History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"Previous to the erection of the regular meeting-house, tin-re wsm a temporary building, in form like a barn, in which divine services were held. For a time the Rev. Jedediah Mills, of Ripton, who has honorable i mention for energy, elofpience. anil zeal in the history of this State, ■ preached to the jieojile here every thinl Sabbath. Ori;;inalIy the settlers I here attended meeting at Ript(Ui, being, many of them, until 17t>4 mem- i bera of that church. ! Reference is made to houses built with fireplaces and rooms conveni- ) ent to be occupied by persons fnun a distance during intermission on ' the Sabbath, and thus called • Sabbath-day houses ' In the one noted iu I this place, or in a portion of it. an old Mrs. Tooley lived, sweejiing and : looking after the things of the meeting-house. "Alm-'st immediately on the organization of the church the Rev. Elisha Rexford was ordained its pastor. This happened on the 9th of January, lG(i-'>. twenty-six days after the event i>f organization. We j infer from this that Mr. Rexford must have been with the church, prob- ably as a sujiply, previous to its ftirniation. No doubt he was ha|ipily in- strumental i[i consummating the interesting event. "Mr. Rexford, its I understand, wts a graduate of Yah' College, and married us his first wife a Miss Monson, of New Haven. In tradition ho bears the repntttion of a wise and good man, punctual, intelligent, and consistent iu his ministrations, sound iu doctrine, c(.u-rect in practice, e&jnomica] and frugal, loyal to his country and to freedoni, acting as chaplain in the Revolution, respected and beloved liy hi-* people, until his death. April .1, ISiiS, or for a period of forty-four years. "In his pa.st<)ral relation he numbered some four thousand five hun- dred and seventy-six Sabbath services and many occasional week-day niinistrations. An interesting revival occurred during his ministry, which glacldeiied his own soul and greatly strengthened and refreshed ilie church. The infiuenco going forth from a wise, thoiightful, kind iind true-hearted man of God day by day, and week by week, aiul Sub- hath by Sabbath, for Imty-four years, — and such years as were those from 1765 to 1808, — and thus in his daily conversation, example, i)reaching, and counsel in seasons of bereavement and death, of marriage antl of burial, may be silent with him in the grave, unthought of by us as the moss-covered stone telling the spot where his dust reposes; that intlu- ence was and still is immensely great. Felt by those who with him have hero worshiped and with him have gone to their home above, and felt by u^who here live and worship to-day,— ay, and will be felt along down successive generations of those who will cimie after us ! " lie for a lime gave his attention to the subject of educatitm, having had, as I understand, a select school for both sexes in this place. "Mr, Rexford was seventy-one yeai-s of age when he died, and must have bteu tweuty-sevcn when he was ordained as p;istor of this chundi. " The letter of Mr. Rexford to this society in which he tendered his resignation of his pastoi-al office is extant, and breathes a spirit of love to the truth and to the best good of this peoide worthy of his office and his age. It is dated Doc. 29, 1807. "Another fiimily of infiuence in the society and church bore the namo Itefitrest. At an early period they settleil iu the south paitof the i>arisli, and renii'vid here in or befon* the year 177*1. Mr. Oefiuvst built arid Icept a public-house and store on the west side of the green,— the first stoii' npened in the centre, thetrading previous to 1770 having passed to Hipton. This Mr. Deforest was father r.f Deacon William Deforest, of Riidgeport, and Lnckwooil Deforest, Esq., of New York. He was a so- cial and stirring old man, and a faithful overseer and tutor of the boys and their manners when nide and boisterous, ami when throwing stones at the meeting-house or marking.; on the feti.-es. He entertained the officers of a French force of some five liundreil lueo u hi' during the Rev- olutionary war were quartereii Un- n lew uieks <>ii lIli^ bill. He nanieil his son Df Lazon. after one of those oMiieis. "This family was we infer, descended ''""' the llugueiK.ts, and b^id a natural ease aiid gentility of address, and piditene^s uf manii-r,— matteis which all Frenchmen, if not all .