History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

In 1858 or 1859 a piece of land on the west side of Main Street was purchiL^ed for two thousand dollars. ' In IStil some improvements were made on the old I church, now known as St. Peter's Hull. In 1802 the I present church wtis purchased of the Congregation- ' alists for two hundred dollars, and remodeled at a cost 1 of two thousand dollars. In the following year im- I provements were made on St. Peter's Hall. During tlie pastorate of Rev. P. Sheridan he in- ! stituted two Catholic schools, — one for boys and one for girls, — tind the attendance was about two hundred. He also pureluused a piece of land and added it to the cemetery, and also improved it materially. In the fall of 1864, the debt of the church having reached about six thousand dollars, Fatlier Sheridan resolved to liquidate at least a i)ortion of it, and con- sequently inaugurated a grand fair at Concert Hall, from which the net proceeds were three thousand dol- lars. He then commenced collecting funds for build- ing a new church. The church was commenced in 1869, and in September, 1871, the corner-stone was laid by the bishop. Right Rev. F. P. McFarlaiid. The sermon on the occasion was preached by the Rev. Father Hewitt, of the Paulist Fathers, Fifty-nintli Street, New York. It is a singular fact that the walls were built before the laying of the corner-stone, in consequence of the absence of Bisliop JIcFarland at the (Ecumenical Council at Rome. The church is a mas.sive structure, and ])lca.santly located on Main Street, near the park. The following is a list of the pastors from 1851, wlien Father Ryan was here, to the present time : Rev. Father O'Farrell, 1852-53; Rev. John Smith, 1853-57; Rev. Peter Kelly, 18.58; Rev. Thomas Drea. 18.")8-61; Rev. Ambrose Manahan, D.D., lst;i-()2; Rev. P. Sheridan, 1863-July, 1874; Rev. John tiuinn, 1874. The present officers are the following: Rev. M. P. Lawlor, pastor ; Rev. Michael J. Burns, associate pas- tor; Michael Darragan, Thomsus Moran, trustees, elected annually. The St. Patrick's Library Association was estab- lished in 1858. The St. Peter's Catholic Benevolent Society wa.'* organized in July, 186.5. Thomas Johnson, Presi- dent ; Thomas JlcCue, Vice-President. St. Vincent De Paul Total .\bstinenee and Benev- olent Society was organized August 6, 1866, willi twenty charter members. Tlie iiresent niegibcrship is .seventy-five. Charles Doran is the president, and Michael J. Griffin the vice-president. The Young Men's Father Mathew Temperance Society was organized in 1878 with about sixty mem- bers present. THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. This church dates its origin back to 1817, when I^ovi O-sborne and wife and Uz Wildman and wife left the Sandemauian Society, in consequence of some differ- DANBURY. enee of religious opinion, of which they had been honored members, and fonne<l tlie nucleus of the present society. Mr. Osborne, hearing of a society in Xew York- called the Diseijiles, visited their cliureh ami was baji- tizcd by Henry Errett. Keturniiig to Danliury, lie baptized his wife and Uz Wildnum and wife, and their services were held in Mr. Osborne's house. Mr. Osborne officiated as elder frcjm this time until his death, in 18.31. He was the leading spirit of the en- terprise, and for many years the members of the church were called "Osliornites." The society soon began to increase in numliers, and a room over Mr. Oslidnic's weaver-shop was fitted up for a place of worship. In 1S40 a church building was erected on White Street. In 1853 the church belonging to the Methodist Society on Liberty Street was purchased, and occujiied in January of the follow- ing year. Tile following ministers of this faith have preached here: Porter Thomas, A. (}. Comings, Matthew S. Clajjp, William Tichenar, Ephraim A. Smith, Francis M. Craig, E. B. Osborne, J. M. Yearnshaw, W. W. Belding, N. W. Eaton, Theodore Brooks, Alfred N. Gil- bert, Joel A. Headington, W. L. Haydon, W. R. Spind- Icr, W. B. Craig, and J. L. Darsie, present pastor. The elders have been as f<illows: Levi O.sborne, John Benedict, Edward B. Osborne, Starr Benedict. John Abbott, Abel Foote, E. A. Mallory, Lewis B. Stevens, Edgar S. Morris. In 1854 a division oceurre<l in the cliureh, and thirty-five members withdrew and met in a hall on Main Street, known as Christian chapel, calling Leslie R. (built as pastor. The congregations were, however, reunited in 1809. The church is now in a prosperous condition, and has a membership of over two hundred. fiER.MAX METHODIST CHURCH. This church was first estaldished, under the leader- ship of Henry Stapleburg and Henry tirabert, in the year 1875, in Benedict & Nichols' block, corner ot Main and Liberty Streets. The need of a German church society had long been felt by the Protestant Germans of Danbury, that they might hear the go.spel expounded in their own tongue, as many of them were unable to understand and fully comprehend the word in the English tongue, and the English