History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

1831-32.— Rev. G. W. Brooks, re-engaged. 1833.— In August, Rev. L. W. F. Andrews was DANBURY. 223 called, and declined a re-engagement, Mr. Brooks' engagement having expired. 1834.— Rev. Allwrt Case. 183.5. — The church was without a pastnr. 1836-38.— Eev. S. C. Bulkley. 1838-40.— Rev. James Cook. 1841-43.— Rev. S. B. Brittan. 1843-4.5.— Rev. J. K. Ingalls. 1847. — Rev. Hcman Burr. 1846. — In the latter part of this year the puljiit was supplied for a time by Rev. R. P. Ambler. 1847. — No settled pastor. 1848.— Rev. Timothy Elliott. 1849-51.— Rev. Geo." H. Deere. 1852-56.— Rev. 8. C. Bulkley. 1856. — Rev. Mr. Bulkley's engagement closed early in the year. Rev. Edward Smiley was engaged early in June, ordained in July, but remained only till No- vember. For two years following the church was weakened by the general prostration of business, and during this time was .shephenlless. 1859-60.— Rev. Robert C. Brown. 1861. — No settled pastor. 1862-65.— Rev. J. H. Shepard. 1866-67.— Rev. Abel C. Thomas supi>lied tlic iiuljiit. 1868-70.— Rev. William G. Haskell. 1870-80.— Rev. D. M. Hodge, the present pastor. A church edifice was erected for this congregation on Main Street, corner of AVooster, in 1833, anil dedi- cated in September of that year by the Rev. Matthew Hale Smith, assi.sted by other clergymen. This build- ing wa.s afterwards sold to the Catholic Society, and is still owned by them. The edifice on Liberty Street now occupied by this congregation was luiilt in 1851- 52, and dedicated in tlie spring of the latter year. The first deacons of the church were William I'atcli and Zadock Stevens. Nearly all the members of the original church or- ganization are now dead or have removed from town. In fact, the church has been unusually suly'ect to loss by these causes, especially the latter, notwithstanding which it has had a slow but steady growth ; during the ministry of the present pastor a goodly number have been added to the member.ship of the church, and many children have been bajitized. This church observes one Sunday in June of each year as Hose Sandaij, when the church audience-room is profusely decorated with flowers and children are christened or baptized. Tlie officers of this church at the present time are : Pastor, Rev. D. M. Hodge ; Deacons, Stephen Bates, N. B. Dibble, Timothy H. Foster, Luman L. Hubbell; Clerk and Collector, Foster Jarvis; Treasurer, A. A. Heath ; Executive Committee, Joseph T. Bates, T. H. Foster, Andrew J. Williams. The church at the present time is united and pros- perous, and is doing a good work in the community. It strives to work in harmony and peace with all who love the Lord Jesus Christ. THE SANDEMANIAN SOCIETY. Barber, in his "Connecticut Historical C<illections," published in l.'<36, says, — " In 17(',4, Mr. TjMltfrt .SiUMl(ni;ili. u Tuitivu of Pcrtli, in Si .illiiiiM, .v man of learniiij; iilni MiptMiuraliilitics, who li.id 8unKi coriespon<Ienn- Willi Mr. White anil sonu' other ministeiti iu thi* country, ranie from his nativr land, landed at Boston, .lud catno to Itaiihiiry near the cUiBe of the year. After tarrying several weeks he returned to lii.ston, where he soon ory.-m- izedachureh. Ho returned to Danlmry and gathered a chureli, July, 1705. The principal doctrines which he taught wero siiuilar to those of tlie Christian ('luireh. His distinguishing tenetwas, 'that faith is a mere intellectual hclief;' his favorite exi>re.ssioll \v.i.s, '.-1 hare belif/ n/ bate Inith.' Ho maintained that his church was the only true church, then arisen from the ruins of .\utiehiist, his reign being near a close. The use of means for mankind in a natural state he pretty much exploded. ■' Mr. Sandeiuau died in 1771. Tlie next year his church moved to New Haveu. Here it apjiears they were in a flourishing condition for three or four years. The house iu which they worsliiped is still standing on Greysou Street. "When the Revolutionary war hroke out the Sandemanians. who were royalists, became objects of suspicion. They were brought up befon- the civil authority on several occasions, and at one time were iiupusoued. These proceedings had the elTect to break up their church in ttii> idace; nearly, if not ijuite, all their peojilo moved away. " Iu July, 177-1, several persons who had been members of that idiiirch, together with a number who belonged to the society at New Ilanbiiry, united and formed a new Sandeniauian Church. That continued and in- creased for many years, till i\Iarc!i, 17'.H, when they divided into two churches." The i'ollowing is from a more recent account given of the Sandemanians: " They meet on the Sabbath and the Thursday afternoon of each w eek to exhort and to exidain the sacred word. Their church is provided with a large circular table, which occupies nearly half the area of the build- ing, at which the several niembei-s seat themselves, each one provided with a copy of the Scriptures, and as thi'y individually feel disposed they read and comment