History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

1845, Elly Lewis, Wm.L. Bennett; 1S4C, Daniel Bennett ; IS4(,_(S, Daviil Bceiher; 1847-49, llemy B. Lake; 184'.l-.MI, Orville B.iuth ; 18.';0-.'i2, 1854, ISCl. Charles C. Tumlinson ; 18:,I-3:i, Havid Lewis; 1853-55, Wm. A. Jndsoii ; lS55-5i;, 1804, John 91. Beardslee; 185G-C0, 18(;2-04, 18117, Wm. I.. Beirnett : lN'.7-i;n, Elly Lewis; 1861, Eli X. Baldwin; l8i:-2-ij:i. Wells Iluhhell; isc'i-oi;, Lewis B. Gray, James II. Beard ; I8i;7, Orville Bonth ; 1808, Stephen Beardslee; 1809-71, 187:i, 1878-79, f. G. I'erry; 1S09, S. P. Buckingham ; 1SC9-71 , AmhiMse .Shellvui ; 1870, Edgar S. Wuoster; 1871-72, James Mills, Ilavid N. Lane; 1872, Lewis J. Shelton ; 1S7.!, 1878-79, Cha.les Bean ; 187.!, S. G. Blakeman ; 1874-75. James W. AVheeler; 1.874, S. .M. Wakelee, John Fran- ley; 187.'>, 1879, Erastus Bennett; 1S7.'>, Isaac Birdseye; 1.87{i- 77,.Iames II. Beard, Wells llnlihell.IIoiaee S. Lyon; ls78,Julin C. Bnckingliall). VrLL--\(!E OF I^JIEI.TOX. The village of .Shelton is located in the eastern part of the town on the Housatonic, opposite 15irniingham, and was named in honor of Edward II. Shelton, Estp It is delightfully located, overlooking the Iloasatouic, and commands a fine view of the neighboring town of Derby. It is the scat of various manufacturing establishments, and is one of the flourishing villages of Fairfield Cimnty. The incilical ]irofe.ssion is rep- resented by Gould A. Slu'lton, M.l)., who is the only physician in the village. Huntington is a hamlet, containing two ehurchcs, located in the centre of the town. CONGRE(i.\TIONAL CIIUUCII. Huntington, originally in Stratford, was incorpo- rated in 178!), and embraced two i>:irishes, Riplon and New Stratford (now Monroe). When Monroe became a town Ripton took the name iif Huntington. The church w;is organized with ninety-two members from the Stratford church, Feb. 12, 1724, and the pastor, Rev. Jedediah Mills, w;is ordained the same day. In connection with the call and settlement of Mr. Mills the foUowing vote! was pa.ssed, "without contradiction of any person," viz. : " to give Mr. Mills eighty pounds towards building his house, — forty pounds of it in money and forty pounds of it in work, — and in the beginning fifty pounds salary a year, and afterwards rising as (!od shall enable us and as Mr. Mills shall stand in need, and as this society shall think fit, and also one hundred acre? of land already given by the town of Strtitford." The first meeting-house was probably erected al)oiit 1720, and stood on F.-intou Hill, about eighty rods northeast of the present one. The secund edifice stood about twenty rods northeast of the present one, which is the third, and w;is erected in ]X.'i2. The following are the names and terms of service of each minister: Rev. Jedediah Mills, 1724-7(>; Rev. Daniel_ElvJ_)Ji.J,7II!*-lSUi ; Rev. Thomas F. Davis, ISTWS; Rev. Thomas I'undcrson, lSlS-14 ; Rev. Charles X. Seymour, 1.S44-47 ; Rev. Eliakim Phelps, D.D., 1847-49; Rev. William B. Curtis, IS.'.O-W; Rev. John Blood, 18J.S-()2; Rev. William D. Morton, ISO-t-Oil; Rev. L;)ring B. Marsh, l.<;r,9-72 ; Rev. Allen Clark, l.H7;i-74; Rev. Lucius H. Higgins, 1875. The following are the present ofliccrsof the churcli and society : I'astor, Rev. L. H. Higgins ; Deacons, George L. Nichols, Oliver G. Beard, Lewis J. Shel- ton ; Superintendent of Sunday-school, Eilward S. Hawley ; .Vssi.stant Su[)crintcndent of Sunday-school, Frank W. Wooster; Church Clerk, N. W. Blackman ; Society's Committee, Deacon L. J. Sheltmi, S. B. Nichols, D. A. Nichols; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. E. S. Hawley. The number of i)rcseiit members is one hundred and forty-five. Among the incidents in the history of the church are the following:* The so-called " IIalf-W;iy Covenant" was used by the church till done aw:iy with in 1.^17. In 174;5, David Braincrd was e.\iiclled from Yale Ctdlege, in part " because he had disii!)eyed orders in attending prohibited meetings of those who were at- tached to the preaching of Whitefield and Tennent." Rev. Jlr. Mills regariling his treatment as unjust rc- ceiveil him into his family, and under his instruction he studied theology, and, thus fitted, went forth as a missiontiry to the .Stockbridge Indians. During Dr. Ely's ministry there were additions to the church by jirofession every year except six. He was a member of the corporation of Y:ile College, and about one hundred young men were fitted for college under him. During Rev. Mr. I'liriderson's ministry of twenty- six years two hundred and Iburteeu were jidmitted to the church. Dr. I'hclps had somewhat of notoriety in connec- tion with the "Stratford knockings." He was the father of Rev. Au.stin Phelp.s, D.I)., of A:idover The- ological Semin;iry, Massachusetts. During the winter and spring of I.S77 there oc- curred one of the most marked works of grace that had l)cen witne--ised for a generation, as one result of which nearly forty united with the church. The /Sciiflcryood Mission is under the (■■■ire of Rev. Friend lloyt, who founded it, and to whose untiring energy tiie succ;>ss of the movement is due. .