History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

About 1763 the first Episcopal church was erected in this place, and opened, on its i)artial comi>lction, by the Rev. Ebenezer Dibble, a native of Danbury, and missionary at Stamford and (treenwich. Occa- sionally ministrations were held here by the Rev. Mr. Learning, and by the Rev. Mr. Beach, of Newtown. A charitable layman, Mr. St. George Talbot, residing in the province of New York, who jiresented the church with a Bible and Prayer-book and had assisted the people here towards the erection of their church, was one of the gratified congregation at the opening services. In 17(>!l the faithful missionary at Newtown, reporl^ing his occasional services in the newly-erected church at Danbury, speaks of the edifice "with a decent steeple" and large enough to accommodate from "four hundred to five hundred people." In 1777, Gen. Tryon, eommaniling a detachment of two thou- sand of His Majesty's troops, penetrated to Danbury, a ])laee which the commissioners of the American army had selected for depositing military stores; and while both church and meeting-house there were used as depositories, his troops are said to have taken the stores out of church and burned them in the streets, saving the sacred edifice, but they devoted the meet- ing-house to the flames. In 1784 the Rev. Samuel Seahury, D.D., was consecrated Bishop of Connecti- cut in Aberdeen, Scotland, the first American prelate. In 1794 the Rev. David Perry, of Ridgefield, resigned the pastoral charge of the parishes of Ridgefield, Red- ding, and I)aid)ury, and in due time the Rev. David Butler succeeded him in the cure, and the licv. Elijah G. Plum fnnn 1808 to 1812. Bishop Jarvis conse- ! crated the church here Oct. ti, 1802. Bishoj. lloliart, of New York, olliciated in Danbury on a Sunday in August, lsl7. Ill 1X()!I till IT were reported 70 families and 22 comnmiiicants. In 181G, 41 communicants. In 1822, 44 communicants. In 1824, 49 conimnni- cauts. The Rev. Reuben Iliilibard was instituted rector, Se]4. 1, 1812, to 1819; the Rev. Ambrose S. T(idd from 1819 to 1823; Rev. Samuel B. Hall from 1823 to 1836. In 1836 only 40 communicants an<l 5 families of the original churchmen were remaining. Up to this time tlie parish had had clerical service's once iu three or four weeks, and from 1808 had always been associatc<l with ('lirist ('liurch, Redding, ami part of the time also with Ridgefield. The Rev. Mr. Hull confined himself to Danbury and Redding, and after the chapel, n<iw St. Tliomas' church. Bethel, was built, in 1835, the services were divided Iictween the two alternately once in four weeks. The year 1836 was the first time that the parish of St. .lames' Church and St. Thomas' Chapel had atteinptcd to have the service-: of a clergyman the whole time, and this came near failing for the want of means. From Easter, 1838, to Easter, 18:i9, Dr. Short officiated half the time in Brodkfield and the other half here, and the Christian Knowleilge Society aided in the |)ay- nient of his salary. The Rev. David H. Short was reetiir from 18:i6 to 1840, and the Rev. Thomas T. Guion from 1840 to 1847. In 1844 the first church built at the lower end of Main Street, a wooden build- ing, the frame of which has been converted into a dwelling-house, was abandoned, and a new church was erected in a central jiosition on West Street near Main. The Rev. Henry Olmstead and the Rev. John Purves were associateil with the Rev. Mr. Guion, re- siding in Bethel and having charge of the chapel there. In 1844 the whole parish, including Bethel, reported 100 families and 13(1 communicants, with 80 Sunday- school scholars and 20 teachers. In 1846, on the sepa- ration of Bethel from this parish. Rev. Guion re- ])orted 75 families, 65 communicants, and 45 Sunday- school scholars, with 9 teachers. From 1847 to 18.54 the Rev. William White Bronson was rector. In 1853 he reported 70 families and 77 coinmnnicants. F'rom 1854 to 18ij4 tlie Rev. I. Lcander Townsend was rec- tor. In 1855 he reported 70 families and 107 com- municants. In 1859 the church was enlarged by the addition of a chancel and nrw furniture, the latter being used in the new stone church. In 1863 he re- ported 130 families and 189 communicants. Tlie Rev. Mr. Townsend was also rector of "Deer Hill Insti- tute," a church boarding-school for boys. The Rev. Dr. Hawley entered upon his duties on the 1st of March, 1864. He reported this year 145 families and 278 communicants. In 18()7 the present chapel and the chancel and tlie first bay of the nave of the new 222 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. stone church was erected, and in 1872 the nave and the tower were conijjleted all save the stone spire. An ex-editor of the (Jkurcli Ri'vieiv sjteaks of this sacred edifice as "one of the most bountiful churches in the countrj-." Tlie memorial and other windows were made by Messsrs. Moore, Doremus, Henry E. Sharpe, Morgan & Bros., Slack & Booth, and are among the finest specimens of their best workmanship. The present rector, Ilcv. Arthur .Sloan, assumed charge May, 1875. FinST UNIVERSALIST CHURCH. On the 