thereon, the females not partaking therein, being but indifterent sjiectators of the pi'oceedings. They also add to tlieir former exercises jirjiyer and singing; and aftel" which they assemble at one or the other of the brothers' or sisters' houses, wdicre they paitake of a feast. . . . There are probablyatpieseiitabonttwentypiimitive followers, of strict morals and chaste deportment, even to a proveib. It ajipears that none have joined them latterly. " This sect, like most others, have divisions among them, one party of which g» by tlio name of ' Osbornites,' from Mr. Levi Osborne, their present teacher. These are very few in number, reduced by deaths, and from the circumstance of none uniting with them. The other party go by the name of ' Baptist' Sandemanians, from their belief in, and practice of, haptisiu. The Osbornites appear to have been the most numerotis of the two classes, having had formerly a considerable number of members, consisting of some people of intlueuee." There are said to be but four hundred persons of this denomination in the world, forty of whom are in the United States. Those of this belief in Great Brit- ain are known by the name of " Glassites." The following is copied from the monunicnt of Mr. Sandenian, in the burying-ground opposite the court- house : " Here lies, until the resurrection, tlie body of Robert S.knpf.m.vn, a native of Perth, North Britain, who, in the face of continued opposition from all sorts of men, long boldly contended for the ancient l''ailh, that the hare work of .lesus Christ, without a deed or tlioiight on the part of man, is sufficient to present the chief of sinners sjmtlcss before God. To declare this blessed Truth, as testified in the Holy Scriptures, he left his country, ho left his friends, and after nuich patieut sufTering finished his labors at Panhury, Ai>ril 2, 1771, JE. Oo years. "Deign'd Christ to come so nigh to us As not to count it shame To call us Bl-elhren, should we blush At anght that bears His name? 224 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. ' " Nay, let «8 IwQBt ill His reproacli. Ami glory in His Cruss: ^Vln•Il Ho appfars, oik' ftiiille from lllni, Will fur o'erjiay our loss." Rev. Nathaniel West, in his " Analj'sis of the Bible," says, — " San DF.M ASIANS, — Followers of Sir. S^iiidcinan, who was himself a dis- ciple of Mr. .John Glass. The Sandcniaiiiaiis now usually include the Glawites, or followers of Mr. Glass. Place, cliietly Scotland, there being a few in England, the Unit(Ml States, and British North America. Numben) in all, about '.MOO." "GLASsiTts. — A IsKly of dissenters from the Scotch Church, named ofler their founder, BIr. John Glas.^ or Glas. Mostly in Scotland, where they number 21;lC." AVc went to what is now called the Wooster Street Cemetery, and after a long search through the sadly- neglected ground found the grave of Mr. Sandeman in a good state of preservation, located west of the jail and near the fence which incloses it. From the appearance of the stone we should judge that it must have replaced an older one. The inscription tliereou is not, in some respects, correctly quoted in Uarber's " History." We give it verbatim. As near as we can ascertain, after the death of Mr. Sandeman, the church was presided over by Elder Nathaniel Bishop, who died in 1857. After the death of Elder Bisho]), Mr. William B. Ely, an esteemed citizen of Danlmry, tilled the position until his death, which occurred in 1860. Mr. Ely was an active mem- ber of the church for upwards of fifty years. Since his death the church h.as had no regularly-appointed elder. Although the members do not number as many as formerly, the services are kept up with the old-time regularity. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. The first mass said in Danbury was at the house of James Doyle, in Grassy Plain, by the Rev. Father Smith, of New Haven, in the year 1838, and services were held at irregular intervals from that date until the years 1845 and 1S-Kj. Tiie nc.vt mti-ss said was by the Rev. Father Brady, then in charge of the mission of Norwalk and .'Stamford, at the house of John Hart, on Franklin Street, in the years 1S47 and 1848. At the next mission, in 1849, mass was said at the house of John Spain, then living in South Street. At the next mission, in 1850, ma-^s was said at the house of James Croal, on Deer Hill. The same year ma.-^s was celebrated by Father Ryan in the court-house. The services in the court-house were disturbed by some American people. The academy owned by Rev. John Irwin, Second Congregational Society, wa.s ob- tained for the use of the Catholics for tlie rest of the year. The next mission was in 1851. Rev. Father Ryan purchitsed the Univer.-<alist church, corner of Morris and Wooster Streets, at a cost of tliree thou- sand dollars. Some improvements were made the same year. The Catholic Cemetery was purchased in 18.53, at a cost of two hundred dollars. In 1857 a lot was ]nlrcliiised at the corner of Main and Centre Streets, and a i>arsouage erected thereon.