History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Evidently the spirit of improvement was not of very rapid development. The house of the [^ord thus buildecl jiiecemeal. as we might say, — a kind of ac- cretion of the ]U'aycrs and endeavors of two entire generations, — gathered the worshipers lieiieath its roof until 1S54, an entire century, lacking a single year, from the time when its foundations were laid, when it was taken down and the edifice now occupied by the Congregational Church and Society was erected upon its site. This first meeting-house built in the town was a structure in what may 1m' called Ihe //«;■« slyle of andi- iteetnre, having a do(u- u]ion tlu' south side and each end, east and west, with a piiljiit on the mn-th side, opposite the main entrance, over which was the old- 172 HISTORY OF FATRFIEL© COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. fashioiu'il "souuding-boartl" with the "deacons' seat" beneath. It was creditable to the good taste of the people, and reflected sDinewliat their godd habits at home, that a ta.\ of tliirty shillings was assessed annually for the purpose of defraying the expense of sweeping the meeting-house, the sweeping to be done by some com- petent person "once in three weeks nine months in tlie year, and once a month for the three winter niontlis." Evidently the people in those times were bclicvirs in the sentiment, "Cleanliness is next to godliness." The house now occupying the same site was dedi- cated .\pril 12, 18o4, the sermon being preached by Rev. Mr. Churdiill, of Woodbury, and the dedicatory j)raycr being oH'ered by the ]>astor. Rev. Mr. Curtiss. Tlu' hell now (18X0) in use was purchased the same year. Quite relevant to what has tluis l)cen rcciirdcd of the houses of worship occuj>ied by this parisli will be some account of its mini.stry. In September of 17o.') the society voted "to have the gospel preached amongst us," and likewise " to invite Mr. Josiah Sherman, a candidate, to preach the gosjjcl on the Sabbath in this society, to join with New- Preston for the terra of time as may be agreed uixin." It would thus api)ear that at first there was preaching but ])art of the time, probably on alternate Sabbaths, and fur this service the society paid " fifteen sliillings prock or old tenor," or its equivalent in provisions, per Sabbath. The arrangement of filling the pulpit by supplies as they could be secured continued for about two years, when the society, at their meeting, "manifested their unanimous de.sire to have a gospel minister settled among them," anil a committee was ajipointed " to crave the advice and direction of the reverend members of the association in so im])ortant an affair." As a result of such advice, or witliout regard to it, as the case may have been, at a meeting of the so- ciety held in June, 1757, it wa.s proposed to vote "whether we will choose ye wortliy Mr. Thomas Brooks, wiio preached with us on probation, to be settled as our minister and pastor," and it was voted in the affirmative, the churcli, organized three months later, as we have seen, uniting in the " call." The provision made for his pecuniary support wa.s a "set- tlement" of one hundred pounds, to be paid in three yearly installments, and for yearly salary forty-five poun<ls for three years, witli addition afterwards of forty shillings each year until the amount should be fifty pounds, this sum to be a peruument allow- ance. This financial IhusIs being mutually satisfac- tory, on Sept. 2S, 17')7, the young candidate was duly ordained and installed as pastor of the church and society, Rev. Kbene/.er Wliite, of Danbury, preaching the sermon, and Rev. .ledediah Mills, of Huntington, offering the ordaining^rayer. It is creditable to the memory of Titstor Brooks that his ministry continued through a period of forty- two years, and that the peojile, as already seen, per- manently associated his name with the place its the name of the town. He is rememliered by a few per- sons .still living as a man small in stature, — a Zac- cha'us whom Jesus called, — of fair abilities, and of somewhat marked eccentricities, especially absent- mindedness, and a somewhat quick and uncontrollable temper. As evidence of tlie first of these character- istics, the well-authenticated anecdote is told of him that on one occasion, when he had worn for his com- fort two pairs of stockings to a meeting of Consocia- tion, in the morning, when dressing, he was unable to find but a single stocking. His delegate, however, Mr. Henry Peck, coming to his a.ssistance, .shortly ascertained tliat the four stockings were all upon one foot. And, as an illustration of the last i)eculiarity mentioned, it is told of him that, meeting with ]>rov- ocation from a parishioner, overmastered by his im- petuous spirit, he seized hold of the offender and caused him to shake in a manner somewhat different from that in which the I'hilippian jailer ilid in the presence of Paul. This first ])astor, on account of impaired health and growing infirmities, was relieved from the active duties of his office (whether formally dismissed or not is uncertain) in 1796, and reached the end of his pilgrimage three years afterwards. On an unpretentious gravestone in the " Hawley- ville" Cemetery there is the modest record : *• In memory of Ruv. Tlios. Brouk, who dopnrted llifs life Svpt. l'.