9th day of December, 1822, a little company of men, twelve in number, — as were the earliest dis- ciples,— met at the school-house in (ireat Plain Dis- trict, in the town of Danbury, to organize a Univer- salist .society. These twelve men were Ebenczer Nichols, William Patch, Miles Hoyt, Philo B. White, Stephen Ambler, Zadock Stephens, Ira R. Wildman, Thomas P. White, William Peck, Joel Taylor, Andrew Andrews, Stephen Gregory. Pri'viiius to this time Universalism had taken root in Danl)ury, in consequence of the preaching of itin- erant ministers, or missionaries, who traveled through thLs part of the country from time to time, holding services in towns where o])portunity offered, speaking in public halls, in school-houses, private dwellings, and, when no otiicr place could be found, in barns or in the open air. In 1807, jirobably in Scptcndjcr of that year, the Kcv. Hosea Ballou, one of the fathers of the Universalist Church in America, having jour- neyed into Connecticut for the purj)o.se of attending the annual meeting of the United States Universalist Convention, which was held at Newtown, Se|)tember loth, Kith, and 17th, conducted religious services in Danbury, preaching in the court-house. This was the first service ever conducted in Danbury by a Uni- versalist clergyman of which any record has been found. There are traditions to the effect that the Rev. John Murray, a discijile of We-slcy, who first planted Universalism on the shores of the New- World, preached once in Danbury before the be- ginning of the present centurj', but of this service the present psistor can find no written record. After 1807 occasional services were held in the town by various itinerant ministers, mnong (ithers the Rev. Solomon Glover, of Newtown. At this time the so- cial ostracism, amounting in !<ome cases to actual per- secution, which had been meted out to the Methodists in England, to the Baptists and Quakers in America, and to every religious sect at some period of its his- tory, fell to the lot of the American Universal ists. Their testimony wa.s not taken in court; they were pronounced little better than athei.sts ; were charged with being haters of religion and teachers of immoral doctrines. One of the twelve men who organized the society in 1822 attendM the meetings for some time in secret, " going across tlie swamp to the court-house. in order not to be seen," as he often afterwards con- fessed. Such a jirofound impression wiis, however, produced upon his mind by the new truths which he believed he had heard that he wiis no more iLshanie<l, but proud, to be seen going to the Universalist meet- ings. Those were the days when good, pious. Chris- tian souls, not doubting that Universalists were infi- dels and were doing the work of Satan, prayed that the Lord would " uncover the bottomless pit and shake the Universalist minister over it until he re- pented of his errors." It was the retort of one of the Universalist pioneers that even in this prayer, seem- ingly so profane and mercile-ss, there was, after all, a recognition of divine goodness, in the admission that a pit without bottom .should yet be provided with a cover. After the organization of the Universalist Society it was for a year or two without a regular pastor. Visiting clergymen on preaching tours spent the Sunday here on frequent occasions, and preaciied, .sometimes in the court-house, occasionally in other places. Sometimes a clergyman would arrive late Saturday evening, and messengers would be sent out notifying the little band that on the morrow they were to have a minister. Some time in 182-1 the Rev. Thomas F. King, fatlur of Rev. T. Starr King, was engaged to preach a i>or- tion of the time in Danbury, preaching also at Nor- walk during his engagement, which continued about two years. In 182G the Rev. Zelotus Fuller i>reached occasionally at Danbury, and was succeeded by the Rev. Daniel E. Morgan, who preached one sermon every Sunday for si.x months. Then, for a period of four years, occasional services were rendered by tlh- Itev.s. Geo. Rogers, Solomon Glover, Meuzies Rayni'i (a convert from the Episcoi)al Church), T. J. Wliii- comb, Tlu'ophilus Fiske, Gilman Noycs, and Nelie- miah Dodge. Dec. 29, 1830, the Rev. John Boydcn was called to become the pastor, and preached in Danbury about six months, when, finding his various duties more than he could longer undertake, and desiring that a pa.stor should he engaged wlio should give his entire time and attention to the Danbury congregation, he askcjd to be releiusod from his en- gagement, and the request was granted. During the ministry of Mr. Boydcn a choir was gatliered under the leadership of the late Stephen A. llurlburt. who served as chorister for nuiny years with zeal and faith- fulness. The subsequent pastors of this congregation have been as follows : 1831. — Rev. G. W. Brooks, for two months only. 1831. — Rev. L. F. W. Andrews, for about the sanu length of time. Mr. .\ndrews was subsecpiently en- gaged with Hon. P. T. Barnum, as e<litor of a paper wliich Mr. liarnum published. Mr. Barnum was for several years the clerk of tlie Universalist Society.