 11t
In 1815 an edition was published in this town by Gurdon Bill,
Esq., now of Lee.yard, under a different title. This gentle"Some time after the discussion, Mr. Niles met with a Mr. Bellamy, a brother
clergyman of Preston, who said he wished he had been present at the time, he
would have silenced the brawler.
Bot Mr. Niles shook his head and dryly observed in reply, "I don't know about that - he was the worst fis)l that ever I har\dled in my life!"
tSee Life of Mµrray p. 185.
=tSee the preface to the edition published in Boston in 1826. It seems that
there were two editions published prior to that of Mr. Bill-one
41 Bo,stQn, an~
�i3
man before their publication , called on Mr. Tyler to ascertain,
frorr; his own mouth whether the sermons were actually writ ten by him , and contained hi~ views at ~hat tiine on the suh ~
jects discuss ed . And he received uneqmv~cal _assurances that
such was th e fact . But Mr. Ty ler, at this tun e appeared to
manifest an unwillingne ss to appear before the public as their
author or even as a full believer in the final sa lvation of all
manki~d.*
In 1809, he delivered a Chri _stmas Se rmon , which
for its liberal principles, caused some xc1ternent amon g his pa rishion ers and ·was mad e an occasion for charging him with
Universalism.
As th is his supposed heresy was industriously
whispe re d about to his disadvantage , he was probably induced
to p11blish the sermon wit h some exp lanations for the pm 'pose
of quietirw the fears of hi s people and stilling the tongne of
common g~ssip. To the printed copy he added a note denying
that Universalism is taught in it, but carefully avoiding any
In this
denial that he hi1m-elf was a believer in the doctrine.
note he professed to think his h eare rs had base d th eir charges
on a mis conception ofhis m ea niug, in" not distinguishing be tween universal Redemption and universa l Salvation." The
former , h e maintains is taught, both in the Scr ipture s and by
the Liturgy and Creed of the chur ch of England.
But he is
singularly careful not to say that the latter is not taught in the
Scripture11, or not believed by himself. He m erely affirms
that" ther e is not one sente nce of Universalism (i e 'universal
salvation ') in the sermon.t
And in this he was correct; for
surely no candid churchman could h ave found fault with it
unless there had been some previous indications of his incli :
ning towards that doctrine. The extreme sensitiveness of the
people, therefore, on this occasion, together with his own
course, does, of its elf afford proof of his faith in the final salvation of all men. But, though such was h is faith, and though
the other some years afterwards, in Salem . Mr. T yler had no connexion with
the ~dition published here, other than to affirm the aut h enticity of the sermons ;
~or 1s it certam that they were ever deliv ered before his congregation in this city;
1f _s~,th ey _must have been delivered prior to the yea r 1800. They were delivered
ongmall y ma town n ear Boston, probabl y Sa lem.
*This edition, ent itled" The Law and the Gospel, clearly demonstrate d in
si~ serm?ns," was printed from a manuscript copy which Mr . Bill obtai ned in a
ne1~hborm? town. He knew not th e autl10r at that time, except from rumor
which ascribed them to Mr. Tyler; and he went to Mr. T. to ascertain the facts
and get permission to place his name in the tit lepageas author. But while Mr. T.
fran kly confessed tha t he wrote the Sermons, h e chose to withhold his name from
the publi c,_as its appe~rance mig~t involve him in a controversy which, in his old
age, he wish ed to avoid. Such, 1f I have not mistaken him is the substance of
Mr. Bill 's _statement with reference to this subjec
'
tSee Discour se on the Nat ivity of Christ, Norwich, 1810 .
�14
he had been a strong friend of Mr. Murray and Mr. ·winchester, yet, during th e latter part of his life, he probably gave but
little encouragement to their views.
After a faithfu l and laborious ministry of fifty-four years he di ed in 1823, * and I may
presume th at he died, as h e had lived, in the belief that all
mankind will :finally be restored to holiness and happiness.t
During th e ear ly part of Mr. Murray's minist r y in this town,
several gentlemen who had become his followers, and were
captivated with his sent im ents, made at tempts to preach the
rro this th ey were probably influenced in some
doctrine.
n1easure, by the Separatists' movement which enco ura ge d lay
exhortation, and the success of Mr. Murray, who, with no human authority,t had entere d up on th e work of the ministry;
but chiefly by the solemn impressions of their own obligations
to serve God in promotin g what th ey believed to be truth.§,.--Among this number was a gentleman named Daniel Hall, who
was devout and sincere in his profession, but not possessed of
very popular talents as a public speaker.
He was not a r eg ular preacher while he believed and patroniz ed the sentim ents
of Mr. Murray.
He merely made an a ttempt at the ministry
of reconcili at ion; but his success was no t equal to his desires,
his zeal or his ex pectatio ns. After preaching a few times, he
relinquished his und ert ak ing. But subsequently he changed
his views of theology , and became a preacher of the Congrega·
tional order. I\
The doctrine of univ e rsal sa lvation in this town found a more
efficient and steady-minded
advocate in Mr. Gamaliel Reynolds already noticed.
