History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

'' In tlio year 17i.;4, Mr. Robert Sandeman, a native of Perth, in Scot- land, a man «d' learning, of gteat genius and art. and, according to Ids views of divine truth, a man of .strict piety, who liad had some corre- spondence with Ml'. White aud some other ministers in this c<aintry, came froui Scotland and Innded at Iloston. lie came to this town near the (lose of the year \~CA. After tarrying several weeks lie retinned to Boston, where he soon organized a church, lie came again to this town and gathered a chun h, July, 17(1.') ; he died and was buried in this town, April'J, 1771, aged fifty-three ^ The principal doctrines which he t.tught weie similar to thi>se of Calvin aud Alhauasius which have been re- ceived in all ages of the CInisiian (Uiuivh. His distinguishing tenets were that faith is a mere intellectual belief; his favtuite expression was, 'A bare belief of the truth,'— ' Thai the bare work of Jesus Christ, with- out a di-ed or thought on tlio part of man, is sufiicient bi present the chief of sinners spotless before (iod.'jl He maintiiined that bis Church was the only true Church then arisen from the ruins id Antichrist, his reign ludng near to a close. ^ The use of means fiir mankind in a natural state he pretty much explodeil. In the year 1772 the Sande- nianian Church in this town moved to New Haven. In July, 1774. sev- eral iiersuus who liail been members uf that cliurch, together with a number that belonged to the society of New naiibury, united and formed a Saudemanian Churcli. That continueil and increased for many yeal^s, tdl >larcli, 1798. when they ilivided into two churches, which still con- tinue. There are also a few iniHviiluals at Bethel who compose a third church; they all adhere essentially t» the d'.rli iiies an-l prat li. cs which were established by llu-ir foiinder.^'^* "The society of New Maidmry contituied regularly, though constantly diminishing, till July. 1774. when the Rev. Kbeiiezer Russell White, with a number of the soeiety, united with tlie Saudeinaniaiis. Public w..i>;hip was nuiiiitaiued irregularly afterwanis for two or three years, till the society finally exiJired. "After the dismission of the Rev. Mr. Wliite, tlie First Church and So.iely weie destitute of astated iniiiister till Feb. l;i, 17i;:., when Mr. Noadiah Warner was ordaineil their pastor. The Rev. Mr. Warner was regularly dismissed from his pastoral charge Feb. 'iM, 17(l.s.t+ The people remained destitute about two yeai-s and a half. The Rev. Ebenezer Baldwin was ordained Sept. 19. 1770.*I He officiated with great reputa- tion to the ministry- till a sudden death terminated his labors, Oct. 1, 177f>, agetl thirty-one years,-!^ a man of great talents .■uid hnirning. a con- stant stiidi'ut, giave in his maniiei-s, a c<uistaiit and able siippoiter of the sound iloctrines of the gospel. He left a legacy of about thiee liun- died pounds to the so( iety, wliitdi is carefully appropriated to the support of tlie •ii>si)el. From that time there wa-s no settled minister in the society till the Rev. Timothy l-angdi>n, wImi was oniained Aug. ;J1, 1786. The Rev. Ebenezer White died Sei)t. 11, 1779, aged sev.uity.||; The deacons ()f this church have been in the follow ing order : Samuel Benedict, James Beebe, John Gregory, Richard Barnnm. .b.seph Gregory, James Beebe, .lames Benedict, John Benedict. Nathaniel Gregory, Joseph Peck, Daniel Beneilict, Thonnis Benedict, Joshua K napp. succe<-'led by those n.iw in oflice.lJ*f The present meeting-house, which is sixty feet in length ami I Records of the Consociation. f._ His tonibsbuie. f Idem. <I According to his calculations, the milleniiiuni wa.^ to have begun onie years ago. -^* This church is now extinct, ft Keconlsof the ( 'oiiso, iation. tt His tombstone. 'i'f: hleni. Ill Idem. This gives no trait ot Ins niinisteiial .liaraiter. 1ft H.ui. Josei.h P. Cooke aud Samuel Wildniau. 180 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. furty-flve in brcadtli, wftli astoeplu one linndred nn<l tlih*ty foot in liofght, wn« niJ8L>il Ot-U)I)er, 1785 ; it was iiicUvsed the snniiner fullowing. "Tilt- society of Ucthel l»nilt tliuir nu-oting-honHO in the yenr 1700. Tlic Uov. Noah Wetniore, their firwt minister, was onlnined Xoveinber STilh of the same yeitr: ut tliu maniu time a churrli wad urganl/.ed by the Ordaining Conncil. Mr. Wetniuro wiu regularly diHrntriscd from lii^j pas- toral charge Nov. 2, 1784.* His ancces^or, the Itov, John Kly, was or- dained Nov. 30, 1791. In tlio society of Newbury the Rev. Thomas BrookH, their firwt mini^tter, was ordulned Sept. 28, 1758; a churcli was gatlivrvd ut tlie Maine lime.t In May, 178K, the society nf Newbury was incorporated a luwn by the name of Iti-ooklield. Mi*s. .Abigail Knapp. now living, aged nevt-nty-five. widow of the late I>e»4:«>ii Joshua Knapp. waj4 the first Knglitjh ihild b«>rn within the limits of Brooktield. The Kev. Samuel Cnmp, the fir8t and present minister of Ridgebury, was i onlained Jan. 18, 1709. The chuixh in that fiouioty was organized on the day of the ordination. " There were a few professors in thifi town of the mode of the Church of England a** early as the year 17.M). Tliey built a meeting-liouse whose dinieiisiouH are forty-eight feet by thirty-^ix, in the year 17(>J. Ill September, 1784, they were constituted n rogiilar KpiHcopalian Bocloty. Sixty-«i.x jjcrsonft, the moat of whom belonged to this town, were then considered as belonging to the society. The society have had occasional preaching, tint no minister has been settled over them. "There were a number of professors of the denuiniuatiou of Biiptists, about the year 178;!. A Baptist Church was eonstitnted in the iiorth- we>t part of the town, November, 1785. The year following they built a mi-eting-hunse, which is now stjinding. Mr. Nathaniel Finch was their mi ni?iler for several yeaif*; their pitwiit minif-ter, Mr. Nathan Ibilkley. was ordained the 8lh of last May. A second Baptist Church was consti- tuted in the western part of the town in the year 1788; the niembors who survive are now mostly connected with other churches. *' 1 shall now close with a few general remarks. The present number of mJiooIs in town is seventeen, — twelve in the Hrst society and five in Bethel. Much morn attention is now paid in the education of youth thuii formerly, though it is conceived there might bo still more to great pro tit. " Kor many years there was but one military ctuiipany in town; at present there are three of infantry, one of cavalry, and one of artillery, which for accuracy in evolutions, niilitar>' spirit, and appearance may vie with any military companies whatever. "There have been but few rennirkublc instances of longevity in this town, though it wiw formerly n-nntrked tliere wa« a great nniny old peo- ple: that is not the ca^e at prcw-nt. Sir. William Hamilton, born in Scotland, who livod numy yeara in this town, died in the year 1749, aged one huiulred and two; Mr. John (.'ornwall died in the year 17.'»:i, aged one hundred and onr ; those two are the only pei>unis known to have lived in town uvfrono hundred years of age. Mr. David Hoy t, who lived longer than any ponton ever born and living in town, died in Apiil hiHt, agt^l ninety-seven. The family of Mr. Thonms Taylor, one of the first setllcrtfi. as a family, wasreniarkablc for longevity. He had ten children; the whole amount of his age and theirs is nine hundred and forty-seven years, the average of which Is eighty-six years; but three of them saw le^M tlian ninety years. "The incrcio**' of this town In a numlior of years |iast has not been Kreat,owjnK !•■ vi*ry greiu enii;:nitiou; which hasbt>en the ca«e with this in common with all the ti.iwns in the State. "The general iK-cuixitioii of the pe<ip|i> lu this town has beon fanning; wittiin a few yeiLrs coitsiilerable maiinraclories have l>een cstablistied. In the uninnfiu-luru of hats this town much exceeds anyone in Iho United Slut^-s. More than twenty thonuuid halM, mtkstly of fur,aro maile annually for fxitortatioii. Tlo' manufacture of shoes is also carrieil on to a ronsidcnibU' extent. At a low compntjttlon. fifteen thousand pair <if InhiIs and shoi>n are annually ex|Hirtiil frou) litis town. A pa|K.'r-niill was ensjtrd in tlir town in the year 179J, In wlilcli aliout fifteen hundred nuiniM of |m[HT arc inunufacinred annually. A considerable number of ■adilltM are alM* niiulo yearly for ex|M>rtation t "The iHitpIe In this town have generally lieen vert free from litiga- tion; within a few years It has consltlerubly incrcAii4i«l. though it Is not yet great. A spirit uf lltignllon h one of the greatest evils wlilch can befall any comnntnlty. " In our Revolutlonar}' war the |»c4tple in this town generally warmly esiHiusetl the American rnuso. Notwithstanding nil that is salil by the enemle< of our govenintetit to show that It^t sup|tnrtnm were oncmlc« to • Reoonls of the ronttoctatly. t /''fi«. I A mill has been lately enTte<| for the nniinifacture of sumach, for dyeing, on a new plan.iMtunMl by {Nitetii. the Revolution, the people in tliis town, though they were great sufferers in the war, are almost unanimously ftnn friends of the present govern- ment of the Uniterl States. "The list of the town is not to bo obtained but for a few years post. In the year 1788— the first year after Bniokfleld was made a town— it was upwards of sixty-six thousand ; in the year 1709 it excelled eighty- one thousand.