\ 1799, Hged 80 yoars. Mot's iiilii vita cat. ^Di'iitli to 1110 is )ife.) O mortal, wander where you will, Yuiir de*»li!iy is east; T\w rising stone and venlant hill Pruclnlm your destiny at lust." The subsequent pastors of the church, with their periods of service, have been as follows: Rev. Kritstus Ripley, November, 1800, to November, 1801 ; Rev. Richard Williams, June, 1807, to April, 1811; Rev. Bela Kellogg. January, 1813, to October, 1816 ; Rev. A. 1!. Hull,* October, 1810, to 0<tol)er, 1820; Rev. .Vbner Brundage, May, 1821, to October, ]8:«t; Rev. Dan C. Curtiss, October, 1843, to October, 1855; Rev. Thomas N. Benedict,* .Vpril, 1850, to Sejitember, 1862; Rev. P. Hollister, December, 1862, to Decem- ber, 1864; Rev. F. Munson,* April, 1865, to 1868; Rev. A. C. Pierce, October, 1870. It is in evidence that the "service of song in the house of the Lord" was duly regarded by the early worshipers of the town that frequently in the records there is statement of special arrangements made for instruction in singing, the town making approjiri- ations of money to defray the expense, and under date of Dec. 24, 1702, there is the entry: • Thoao thna mirked stntcd rappUea, but not paalora. BROOKFIKLD. 173 "7<i(«r, That Mi-8. KbiMHOTr Blnrkm.in, Isaac X.irthio|i. C'liiil. Jiisepli Yif}V. Pllilo PeiTV, fViini ITS.") | or 1 7S(; | to IT'.IS; Kcv. BugKles, Sergt. Ilf/.ckiali Stevens. .luiil.. N'flii'Uiiali Harlow, and .\iiiial 7. - 1 i> 1 ' i, w i-<... .-..,. ^ 1.1 . i. Peek be a (Vtniniittee to nientiMii a imniliei' (it nhi r.salni tiirie^^. ami t" . . 1 j . . see that sai.l tunes are taii^-lit in the sinuini,-Ml i Te.w taut-iit in ll.i- lic'll JMIIiill lifllhaill, IXlli to ISl'S; Rw. .I(isi]ih S. I 'o- tuwn I1.V Capt. Tl.ait." veil. IsJ',1 to 1 S:l(! ; Kfv. :\I r. Sliiiiiral, \s:m; to |s:i7; It has sei'iin.'il proiicr that this somewhat i-x-ti-ndiMl U''^- l>aviil T[. SI1..1I. Is:;s to Is:','.!; }i^■^■. Edward ( '. aiTouiit sliouhl be jrivi-ii ofthc (diurch lir.st ortraiiized ''"'"i ''"^■''•' '" 1"^-1-: l'''^- Hdward .T. Ives, 1X4:; to in the town.— wliieli was tliereliirious homeot'all the 1'"*+^; H''^'- Henry D. NohU', 1X44 to LSoS; Kev. .1. ].eoi)le for more tliaii a -eneratioM. and which was the ••"• <i'>'"lluie, ixr,;l to IXilil; Kev. Levi I!. Stiinson, motlier elinreh as related to others subsequently oi'- l'^''-' t" 1'"*"-': J!''V- FiMid< !'.. Lewis. 1X72 to 1x7:1; gani/.ed,— and pro]ier als<i that I'astiir Brooks, as the "''^ ■ ■■'ii'<lericdv A. I'iske. lX7:i to 1X7(1; Itev. IC. L. first minister and tin' one wliose memory is perpetu- ^^ hileome, lX7i." ated in the name of the town itsidf, should have more ''''i'' '"■casional servi<'es held, as already stated, e.xtended mention than those who were suksequent l"''"' '" t''" organization of the parish were probal>ly lahorei-s in the same held. . lai-rridy conducted by Kev. .lohn Beach, of Xewtown, wdio went over to Episeopacv from the ministry of the ( iinj;re<rational (. hurcii 111 L.l-'. Hut otlier churches and otiier ministers have had their place in the history of the town, and are well Methodist ki'ISCoi'AL cniiicH. entitled to a pat;e in tlie make-up of its hi-toric- At the time the old house (.f worship .standing on ■'''^''"■'''- tile triangle in front of Mr. Sherman Foote's was Almost from the hrst formation of the society or aliamloned f,,r the n.-w edili.-e, in 1X,37, certain Metli- pari.sh, of which an account has just been given, there ,„list bretliren residing at tli,' '■ Iron-Works" and in were persons residing within its limits who.-e .senti- ,]„. neighboidKHid united with otliers of like views ments attiliated with other form, of worship, as evi- iivi„j,. .,t Southville, and, tbrming one society, jmr- denced in the fact that so early as 17."7 a vote was ,.|,;,s,m1 the old Episcopal meetiiig-h.mse, and there passed t(. mem.iriali/.e the (ieneral .Vsscmbly for a rontiiuied servic-es tbr nearly twenty years, when a "hin<l-tax of twoiienee on tlie acre of all ye unin- portion of the worshipers resumed their separate closed land in Newbury, exclusive of hinds „f Chunh- ^f.,,,,,, .,, Southville. and the ivmaining p..rtion began of-I-liKjhial mm residing among us." It is said tliat to hold service- at tlic " Iron-Works" village in the occasional woi-ship was held within the pari>h b.iun- ,,,|itl,.,. ,„,„• (i.^xoi occupied by the INdbrmed congrc- daries after the Chnridi-of-Enghirid typi' while yet in ..-itiori its civil state the counti-y was in c.,lonial iclations, with vaiying cxpcrieii.v ih,' f'eblc s.ici.'ty here the ndnistiatious probably furnished from Xewtown, i„.i,i ,,„ 1,^ „:,y „,itil, by ivmovals from the place ami where an Episcoi)al parish was organized in 17:}4. the death of membeis'. its strength was exhausted,