As he had been conn ected with the
Separatists, and accustomed to thinking for himself, his mind
"The
inscription
on hi s tombstone
states that, "Having fulfilled his ministry
His soul took its flight from this vale
of misery Jan. 20, 1823, in the 81st year of his age."
tHis friends and relativ es at th e pre sent time, seem disinclined to admit that he
was a full believer in Universal Sa lvation, especia lly towards the close of his life;
but the evidences are quite conclusive that suc h was th" fact. He is said to have
confessed it a short time before his d eat h to Mr. David Tracy and so me others.
tMr. Murray, while in town was onc e asked for his commis sion to pr eac h, and
immediately drawing from hi s p oc ket , the Bibl e." There," said he, "is my commission; I own no hum an authoritv."
<§Dea. Cl eve land and 'Nm. Pitt Turn er are said to have spoken some in public in favor of Mr. Murray's doc trine. But the former, unsuccessful in his efforts,
soon renounced it; a nd the latte r, from eccentricity an d the want of piety and perseverance rather than the want of talent was incapacitated for th e mini sterial profession, or at least did not see fit to pur sue it.
flAfter be became a Congregational pr eac her, h e removed to Long Island-was
at Sagharbor for a time, and finally settled over a church on Shelter Island where
he died.
he was ready to depart and be with Christ.
�was doubtl ess mor e easily i11fluenced in favor of the sentiments
of Mr. i\11.urray. At what time he embraced the doctrine, I
hav e not been ab le to ascertain; and there is som ething indefinit e in every one's recollection respecting the length of time
that he preached it-the
gene r al impr ession, however, among
old peo ple, is, some fifteen or twenty years . He pursued his
usual avocations during th e wee k, and on the Sa bbath exercised
his gift in speaking-sometimes
in private dwellings and someA small circle of
tim es in schoolhouses and othe r places.
friends usua lly attende d his m eetings and listened with devout
attention to his discourses.
His communications, though often
charact e rized with strength of mind, originality of thought,
and striking illustr a tion, were much less grace ful and attractive
than those of Mr. Murray and other s, But his sincerity and
piety served to make some amends for his lack in other respects.
Mr. 1\1urray speaks of him as a sincere and amiable man,
somewhat unacquaint ed with the do ctrin e and unpoli shed in
his manner of communicating it." After he became a Universalist he was called to experience some of the common buffetings of unpopular sects. But these he bor e w ith patience, always content ed with his lot, a nd even me t with some happy
incid ents to ch ee r and e ncour age him. Among other things,
while he was a Separatist, he enjoye d the fri end ship of a Mohegan preach er name d John Cooper, who en tertained the same
religious sentim ents, They both freely applied to each other
the tit le of broth ei·. But after Mr. Reynolds had changed his
views, his tawny friend cam e to see him and converse with him
on the subject. Mr. R. r eceived him with g rea t cordiality and
still applied to him the affectionate appellation of brother. After hearing it awhile, Coop er started back and observed with
an arch smile, '' Not quit e so fast, I guess it is not more than
cousin now!"
Mr . Reynolds was a poo r and hard working man ; but he
live d to a very advanced age and died as he had lived, in the
•The following from Mr. Murray's" Letters and Sketches," Vol. II , page 345,
is sa iil by old people in town to refer to Mr. Reynolds:
" I rejoice much to see our fri en d R., he did us th e favor to preach for us ; he
is anbonest soul and we all Jove him . But so lon g has h e dwelt among those
who are, as yet, unacquainted with God as manifested in th e flesh, that although
this God in his abundant mercy, hath at length manifesteu himself to his soul,
h e can yet hardly sp eak the lauguage of heaven.
1f he could conceive more
readil y and utter with Jess rapidity, he wo uld be abunda ntly more useful. But
his own soul is greatly refreshed, and whenever he can get the better of himself
in word as well as deed, h e will he better calculated to hold forth the words of
life."
�18
be for many years afterw ards. Mr. vVinchester was a popular
spe ak er, a man of pecuEar talents and fervent piety, comprehen si ve in his vi ews, and solemn and impressive in his manner.
On this account he was received with great cordiality by those
who sympathiz ed w ith his sentiments.
Mr. Tyl er particularly, treat ed him with marked att ention and kindness, and allow ed him to preach in bis church, as he had previously ex!ended the same courtesy to Mr. Murray.
He visit ed this tow!1.
several ;times in the cour se of two or three years previous to his
death ; and, during that time,an edition of his "Lectures on the
Prophesies" was published here.*
In 1795, he was invited to
d eliver an address before the Masonic fraternity on the occasion
of celebrating the festival of St. J ohn.
This performance was
highly spoken of and well received by all classes, and served
to render him 1nore popular and increase the number of his
friends.
He finally went to Hartford where he di ed in 1797,
beloved and r es pect ed ev en by his religious opposers.t
In the year 17 96, the po sthumous work of Dr. Joseph Huntington, entitled" Calvinism Improved," was published at New
London.
Dr. Huntin g ton w as a native of this town, and had a
large cir cle of friends and r elativ es here by whom he was much
beloved and respected . Cons equently,
his work, though a
source of great mortification to them, was extensively
circulated her e, a nd performed its part in advancing the doctrine of
uni versa! salvation.
After the death of Mr. "\Vinehester, the doetrine seemed, for
a number of years, to take rather a backward movement ; at
least it did not advance as it had done for some years previous.
Several causes contributed to produce this result.
Dr. Strong
who had now become the sole pastor of the first church, was
mild and liberal in his treatment of Mr. Murray's followers, and
thereby retained some of them in attendance on his meetings.
"In 1792, Mr. John Trumbull published a pamphlet of 80 pages containing
two of these Lectures;
and in that pamphlet he gave notice of his intention to
Jrnblish the whole work, "in monthly numbers, each number to contain two
lectures, the whole course comprising eighteen numbers besides the two just published."
This intention was carried into execution during the years 1794-5.
The work was issued in four volumes.
The name of Thomas Hubbard
appears as printer.
His widow continued in Hartford until the fall after his death; and then she
came to this place, where she spent several months in the family of Mr. Simeon
Hubbard.
She was here probably on b11siness connected with the publication
of his Lectures.
She afterwards went to Philadelphia,
and thence to New York
where she kept a boarding house for a time, said, perhaps falsely, to have been
not of v ery good repute.
Her subsequent history is involved in obscurity. - -See
Stone ' s Biography of Winchester,
p. 233.
t
�19
l\'Ir. 'fyler wa s him self a Univer~alist, and of consequence ma ny, who were di ssatisfie d w ith other church~s, went to his
m eeti ng, wh en th ey had no m eeting of their own sentiments. The liberality exten ded towards them rendered them easy and
less aaxious to estab lish a society of th eir own views. Meantime Mr. M urra y had ceased to visit the place as often as usual, and the separa te inter est in favor of his sen tim ents began to
dis appear. His friends, who were a ch urch- going people, with
their families, fell in with other churches, excep t the few who
gathered around Mr. Reynolds ; and, in process of time, they
out-gr ew rath er than rejected the doctrine. _It is th us th at th e
kincl,11essand sympathy for th e sentiment, manifested by other
denominations seemed to retard its progress in this town.
To this should be added th e fact that no preacher of eminence
appeared amon g th em in its defence for many years, to awaken
n ew inter est in its favor.
The only individun,j. who attempt ed to pr each the doctrine for a long time, was a mannam ed John Foster*; and h e, it appears, had been deposed from
the Congregational ministry and proved to be unworthy of hi s
profession. From the death of Mr, Winchester to the adoption
of the present constitution of this State in 18 18, I find but few
traces of any public advocates of th e doctrine in this town. It
is not to be supposed that all its friends had renounc ed it; they
had merely becom e inactive in their efforts to promote it.
Meantime the Bapti sts and Methodists had respectively organiz ed societies of their own peculiar vi ews . The first systematic orga nization of a Baptist church in this town, was in
the year 1800. From that time, for upwa rds of twenty years,
the church thus formed was under th e pastoral care of .Elder
Sterry. And even prior to 1800, the American vVesleyans had
made some convert s and ran ge d th emselves into a class chiefly
under the fostering- care of Eld er Bentley ; and this has continued to grow, until it has formed the present Methodist Soci ety
in this town .
The rise of these new sects gave a differ ent turn to public
This Mr. Foster was the son of a Cong rega tional Cl ergyman in Sta fford
who him self became a Universalist nea r the close of his life . After the son
had been deposed from the mini str y he beca me a Univer salist and preached se veral tim es in this town; once or twice in the Episcopal Church, by the cons ent
of .Mr. Tyler. He then extended his labor s to the neighboring towns . Bat hi s
mora ls were not consistent with th e mini ste rial office,and conseque ntly he was not
counte nanc ed after he became known. He, how ever, settled in town and taught
a ~chool with considerable suc cess for a time; but at lengt h abandoned it fo,·
some oth er pursuit, H e finally became intemper ate. turn ed fortune-teller , a nd
died last winter a degraded old man at the age of 90.
�2a
thou g ht and raised additional enemies to th e doct rfne of imp ar tia l grace . That doctrine , in the contentions that followed , bet ween these and old er sects, came in for a la rge share of abuse 'firn opposition was strong imd vehemen t, and people b egan to
b e called Univ ersalists as a term oheproa ch . The Christma s
S ermon of Mr. Tyler, already noticed, occasioned some feelin g
in his church on the subj ect , but it was soon quieted by his evasive explanation in the appendix to the printed copy. When
Mr. Bill in 1815 publish ed his edition of Mr . Tyle r' s si x ser mons, it called out n ew and more vehement opposition to th e
cloctrine -l:tnd its patrons . Then the bigotry and bitt ern ess of
se ctarian ism were industriously fastened upon the publi c mind ;
th e youn g were indoctrinated with the here sy of endle ss mise -liY, and the fountains of liberality were dri ed' up . Among th e
few professing a p:irtial faith, who retained the spirit of Chris tian liberality was Elder Bentley :-who, though a man of strong
r eligious prejudices, and an inveterate hater of what he dee m ed
heresy, still seemed to recognize the common rights of man and
even the ti es ofa universal broth erhood under every variety of
faith .
The first clergyman , after this season of spir itual declension ,t o pr each th e r estitution of all things and arouse the sleeping
brotherhood of that faith, seems to have been Rev. Edward
Mitchell of New York . On his vi siting the place, applicatio n
was made by his friends for one of the houses of public wor sh ip: and that of the Baptists was at length obtained for hi s ac commodation . But Elder Sterry made so great an outcry at
th is pr etended de secration of his pulpit tha t he seemed to fr igh ten his people, and with some exceptions, filled them w ith tha t
spirit of bitterness and unrelenting enmity against U niv ersalist &
and th eir sentiments which continues to this day , and seems
l atterl y ,a mong a portion of them , to-be waxing worse and wors e .
B ut w hile th e Baptists were ~naking so mu ch damor about the
occupancy of their church, the new meeting-house of the Meth odist s, then chi efly under the care of Elder Bentley was opened
for the u se of Mr. MitchelL*
Here he pre ached on sev eral oc ca sions to the no small annoyance of some very bigoted Christ ians of other d enominations.
Of course he excited new enm ities in such minds, and the choicest langna g e of v it upe rat ion
an d slander was fully applied both to him and h is friends .E ve n Mr. Bentley did not escape reproach for adm ittin g hi m
., Thi s meeting house stood on what is called Wha rf :Bridge. It was built in
18 16, chiefl y through the efforts of Elder Bentle y, and was u su all y call ed" E lder
Be ntle y's Ch urch. "
�21
But when he was severely censured for hi s
into the church.
courtesy to l\Ir, Mitchell, he evinced an independence worthy
of the man and the Christian. He replied that Mr. Mitchell's
doctrine would not hurt th e walls of the church and he was sure
he had much rather have such doctrine pr eached there than
old fashioned Calvinism,
The labors of Mr. Mitchell seem to have put new life and
vigor into the sleeping believers of universal salvation, and they
began to bestir themselves for another effort. Accordingly
Rev. Hosea Ballou, 2d, then of Stafford, was invited to visit
them a few times. He came for the first time in August, 1817,
and preached in the old meeting house of the first society,•Afterwards he preached several times in town, and some times occupied Mr. Bentley's church in the city. Meantime
Mr. Mitchell and some other clergymen were making occasional visits to this place until 1820, when Rev. Fayette Mace ,
then merely a licentiate, came into this region, spent several
months itinerating in various towns in this neighborhood, and
preached considerab ly in this town.
Hitherto the doctrine of universal salva tion, as manifested in this town, had been decidedly of the Trinitarian cast.
All its early advocates adhered • to that system and framed their views in adaptation to it. They differed from
other christians merely by attaching a little more efficiency to their systems, and to the operations of divine grace sery and substitu ting in its stead the ultiby r ejecting en d~s!i
mate restoration of
men . .•.'I.hey believed that Chr ist died,instead of sinners, to ffer the full penalty of the divine law, and
satisfy the demands of justice, and that the benefits of th is vicarious atonement were to be extended to all mankind in their actual pardon and final salvation. Mr. Murray did not indeed admit that there was any outward infliction of punishment in the
future world for the sins of this life. He assumed that the unbelievers would be made to suffer for some unknown period i11
another life- not, however, strict ly as an extrinsic punishment
- a purgatorial infliction and satisfaction of the divine law, but
as the natura l result of his unbelief; and that this would continue until he should see his error and turn to God. Mr. Winchester took a somewhat different view. He contended for a
long period of purgatorial punishment in a future existence for
" The first time Mr. Ballou preach ed in Mr. Strong's Church, a clergyman,
~hen living i~ to_wn, but prea_ching in a neighboring town, made some remarks
rn reply to !us discourse, which created some interest and to which Mr. Balloll
rejoined. "I think," sa ys Mr. B. "his name was Rev. David AusLin." Mr .
Ballou ' s last visit here was in 1820.
�22
the sins of this life, by which sinners would be purifi ed, '' yet so
as by fire." The transition, therefor e, was very easy and natural from the stern and useless dogma of endless torment, to th e
milder sentim en t of univ e rsal restor ation.
Mr. Ballou appears to have been the first clergyman of Unitarian views who ministered to the people in this place. Those
views had indeed made their appearance in some degree in this
pa rt of the state.
A Mr. Sherman, Congrega tional clergyman
at Mansfield, and a l\1r. Abbot at Coventry, had resp ective ly
been dismissed, the one in 1805, and the ot her in 1811, for holding Unitarian sentiments.
But in this town, the time honored
platform of Connecticut orthodoxy does not seem to have been
disturbed, on this point, by the introduction of any new opinions. Of course when Unitarianism made its appearance a new
field of investigation was to be passed over, and a new ground
of opposition was presented.
It is not probable that the dt)Ctrine of the trinity was agitated to any consid e rable extent; but
its rejecti on would naturally give tone and direction to the whole
current of sermonizing, and fresh energies to the spirit of opposition.
Mr. Mace was succeeded by Rev. Charles Hudson, then a
young man just entered upon the ministry of reconciliation.He came to Preston, [Long Society,] in the spring of 1821. He
spent two years in this region, teaching school and preaching in
the neig hboring towns. During the first year he was employed
one fourth of the time in thi s town.
~•
Towards the clo se of the
year ::i he present society
of Uni versa lists in this town, was organiJS under the name of
the '' Society of United Christian Friends in the towns of Norwich, Preston and Groton."
The first meeting for consultation
was held-to
use the language of the old record-''
at brother
Paul Harvey's in Preston.''
Of this meeting David Tracy was
chosen Moderator, and Gu rd on Bi ll, cler!{. A committee, consisting of David Tracy, Gurdon Bill, and H. K. Park, was appoint ed to draft a constitution, and the n the meeting adjourned
to Poquetanoc.
There the committee reported n constitution
which was amended somewhat, and then adopted, and the society was fully organized by the choice of proper officers.
1\1:easures were taken during the next year to build a church.
A meeting of the society was held on the 12th of March for the
'' purpo se of devising ways and m eans."
The '' ways and
at this meetino- were simply the appointment
means" "devised"
ofa committee empowered to ra~e funds by subscription and
At the first meetbuild the church without further ceremony.
�23
ing in 1822 held on the 10th of Feb ., a committee was appointed
to take up a subscription for the support of preaching for one
year from the first of April following. This subscription seems
to have been r aised and an engageme nt was made with Mr.
Hudson, to preach a part of the time. In June of the same
year the society met again, approved the doings of the committee appointed to build the meeting house, and sanctioned some
negociations which they had made. The hous e was soon after
completed, and on the 21st of July was solemnly dedicated to
the worship of the one true '' God who is the Savior of all men,
especi ally of thos e that believe." Rev. Edward Mitchell preached the dedication sermon.'"
On its completion the society was considerably involved in
debt, and was obliged to give a mortgage of the buildin 6 for the
sum of $900, to Mr. Samuel Odiorne, who had done much towards its erection.t This mort gage afterwards gave gi-eat uneasiness to some of the members ; but was finally settled by a
sort of specia l providence in their favor. Before its settlement,
however, the society appointed a committee to solicit subscriptions in New York, Providence, Boston, and Charl estown .
In the spring of 1822, by the judicious labors of Mr. Hudson,
a sabbath school was opened-the first in the order in this State,
if not in the United States. It continued with a small number
of scholars through the summer-perhaps
until the expiration
of Mr. Hudson's term of service in this place, It was a source
of much good , not only in systematizing the efforts of the society, but in making impressions on the young mind which were to
be developed in riper years, Mr. Hudson's labors were blessed
in giving a healthy tone and character to the society. They
"Mr. Hudson who was expected to be present, was' then at Preston, confined
by sickness.
On the death of Mr. Odiorne, which happened but a few years after th e
church wa s completed, his estate went into th e possession of those who were
opposed to Universalism.
But he had requested, befor e his death, that the bonds
against the society should be cancelled, and all claims on it relinquished, design ing to present the whole sum as a donation to the society. Some delay occurred
and some efforts were doubtless made to prevent the consummation of his dying
request.
At this time the opponents of Universalism had almost unlimited control over the destinies of the society. They might have taken and sold the
church, and thus have paralyzed its efforts, perhaps forever. But a kind Proviid ence ordered otherwise.
No effort of persuasion could in duce the widow to
violate the dying request of her lamented husb and. She is said to have spent
many clays of anxiety and nights of slee ples s inquietude, in a conflict of mind
between complying with the entreaties of friends, and yieldino- to the dyinovoice of her departed. At length she resolved on the latter a~d acc ordino-]y
from her own portion of the estate, she relinquished all claims, and made the
society free again.
t
�24
were dosed in April 1823. His farewell sermon which was
published breathes a warm and affectionat e spirit, and recomme nds a const ant regard for virtue and piety. Happy would
it hav e bee n for the society, if men of equal worth h ad succeeded him in his pa stor al labors ; and happy if the members tbemsel ves had been mor e faithful and devoted to th eir di vine
Master !~'
E arly in the year 1823, the denomination in this region received a considerable accession in the conversion of Rev. N ehem iah Dod ge of New L ondo n. who had been a Bap tist minister of some distincti on. His conversion served, in a measure, to
encoura ge the friends of truth in this town. and call down upon
his uwn head some violen t denunciations from his form er friends.
Soon after the close of Mr. Hudson's labors, the soci ety held
a m ee ting and resolv e d "to issue subscriptions in favor of Rev.
Zephaniah Crossman."
Accordingly, he was invited and his
services secur ed for one fourth part of th e time for a year.
Towards the close of his engagement, he had bee n absent for
some weeks and returned early in August, 1824. Notice was
given that he was to preach on the following Sabbath, and no indication appeared of any change in his views or feelings; The
Sabbath came, and he preached in his u sual mann er ; and at
the close of the afternoon di scourse, he carn.e out, to the utter
astonishment of his hearers, with a formal r enunciation of Universalism.
The Baptists, to whom he gave hims elf, were
thrown into an ecstacy of joy at this singular st ep. They were
then smarting under the loss of two of their popular preachers,
who the year before had b ecome Universalists, v~z: Mr. Dodge
already mentioned, and Rev. Walt er Balfour of Charlestown.
It
is not surprising, then, that they should be greatly rejoiced, on
receiving even a poor return in the d efection of Mr. Crossman.t
According ly an account of the affair was sent to the Christian
'Secretary, the Baptist p aper published at I;Iartford, full of exultation, and containing some glaring mis-statements of facts,
said to have been authorized and approved by Mr. Crossman
himself.
As a specimen, it was stated that "for several years
past he had preached in the new Universalist
Church
in Norwich " - an extension of truth by no means uncommon with that class of Christians when
speaking
" After h is i-emoval from this region, he became enlisted in politics, was for
•several years elected a member of the Legislature of Massachusetts, and is now
a representative in Congress from that state.
.
. .
t Mr. Crossman had been a Baptist in the early part o'. ~1s min 1str,:; but afterwards renounced his Baptist views and became a Christian.
Having some
<li:fficultywith this sect through his own miscon duct, he left it nnd profe ssed to
�25
of Uni versalists. But when the excitement of the event had
passed away, it was found that th~ Universalists h~d experi enced no serious loss, and the Baptists had made no important
gain. He was not a man of very great talent, or prudence, or
weight of character : and consequently, his defection did littl e
injury to the cause of truth.
In March, 1823, the Methodist meeting house on the wharf
bridge was carried aw:ay by a freshet -_and eve~ swept down
the river and thence rnto the Sound, without berng broken to
pieces : and thus presente~ the sing~lar spe?tacle of a chu!ch
o-oing to sea i-• And while, by this calamity, the Methodists
~ere left destitute of a place of worship, they were permitt ed
the use of the Universalist church, which they occupied occasionally, when not otherwi se used, for several months.
It was not until April or May , 1825, that the society obtained
the services of another preacher, after the defection of Mr.
Crossman . At that time , an arrangement was made with
Rev. Zelotes Fuller to preach h alf of the time for a year . At
the expiration of that term his labors were continued by mutual agreement until July 1827. But unfortunately for th e interests of the society, his moral character was not above reproach. Whether he was guilty of actual crime, or not , it
may be diflicul t to say: but he did not "avoid the appearance of
evil," nor refrain from giving occasion for unfavorable reports,
especially during the latter part of his mini stry here. Though
a man of some talents, he lack ed other qualifications indispensible to the prosperity of the cause. His connection with the
society was at length dissolv ed, with no regr et on the part of
its best members, except that he had been employed for so long a
time .
After the publication of Mr. Balfour's works, the tone of feeling in the denomination became more favorable. to the doctrin e
which confines all punishment to this life. That doctrine had
indeed made some progress at a previous date ; but it was not
probably inculc ated or believed to any extent in this town, un be a UniversaliEt. Buth~ soon chan ged again, without any assignable cause,
and went among the Baptists; and he seems after this to have left the mini stry altogether. He wa~ a man of very questionable veracity and integrity. He
was free to say that he had preached the doctrine of endless misery 24 years
'
and at the same time did not believe it.
•It was discovered by the capt ain of a coasting vessel, and excited much surprise, as well as mirth, among his crew-being a kind of craft with which the y
were not familiar upon the waters. The account of this .singular occurrence af•
t erward s called forth a very fine poetical effusion from the pen of J. G. C. Bmina_~d, poet born in this State. Wh eth er the affair wns ever regarded as a· div me Judgme11tsent upon the Methodists for their sins, does not appear.
4
�28
p reach er of the re stitution, having , at its comm encement about
eig ht een members.
Sinc e that tim e it has incr eased considerably and still continues its efforts and its influenc e for th e pro motion of truth and virtue.
In July of the same year, Rev. Henry Lyon was settled as
pastor of the society, and continued his labors until April 1840,
when, from causes which it would be scarcely po ssible to de fine, he was dismissed.
He was a young man of good talent ,
and irreproachable character; but when the excitement of his
first effort wasgone , and the society began to grow cool and inactive, the members seemed to think that the proper remedy
was to make a chang e. Societies in our denomination ar e very
apt to pursue this cours e of poliey. If at any tim e, their affairs
-are not prosperous, if their success is not equal to their expectations, or if coldness comes over them-and
what societies
have not their languid seasons?-they
seek to cure the evil in
the mere excitement of novelty.
Some popular speaker is ear -·
nestly sought for ; and if he cannot be obtained, there is apt to
be a dissatisfaction with the minister actually settled , and a con tinual yearning and sighing for the beau ideal that stands in
the distance, under the impr ession that if lie could be had most
wonderful things would follow . There can be no question
that this state of feeling is a serious fault which ought to be
corrected,
In the summer of 1840. Mr. Lyon was succ eeded by th e
Rev . J. V . Wilson , who, though said to be a little incorrect as a
speaker, was a zealous, active and useful minister; but his con nexion with the society was as brief as that of his predecessor
in office. It was under his ministry, however, and in some
m.easure through his instrumentaliy, that the new and beautifu l church in which the society now worships was erected .It was completed and dedicated in the fall of 1841 : the sermon
was delivered by Rev. W. S. Balch, ofN. York. In other respects
also the labors of Mr. vVilson were successful, particularly
in the cause of temperance, of which he was a warm friend and
an indefatigable advocate. His connexion with the society
was dissolved in the early part of 1842; and in May of the
same year your present speaker commenced his labor here.
Such is the brief statement of the introduction and progress
of the doctrine of universal salvation in this town. Scarcely
any candid mind can review the facts here presented without
feeling that there has been a singular interposition of divine
providence in its favor . It has moved along quietly and un ,obtrusiv ely without the aid of w ealth , fashion or popular in .:
�29
fluence • all th ese indeed have been arrayed against it. It s
early advocates wer e -po~r, ~umble and m~lettered, lik e th e
ear ly prop agators of Chn stmmty ; and they mtroduced a system that wa s n ew and opposed to the prejudices of the people.
But th e way seems to have be en prepared for its reception by a
pow er and a wisdom from above. From its first appearance to
the pr esent time, it has met with stern opposition from the devotees of another faith : but it has, at the same time, been bless with th e smiles of heaven as its only support. Its singular preservation on several occasions, when its enemies seemed to have
almost en tir e control of it destinies, and might have crushed
it at a blow, . conclusively shows that the hand of God is with
it. These things shonld serve as mi encouragement to all the
friends of in1partial grace to persevere in their labors with uni ted action for th e advancement of the doctrine. These indeed
furnish assurances, that no difficulties from ·without can ever
ext ino-uish the truth or essentially retard its progress in the
world. Th e only difficulti es which we have to fear w ill be
found among ourselves-in
a want of unanimity and concert
of purpose and action on the great subjec ts that claim our attention. And here perhaps there may be proper ground for apprehension.
This society in times past may have been too
changeable in its purposes and inconstant in its modes of operation-too
fickle in its friendships and too easily swayed by
the clamours of religious opposers, working covertly and craftly against their minister, and. the~eby against the cause itself .
And it should be the solemn mqmry of every member, whether this be a fault at the present time? If it be so, it should by
all means be corrected ; for it is the only vul nerable part of
the fortress, through which an enemy can enter and destroy or
injure the cause of eternal truth in this town. Steadiness of
purpose, concert of action, kindness of admonition, and an af fectionate regard for each other's welfare, are the means of our
If, in these particulars, as well
future growth and prosperity.
as others, we are true to ourselves, the Father of mercies will
be faithful and constant in his smiles , and his own right arm
will be extended to advance the cause of truth in our midst.
Wi th th ese impressions I close the subject, devoutly prayingthat th e blessing of heaven may rest upon the society and
church with which I have the happiness at present to be connected ; and that these may continue to prosper, whatever may
be the course of events with reference to myself, until the truth
of God shall exert its saving influence upon every heart , and
pure religion be enjoyed by all people .
�30
APPENDIX.
UNIVERSALISM IN THE UNITED STATES.
Prior to the year 1770, Universalism was but litle known in
this country.
The few who embraced it were mostly obscure
individuals, and did not engage zealously in its promulgation.
During that year the Rev. John Murray landed upon the shores
of New Jersey, and, by a most singular providence, was induced to preach it. He then commenced anew the labors of
the ministry in which he continued to the period of his death,
in 1816, travelling and preaching in the principal places along
the coast from Chesapeake Bay to Piscataqua River.
About
the same time, two or three humble individuals in the interior
of the country, without any concert of action or knowledge of
each other, began to proclaim the "restitution of all things."•rhese continued laboring patiently in the cause they had espoused for sorne ten years or more, when Rev. Elhanan Winchester: a popular clergyman among the Baptists came out in
favor of the sentiment.
Shortly afterwards the different advocates of the doctrine having heard of each other, began to take
measures to form acquaintances and act more in concert. For
this purpose several individuals, both ministers and laymen,
zealous in the cause, met together in the year 1785, at Oxford,
]\Jass. Here in be}ialf of the churches that had been collected
in New England and elsewhere, they formed themselves into
a Convention or association for mutual assistance and encouragement, under the name of" Independent Christian Universalists."
Meetings of this Convention have been held annually from that time to the prei=ient. It is now called the "Gen
eral Convention of Universalists for the United States.''
_ From the organization of this Convention to the commencement of the present century, the doctrine increased as
�31
fast as could be expec ted . It had much to encount er, and but
few advocates in its defence. As late as the yea r 1810 , there
were not probably 30 pr eachers in the denomination in the
whole country: but these, though ge nerally un educated, were
very zealou s and did much for its promotion . vVithin th e last
thirty or forty years, howev er, a great change has taken place
in th e condition and prospect s of the denomination.
Th e press
has been faithfully at work , in co-operation with the humble
voice of the ministry for its promotion. It has mad e some
progress in almost eve ry State in the Union ; but has increased much more rapidly at the North than at the South. It
find s its most congenial soil among a people of intelligence
and virtue . It commends itself to the understanding and the,
heart; and where there is th e greatest amount of ignorance·
and wickedness, it has most to enc ounter and of course makes:
the least progress. 'l'he ignorance of the great mass of people ·
at the South, the looseness of their :r.orals, and the institution
of slavery are all favorable to the growth and prevalence of endless misery. That doctrine lives and riots in the midst of
such influences, while the doctrine of the Restitution grows
pal e and languid.
Within th e last fifteen years, the latter sentiment has advan- ced more rapidly than at any previous dat e. In 1830, there
were nearly three hundred societies in the denomination in this :
country, and less than two hundred preachers. But accurate
statistics of a recent date, show that, within the United States,
ther e are now near seven hundred preachers actively engaged '
in proclaiming the restitution of all things as an essential part
of Christian theology. And setting aside the Dunkers and all
secret believers am ong other sects, there are very near a thousand societies which enjoy the ministrations of the gospel, either constantly or occasionally. Besides the General Convention already mentioned, there are State Conventions formed in
fourteen States : and connected with these are near seventy
Associations h eld annually.
Within the limits of each and all
these Associations are more or less clergymen settled and societies located which are ther e represented.
Of the preachers already mentioned, above sixty who are ·
now advocating the salvation of all men are converts from the
clergy of other denominations . We hear much said, and great
exultation mad e, when a single preacher of Universalism hap pens to renounce his doctrin e and go over to the opposite faith.
But it so common a thing for preachers of other sects to re--
�32
nounce their faith in endless misery and embrace Universalism
that but little is said or thought of it. We can now number
among us clergymen who have come from the Baptists, Methodists, Unitarians, Christians , Congregationalists, and Episcopalians: and these too were in good standing with their respective denominations when they left to unite with us. Occasionally the denomination loses some of its preachers by renunciation or otherwise : but the accessions far exceed the losses,-so much so that for the last fifteen years the increase has
been above three hundred per cent. And. the same increase and
prosperity have been enjoyed in the number and standing of societies. 'l~heir character, influence and means of sustaining
themselves and supporting the gospel have improved in the same
proportion.
And we humbly hope that in fervent piety and
sterling virtue, the denomination has made equal progress.These facts show that it has been greatly blessed, with the favor of God and the smiles ofhis love. We have certainly no
reason to complain, but every inducement to thank God and
take courage ,in prosecuting the great work before us.
��
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Rare Books
IIIF Collection Metadata
UUID
37d53c9c-6c64-467a-a7d9-7d413a8d8208
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Has Version
A related resource that is a version, edition, or adaptation of the described resource.
<a href="https://cscu-wcsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=01CSCU_NETWORK_ALMA7187168040003451&context=L&vid=WCSU_V1&search_scope=WCSU&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US">Link to Primo record</a>
<a href="http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/CTRoom/F104_N93_W55_1844/#page/1/mode/2up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page turner version</a>
Title
A name given to the resource
A historical sketch of Universalism in Norwich, Conn. : a sermon delivered before the Universalist Society in that place, on the 5th of May, 1844 / by R.O. Williams
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
F104.N93 W55 1844
<span>34023001507641 </span>
Description
An account of the resource
32 p. 22 cm
Subject
The topic of the resource
Universalism -- Connecticut -- Norwich
Norwich (Conn.) -- Church history
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Norwich, Conn. : G.W. Concklin,
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Williams, Rufus Orland, 1805-1889
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1844
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Norwich began in 1820 as the “Society of United Christian Friends in the Towns of Norwich, Preston and Groton.” The Society erected a church in 1821, but did not have a settled pastor, the pulpit being occupied by temporary ministers. A church was finally organized in 1836, when the “First Universalist Society in Norwich” was established. A new brick church replaced the old one in 1841 on the same site on Main Street, facing Franklin Square. It was enlarged and rededicated in 1848. The church was demolished for the construction of the Chelsea Savings Bank. A new church, later called the Unitarian Universalist Church of Norwich, was erected in 1910 at 148 Broadway. Constructed of random granite ashlar, the church is also known as the Church of the Good Shepherd for the subject of its large stained glass window. The church’s bell, earlier located in the congregation’s Franklin Square church, was one of several bells salvaged from sacked churches after an uprising in Spain in 1833 that were shipped to New York for sale. With a dwindling congregation, the Unitarian-Universalists sold the church in 2009. It then became the Fount of Salvation Missionary Church.<br /><br /><a title="http://historicbuildingsct.com/?cat=125" href="http://historicbuildingsct.com/?cat=125" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://historicbuildingsct.com/?cat=125</a>
<p>The Universalist Church of America was a Christian Universalist religious denomination in the United States (plus affiliated churches in other parts of the world). Known from 1866 as the Universalist General Convention, the name was changed to the Universalist Church of America in 1942. In 1961, it consolidated with the American Unitarian Association to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.</p>
<p>The defining theology of Universalism is universal salvation; Universalists believe that the God of love would not create a person knowing that that person would be destined for eternal damnation. They concluded that all people must be destined for salvation. <br /><br />American Universalism developed from the influence of various Pietist and Anabaptist movements in Europe, including Quakers, Moravians, Methodists, Lutherans, Schwenkfelders, Schwarzenau Brethren, and others. Pietists emphasized individual piety and zeal and, following Zinzendorf, as a "religion of the heart." Early followers were most often German in ancestry. The majority of the early American Universalists lived in the Mid-Atlantic colonies, though Rhode Island also had a fair amount of followers.</p>
<p>The Universalist Church of America involved itself in several social causes, generally with a politically liberal bent.</p>
<p>Universalists, along with various other denominations, vigorously opposed slavery as immoral. They also favored postbellum legislation such as the Fifteenth Amendment and the Freedman's Act to enfranchise all American citizens.</p>
<p>Like many American religions, Universalism has generally been amenable to church-state separation. In New England, Baptists, Universalists, and Quakers provided some of the loudest voices calling for disestablishment of the government sponsored churches of the standing order.</p>
<p>On June 25, 1863, Olympia Brown became one of the first women in the United States to receive ordination in a national denomination, Antoinette Brown having been the first when she was ordained by the Congregational Churches in 1853.<br /><a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universalist_Church_of_America" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universalist_Church_of_America" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universalist_Church_of_Americ</a>a<br /><br /></p>
IIIF Item Metadata
UUID
740858bb-2328-4968-b40b-5278076b6d5d
Churches
Connecticut Churches
CT Room rare
Rare books