Connecticut Historical Collections

The Rev. Samuel Street was tlie first minister of the place. He commenced his labors here in 1G72, and continued in the ministry in this town forty two years. The tradition is, that the liev Mr. Davenport of New Haven, preached the first sermon in AVallin^ford, at the bottom of tlie hill on which the town stands, from these words in Isaiah v. 1.. ^^ My beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill." JMr. Street moved here with his family in April, iCu'S ; on the 15lh of February, 1675, the town voted, " that there had been consent about establishing a church of Christ in the aforesaid town, and a solemn day set apart and observed by tlie town unanimously, to seek God's guidance in so great a work ; they have now also actually and unanimously concluded, if it be the will of God, that there shall be a church gathered, and to walk according to the Congregational ivay ; and have also unani- mously left the management of the same in the hands of Mr. Moss, Mr. Samuel Street, INIr. Brocket, Eliasaph Preston, J.ohn_Ha]lj,jen. Joihn UaH, jun, Thomas Yale, Nehemiah lioyce, Nathan Andrews, Benja- irnirLewis, Lieutenant Merriman, Sergeant Doolittle, John lieach ; that, if it be the will of God to incline their licarts, so many of them as may be a com])elent number for that work may, in his time, lay the founda- tion." The church was, without much doubt, formed soon after. The first settlers assembled in a private dwelling, (the house of Lieut. Nathaniel Merriman,) for religious worship. In 1679, .it was agreed to build a house 23 by 2-1 feet, and ten feet post. In 1681, a further rale was laid to finish the house, which however was not com- pleted. In 1690, an addition of sixteen feet was made to the breadth of it; and the following year "concluded to seal the whole inside from sell to plate." The inhabitants had repeated apprehensions from the incursions of the Indians. On the breaking out uf Philip's war in 1675, Mr. Street's and Lieut. Merriman's houses were ordered to be fortified, August 27th : the whole town engaged in the work till it was contpleted. Every man also was required to bring arms and ammunition on the Sabbath. The following October, Sergt. Doolittle's house at the lower end of the town, was fortified. Persons were appointed to keep garrison at each of the above places.* In February, 1690, there was an order of the town '.to fort in the meeting house. " In 1702, the apprehensions from the savages were revived, and the inhabitants brought arms on the Lord's day." In 1690, the number of the inhabitants was 400, fami- lies 73. Mr. Street died January, 1717, being 82 years old ; the Rev. Samuel Whittelsey, after preaching about a year, was ordained col- league pastor with Mr. Street in 1710. At this time the number of in- habitants was about 700. Mr. Whittelsey died in 1752, having almost completed the 42d year of his ministry. He was considered one of the most eminent preachers in the colony. Wallinglbrd is bounded north by Meriden, west by Cheshire, east by Durham and Middletown, and south by North Branford and North Ha- * Dr. Dana's Century Sermon. 251 W A L I. I N G F O U I) . Jl'allingjonl, {central purl ven. lis leni^lli from east to west is neaily seven miles, ai)d its breadth about six. The central part of Wallin^fford is thirteen miles north from New Haven, twenty three south from Hartford, and between eleven and twelve miles southwest from Middletown. Tlie prevailing surface is pleasantly diversified with moderate hills and dales; the eastern extre- mity of the townshi|) is mountainous. The soil is generally excellent, excepting a tract called the Walliiigford Plain, consisting of coarse sand, situated on the eastern bank of the Quiimipiac. It is nearly four miles in length, and about three fourths of a mile in breadth. It is the most extensive tract of level land in the state, and one of the most sterile and barren. The town-is watered by tlie Quinnipiac, a valuable mill stream, which passes through the extent of the town, upon which are several n)ills and manufactories. Yaleville is a little manufacturing village in the northern section of the town, where britannla and tin ware is manufactured to scjine extent. There is an esiablisliment westward of the main street, on the Quinni|)iac, for the manufacture of wood screws, of which there are about 1,OUO groce manufactured daily. The principal village of Wallingford is beautifully situated on a fine eleva- tion upwards of a iiille east of the river, on two parallel streets extend- ing along the ridge of the hill. The western street, on which the prin- cipal part of the village is situated, is upwards of a mile in length. The above is a re[)resentation of the central part of Wallingford street. The view was taken looking north from the residence of Jared P. Wliittelsey. Esq. a few rods south of the Congregational church. The buihling on the left is tlie Congregational church ; a short distance northward is seen the l>aptlst church, having a few poplars standing be- fore it; the large building on the opposite side of the street, without a steeple or chimney, is now occupied as an Episcopal church. These three churches are all the houses for public worship in the town. W A L I. 1 N G F O R I) . '400 The house now occupied hy the Episcopal society was built by h Congregational society in this town, known by the name of " the " Wells." Tliis society owes its origin to the controversy which took place respecting the onhnation of Dr. Dana, in 1758. After the death of INIr. Whittelsey, in 1752, the first society in Wallingford were desli- -tute of a settled minister for about six years. At length jNIr. James Dana, of Cambridge, Massachusetts became a candidate, and gave the majority of the society such satisfaction that they agreed to settle him. Some, however, were not satisfied with regard to his doctrines. A number of persons waited on Mv. Dana in order to ascertain his "sen- timents with regard to original sin, the saints' perseverance, free will, and falling from grace." lie made them very short answers, and said he should not tell. They asked him how he liked the platform. He said he had never seen it, but supposed if he settled, he should settle upon it. They enquired if ho had seen the doctrines of faith which Mr. Whittelsey had used ? He told them he had. They enquired how he liked them ? In reply he asked them, why they did not ask him how he liked John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and TEsop's Fables? This treatment, and his refusing to give an account of his doctrines, gave much dissatisfaction, and increased the party against him. A complaint was made against him to the consociation, which assembled in Wallingford ; the ordaining council met at the same time. Mr. Dana and his adherents denied the jurisdiction of the consociation. The or- daining council, who were in favor of Mr. Dana, sei)arated from the consociation, and ordained him. The consociation adjourned, and in- vited the neighboring consociation of the southern district of the county of Hartford to unite with them in council. This united council de- clared Mr. Dana and his chuich guilty of scandalous contempt, and it voted that " the sentence of non-communion be declared against them." The minor part of the church, who were opposed to .Mr. Dana, were owned as a distinct churSh by the consociation. They were released from taxes to the support of Mr. Dana, by the General Assembly, in 1759, and allowed to worship by themselves. The He v. Simon Wa- terman was ordained pastor over them in October, 1761. The ])eople were made a distinct society, by the name of Wells, in I\Iay, 1763. The number of church members in this society at the ordination of Mr. Waterman was sixty one. " This controversy," says Dr. Trum- bull, " divided the town, alienated brethren, and eflected divisions in the commonwealth and churches." At the time of the erection of the Wells meeting house, the parties came to blows, an attempt was made to stop the building, the bell was rung to call the party together, and the inhabitants, for a number of miles round, hastened to the scene of action and joined in the conflict. Lyman Hall, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was a native of this town. He was graduated at Yale College in 1747. He at first made theology his study and profession ; but he afterwards studied medicine, went to Georgia, and estabhshed himself as a physi- 256 ' WALLINGFORD. cian at Midway. He took an early and decided part in defense of colo- nial rights, and was chosen a delegate to the general congress in 1775. Dr. Hall was afterwards governor of Georgia. During several of tho late years of his life, he resided at his plantation near Savannah ; but towards the close of it he removed into one of the upper couniies of the state, where he died in 1790.* EXTRACTS i'ROM NEWSPAPKRS. I^rom the Coiincclicut Journal, A}>ril'29, 1708.