\n effort is being made tj organize it into a Missionary Church Society. * Dr. Ely was a colleague with the Bev. Mr. Mills for Ui: ceding the death of the latter. 412 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. liAPTIST CHURCH.® The first churcli was organized Nov. ;i, 1S3S, with the lollowing members : Ferris Drew, James Heard, AVright Drew, Jesse Gilbert, John G. Beardsley, Smith Bcardslcj-, Rebecca Beardslej', Israel Hamilton, Fanny Drew, Ann Hamilton, Charity Drew, Phebe Olmstead, Emily Hiibbcll, James Drew, Reuben Drew, Phebe Drew, Maria Drew, Ann Roardsly, Mar>' Beardsly, Lueias Ilubbell, William M. Hub- bell, C. Johnson, Samuel Drew, Sarah G. Johnson. Pastors : William A. Dennison, Alva Gregory, Judson G. Lyman, William B. Knapp, John AVaterbery, F. N. Barlow, A. N. Benedict, Charles Nichols, Amos Benedict, C. W. Potter, J. G. Gahun, George F. Pay, Sumner Tatham, Addison Brainard, and F. Perry. The church building was erected in 1839. Present officers : Committee, George W. Drew, John Tomlin.son ; Church Clerk, Levi Beamas. The pres- ent membership is between thirty and forty. ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CIIUUCII.* The parish of Ripton, in Huntington, and the parish of New Stratford, in Monroe, were once a part of the parish of Clirist's Cliurcii, at Stratford. St. Paul's cliureh at Huntington, was built alJout the year 1740. The parish of Ripton was set ofl" from the j)arish of Christ's CIvurch, at Stratford, in April, 1749. Rev. Christopjier Newton was it.s first minister, and was one of a sn)all number wlio went to England for lioly orders of the Episcopal Cliurcli,and was ordained by Zachary Pearce, Bishop of Bangor, at the chapel of Spring Garden, AVestminster, by order of Thomas, Lord Bishop of London. He was admitted to the holj' order of deacon on the 25th day of July, 1755, being St. James' Day. On Sunday, the 27th day of July, he was admitted to the holy order of priests accord- ing to the manner and form of the Church of Eng- [ laud.f He was appointed missionary at Huntington in 1755. During his ministry at Ripton Parish he officiated some part of the time at Tashua, in Trum- bull. The first records of Ripton parisli areilafed " Easter Monday, April 12, 17H4." Tlie following may show the manner in which the minister's salary was some- times raised in those days : "Votril, That Rov. Sir. N'ewtoira rnle on list of IIM iiliall be Iwoponco liniriH'iiny on tlic |>i>tintl, iiicliKliiiK 111-* wimhI ; uith tlilH rcflon'u consfil- ured in tlio Vutc. TIhnw wIio tmve n mind to rurninh uny wood may pay the huiriM-'iiriy on thu iMinnd in wood." The Rev. Mr. Newton's death occurred on Feb. 6, 1787. He was an able and .sound divine. Rev. Abram Lynsoa Clark succeeded Rev. Mr. Newton in 1787, and resigned in 1792, when he re- moved to Providence, R. I. The Rev. Charles Sea- bury succeeded him for one year. It ia certified on the parish records that a vote was • Contributed liy Mm. .1. ITBticlt.in. t TlicM> onk'n) aro pruMrviMl and are at the home of Mrs. Ihtrid Shrl- ton, In llunllngtun, wliuac hr.Hliand wan grandnon of Her. Sir, Newton, ' passed to employ the Rev. AVilliam Green for onr year, and for his services during tliis time he was tn be allowed one hundred pounds lawful money. A certified copy of this vote was forwarded to Bishoji Provoijt, of New York. The records also show that at a meeting held June 24, 1789, it Wi.3 voted to allow the Rev. Calvin AVhit.- one Imndred pounds lawful nioney, and the use ol' the glebe liou.ses and land, and thirty-three loads ol wood. In the year 1800 the Rev. Ambrose Todd wa.s set- tled, and remained until his death, which occurred .luly 25, 1809, in the forty-sixth year of his age and the twenty-second year of his ministry. He was much beloved by his people, and at his death was deeply lamented. The records show that when he was called to the jjarish, a vote was passed to call the Rev. Ambrose Todd, at a salary of one hundred pounds, lawful money, and forty loads of wood. In 1805 the Rev. Jlr. Todd was requested to per- form divine service at St. Paul's church at Ripton. and at St. Peter's church at New Stratford (now Monroe), one-third of the time, and the wardens of St. Paul's church, at Rii)ton jjarish, were empowered, when called upon, to make such arrangements for the direction of the new church at New Stratford as might seem necessary. The j)eople in New Stratford had lieretofore assisted in paying for services in Rip- ton parish. In the year 1800, St. Paul's Church Society voted to sell the glebe house and lot to Rev. Mr. Todd. In Augu.st, 1809, the society voted to continue the salary of the Rev. Ambrose Todd to his fiimily until the fifth of the next December, togetlier witii tin- use of the glebe orchard. At the same time and place it was voted that the society entertain thehigli- cst regard for liis memory, and agree to defray his fu- neral expenses and erect a tombstone to his memory.