\merieans, regard. "The family left in thi' year ISOO. They still exist and are influential in Bridgeport and in New York. Two of them, William aud Lockwood, gave each fifty dollars to aid in the erection of this house. One of these, Deaccm William Deforest, I remember as one prominent in the church in Bridgeport, of which my father was long pastor. Ho was a gentleman of fine appearance and genial manner, kind, shrewii, and sympathetic. His ipiick-uttered words, expressive smiles, and graceful gestures would interest childien and men in advanci-d life. He lived to a good old age, and ilieil a few years since iu the triumph of Christian faith. "The memory of ("'apt. Nathan Booth, who resided in Elm Street, is embalmed in a <lonation of ten pounds made to the church to meet tho expenses of the communion-table. This somewhat singular yet etfectivo legacy increased, and wius sufficient a few years since to furnish the neat silver set for our cnnimunion-talde. It is still on interest as a fuml in the tre;isnry of the church. " Mr. Booth is said to have bi'eu .social, snniewliat set in his ways, blunt, and facetious in his intercnui-se uith others. He was a great foo to card-playing and gambling, the favorite employment of idlers and heedless tines. Hi' was plain-spoken on these topics, and has left a recoid which it wouM be well if many youths ami persons more ad- vanceil would in this day heed. He was, moreover, fond of music, and, as I infer, a good singer aud leader of the choir in this church. " The descemlauts of this somewhat noted nnni are still with us in the persons of Mr. William Booth, his great-grandson, and Elisha Bi>oth. a great-great-grandsiiU. To the one the society credits a donation of ono hundred and ten dollars towards the erection of this church, and to the other the fa^or of .iding chorister for a series of years. Of him, as in tlio fullness of his warm heart he proves himself full of song, it may he said he comes honestly by it. May he and his still live here to sing and pray aud praise ! "There was anotlii-r family of this name, Zechariah Booth, noted for social influenci-. Tiny resided in Elm Street, and t>pposite to Mr. C. T. Crane's. This family, I believe, is not now represeuted in the place. •' Honorable mention is made of u Mr. James Judson, who was father of Mr. Levi Judson and Miss Betsey Judson. At an early date he settled hero and built or occupied the house next east of the Wakeman place. The family is still represented by membership of children and grand- children in this church, and highly respectable branches of tho same are in other towns. Miss Betsey Judson still lives, a constant attendant upon divine service here, ami manifests a strong love to the church and society. She has been connected with the church fifty-one years. Mr. Levi Judson, lier brother, is some fourscore years on, and iu the sunset of his days. "Special allusion, too, is made to the family of Beardslee, aud particu- larly to an early settler on Bagburn Hill, reported to mo as old Capt. j Beardslee,— captain, I suppose, iu the C(donial service, and a true patriot. "Mr, Samuel B. Beardslee and Judge Beardslee, Esq., once a promi- nent lawyer in this idace, and Mr. Agur Beardslee, formerly a deacon of this church, are descendHuts immediat(dy or more remotely from him. This family, Mr. Samuel B. Beardslee, Mr. Elisha Beanlslee, Ctd.Sauniel Beardslee, and Dr. Edward M. Beardslee, is .■<lill pronnnent in this church and society. " There must have been a good deal of power and mu(di of the spirit of 1004 in that same old captain (ui Bagburn Hill a hundred years ago. He speaks, in a subscription of some six hundred and fiu-ty-two dollars by his grandchildren or great-great-grandchildren, in behalf of the erec- tion of this meeting-house. He speaks from Sabbath to Sabbath in our sweet-toned and sweetly-touched uielodeon, aud in the alto notes of our choir, and in all our services to-ilay, and we trust will continue hero thus t»> speak iu his children's children uutil time shall be no more. " Capt. Robert Lewis and family are remembered and nanieii with re- 430 HISTOItV OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. spect lie built the rcdidoncc aow occnplod by tlio Miases Lcwis^ though ' an entirely <listinrt family. Ilia »on, Lii-ut. Lum-aiirl Mui-so Lewis, is nuticed as an intelligent, influentiul iniin. This family hns, I believe, bfcon\e extinct. They are nevyrtlick-ss well renioniliuiTil. '' A family of fk>nic note in nankiMl jigthtt ('arpenter family, and ns having lived during ur at the close uf the Itcvolntion iu the Wakcman place. The father wns a soldier in the Revolntionary war. This is said to have , been a talented family. A daughter, by her own energj' and efforta, became noted as a teacher in New Haven, and afterwards at the South. Mr. Carpenter was for some time mail-carrior b«-tween New Haven and New Milford, — an office of importiuice, and even dii^tinction, in those days. Then the news traveltrd on wwiry-footed horses, not, as now, on the breathings of steam or the wings of the lightning. Then, day by day, on wildrrncM i-oa«Lt, 'mid coM, and sleet, and snow in winter, and burning heat iu summer, the newnman must Honnd his horn on time at each expectant farm-residence or village-office. Welcome then was the sound of his voice or his horn n8 he cauio with tidings from near and afar. In all this 3fr. Carpenter was a man wlio could and did w*>l] fnttill his trust. The family is gone, being now unknown here.