ebureb was the only church they were inclined to attend. By the efforts of the above-named leaders, about thirty Protestant Germans were brought togetlier and organized a society at the above place in 1875, and Mr. (irabert was appointed by the pastor of tlie nearest German church (then located at New Haven) as a local preacher, an<l fille<l the pulpit three Sun- days in each month, the fourth being the visit of the pastor, Rev. Mr. Hendigcs, and who as often as pos- sible sent ministers and tried to supply the pulpit every other Sunday. The sodety flourished in in- terest, although not rapidly in luimbers, for the first year, the expenses being paid by the liberal donations of its memliers. A Sabbath-school was established at the same time of the church o|)ening, and uuui- hercd about twenty-five scholars. The ])ressure of the times and expense of sustaining the church caused the society to give up their un- dertaking in the year 1877. Its members then re- sumed their places again in the English churches, principally the Methodist. In the .spring of 1S78, Hemy Stapleburg built a small two-story dwelling-house on the rear of his lot and residence, corner of Rose Hill and Henry Street, tiu' lower part occupied by a German family and the upper story to he used as a church. The dimensions were about twenty by twenty-lix'e feet, and the room was comfortably fitted up for a chapel. This was a new opening for the society, as I\Ir. Stapleburg gave them till' use of the room for the purpose of worship, which exjiense was quite an item to the little band, who were trying to worship under their own vine and fig- tree in their own tongue. Early in the fall of 187S the room wa^ coni]ileted, and once more an effort was made to establish a church on a firmer footing. Other ^Methodist Ger- man families were induced to come to Danbury to w<irk at hatting, and so increase the mendjcrshi]) of the church society. Mr. (irabert filled the ]iulpit every other week, and other ministers from aliroad were sent by the pastor at New Haven, Conn., to fill it at other times, he coming once a month and ad- ministering the sacrament. Signs were evident that the growib of this cliureh was more rapid than at any period since its formation, in 1875, and the little room was too small to accom- modate them longer than tbrougli the winter of 1878-70, and on the first Sunday in .\]iril, 1879, the .society again occupied their (dd njoms, corner of Main and Liberty Streets. Jlr. (irabert, in the winter of 1879-80, found his labors through the week in tlu' fiictory and in the liuljiit on Sunday were too arduous. He called a meeting of the society in the beginning of the month of March, and submitted to the ])astor and people the necessity of a regularly established church with a ]iermanent [lastor. Application to the German Con- ierenee held at New York in the second week of April was made for a permanent minister and organ- ized society, and the (Jonferenee, hearing the reports from this mission and its pastor, ap])ointed to the (ierman Church of Danbury the liev. Jacob Kindler, then residing in Mount Vernon, N. Y., where his family still resides. Mr. Kindler was a chaplain in a New York regiment during the early part of tlu^ war, and is an old cavalry officer. At the battle of Bull Run lie sustained injuries through the falling of his horse, breaking tlie cliaiilain's hip-bone. The church is now regularly ordained, and has a membership of about fifty and a Sunday-school of about the same number. 226 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COrXTV, CONNECTICUT. CHAPTER XXI. DANBURY (Continued). Orpinlz^tlon of this Tuwn — Pnqtiiago — Swainpfiold — Recortls of 1777 — Firet Town-JIectiug after llio Revolutiou— Firet Officers Elected after the Revulutiuu — The Burough uf Daaluiry — Orguiilz^tion — Firbt OIBccra — Wardens from Organization to 188() — Kxtracbi from Records, etc. — Kar-Mttrks. The town of Daiibury was constituted at a General Court held Oct. 13, 1687. The following is an extract from the reeord.s : '* This Court named tlie new towne at Paquiage* Panbury, and granted tiieni a freedom from county rates for fower yeares from this date ; and tliis Court grants that tlio Itownds of the said towne of Dunbury sliall be six miles square, provided it doe not pr<yudico any former grant to any jiartii-ular person made by this Court. " This Court grants the Danbury brand shall be two eyes as followeth II." (Col. Rcc.) The early town records! were destroyed when the town was bilrned by the British, hence we are unable to give anything of a documentary character prior to that time. RECORDS OF 1777. The following is the first record which appears in the old town-book after the destruction of the town : '*.\t a town-meeting legally named, held in Danbury, Oct. 1, 1777, Cap. Daniel Taylor chosen moderator. S'' meeting was by vote a(^oumod to the Cth instant at four of the Clock in the afternoon. " 31AJ0B Taylob, Clerk.''* The next entry is as follows : "To the Ishabitasts of thk Town- of Dandl'bv: