History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"The building of the meeting-house wxs a severe draught on their slender rc-siourci-s. As the expunsrs of the society were defiaynl by tax, the seats were connnon property, but the society was accustomed to 'seat the nieeting-house.'as it was termed, according to ' rate ami ilignity.' By Vote, thry gave Rev. Mr. Eells the seat next to the pulpit, on the women's side. Similar seatings vf the meeting-house appear in the records of stanilnid and Xoiwalk. It was the custom to appoint some person to 'set the p^alm. " SINCING ]!Y RULE. " In lT;'.;t tliey voted to 'sing by rule,' or that which is called the new jr,i// ' in the congiegation." Hunting tun says this change from the old to the new way of singing had been introduced in 1721. Theeight or nine tunes brought ovei" by tlie pioru>ers * bad Iiecome barbarously perverteil,' and the Rev. Thomas Walter, of Roxbury, Mass., cumposer, in that year pnblislied ' Tlie Grounds and Rules of Mufic Exi)lained, or an introduc- tion t.. the Arte of singing by Note.' Tlie bouk contained twenty-four tunes harmonized in three parts. " After six yeai's' ' experience' {as it was termed) witli ^Ir. Eells, some began to bo di^sati.•^fied, ami in IV-ln the society appointed n cunnniltee to acquaint Jlr. Eells and see if he would give his enu^ent to have a vote tried to see wlio is easy ami who is ntieaxtj with him. The test showed twenty-four UHeaxt/. In 1741, Mr. Eells was dismissed. Tradition assigns to him .ability, learidng, and piety, together with certain eccentricitiea deemed inconsistent in a minister of the gospel. lie continued to reside here until his death, in 17So. " The society pioceeded promptly to fill his phu;o. The Rev. Robert Silliman was ordained February, 174i;. TIIE ANCIENT MEETIi\G-II0U8E. " Pining his ministry there was sucli increase in the congregation as to require an addition to the meeting-house eleven feet on each end and twelve feet on the south side. They also built a society -house north of tlie meeting-house, twenty-one by sixteen feet, with seven-foot posts. This Wiis probably to accnuiniodate thuse who came to meeting from a distance, and was furnished with a fireplace, where they might spend the time between services, the meeting-house being witliout any device for heating. " In 17.^0 tlie society resolves to build a new meeting-house, fifty feet by forty, with one tier of galleries and turret (belfry). This stnicture was so far arlvanced us to be deemed fit for use in 175'J, though the galleries were n"t made until 17>^7. In 17'.t7 the turret was completed and the first bell obtained, wlucti was to be rung not only on the Sabbath, but alsii at nine o'clock every evening excejit Saturday. The new house was built a short distance no it h of the old one and about one hundred and fifty feet southeast of tins ])iesent building. For ninety yeais it was in constant use as a place of woi-ship. Every Sabbath, Thanksgiving, and fast-ilay itscnirts were well filled with dev.mtwoishipers, and the memory of the old meeting-house will ever be hallowed. It WEis built in the style quite comninn in tliat <lay, precisely like the one then in Stamford, except that the latter had a spire that rose from the ground. Opening the double donrs, on the south side, we entered an area of small square pews, whose flours were elevated about eight inches above the lloor of the central por- tion of the room. This latter w;is at first filled with slips on each side (if the centre or broud aisle leading up to the pulpit. A narrow aisle pjissed quite around these slips, furnishing access to the pews which oc- cupii'd the entire walls except where the f/oo?s on tlie east, the south, and the west sides, the stuirs leading to the galleries at tlin corners, and the imli}it at the centre of the imrth side, occupied the space. The slii)3 in the centre were afterwards (in 180?ij converted into square pews. The galleries were deep, filled with square [lews along tlie south wall, and else- where with the long slips. The choir was rangeil along the front, and sometimes extended nearly the entire length of the galleries, the bsiss on the west, tlie trebin on the east, and the tenor, tir ' counter,' with the leader on the south. Tin- iiuljiit wxs ii hexaycmil structure, placed upon 438 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. a pillar, about eight feet above the floor, and reached by a flight of stairs ; it was neatly finished and puinted white. Almve it was 8UB]>endcd a canopy or sounding-board, hexagonal in shape, ubont seven feet aliove the floor cf tlie pulpit, with a screw at the top of tlie iron rod supporting it, so that its lieight uiigtit be adjusted to tlio proper distance for reflec- tion of tlie sound. Tlio armngcnient was indeed stiff and awliward, and was often severely criticised. 1 remember liearing one clergyman — a man of large size — remark that he would as soon get into a hogshead and preach from the bung. The deacons' seat was directly bonoath the pulpit, access to it being had througli the minister's i>ew. " To resume the historj' of the palish : When their minister, Mr. Silli- man, had served them a quarter of a century, some uneaaiiitM began to manifest itself. A vole in .\pril, 176H, showed foi-ty.si.\ ' easy' and thirty- seven 'uneasy' with him, but nut long after they voteil. twenty-four to fifteen, that they would employ Mr. .Sillinnin no longer. Mr. Sillininn api>ealed to the General As-sembly ot Hartford, and the society appeared there by their representative. The Legislature sent a committee to see how peace could bo restored, who advised Mr. Silliman to ask for a dis- missal, and in June, 1772, ho was dismissed. " In the succeeding winter Mr. William Dnimmond, born and educated in Scotland, was settled us minister. He remained five years, and was succeeded by Rev. Justus Mitchell, who by his scholarship and devotion to his calling and to the cause of educatiiui secured the prosperity of the entire community and gave the parish a deslniblo fame throughout the State, A spirit of toleration manifested itself, and tho records show many instances of the release of persons, who preferred other modes of worehip, from their resiwnsibililies to this society. The pews were rented t*) defray expenses and relieve from ta.\ution. Mr. Mitchell died In ISOC." TllK I'RIMITIVE DAVELLINGS. Amonji the first hoiise.s erecteil williiii the present liinit.s of this tdwn were a few rudely-eonstrueted buikliiigs, on what is now known us "Claphoard Hills." Several of the first lioiises were also built at " Canoe-Hill." Following more closely the western slope of the river, a cluster of houses was built on the upper part of Haines' Ri<l<^e, among whieh were the old residences of Col. Enoch St. John, Elnathan Lockwood, Mr. Moses Comstoek, Mr. Uriah Reed, and Mr. Aaron Comstoek. Three of these have been demolished and one so remodeled as not to appear like an old house, while one remaiu.s essentially uuehanged in aspect. The settlers from Stamford followed similarly the course of the Noroton River, as also, still further west, that of Mill River. A single .style of arehileeture was almost universal, not only here but throughout New England, in those days. The house was of two stories in front, jiresenting two eligible chambers, while the rear roof sloped off to the height of seven or eight feet from the ground. \ ma.«si ve stone chim- ney Wits in the centre, with its huge fire|)lace admit- ting baek-logs and foro-stieks four feet long, and still furnishing warming-room within its jambs for all the children. Here was tlie jionderous crane with its as- sortment of trammels of varying lengths for pots and kettles, the iron andirons, tongs, and peel with its handle four feet long, terminating in a large hemi- spherical knob (this was used for cleaning out the coals from the brick oven, which occupied a |>art of the deep recesses of the old chimney), the .spider, the skillet, the griddle, — all over the open fire. No pro- saic, economical cooking-stove or range had yet made its appearance. The rooms of these old-time houses were ranged around the chimney, — the keeping-room and parlor, on either side in front, the latter with its beaufet dis- l)laying the glittering pewter plates and platters and a slender a.ssortment of china cups and saucers ; the kitchen in the rear, with bed-rooms on either side; the hall in front, witli winding stairs leading to cham- bers above. The.se all eoiiimunieated by doors, so that on festal occa.sions, in families moulded not according to the strictest sect of the Puritans, this arrangement furnished ample scope for merry games and dancing. INCIDENT OF TUE REVOLUTION. The following incident was related to the late Dr. Edwin Hall, of Norwalk, by Miss I'liebe Comstoek, who lived at Canoe Hill during the Revolution. She used to go over to her uncle's and climb an apple- tree from which Norwalk could be seen distinctly. Went to meeting at New Canaan. In ciises of alarm, whieh was given by firing three guns in succession, tlie men left all and hastened to the parade. Such alarms often came. Her father would run in and .say, "Now, girls, unyoke the o.xeu and turn them out," and in less than five minutes would be oflf to the pa- rade. They used to carry their guns to meeting : no more thouglit of going to meeting then without their guns than we do now without our psalm-books. "They never had an alarm without repairing to the parade; and they did not go slow, neither." The alarm at the burning of Norwalk came al)out daybreak. Went to the apple-tree ; saw the (lames ; heard the guns. Her father and four brothers were engaged in the defense; the " dreailfullest day she ever saw ;" the guns kept firing a long time ; " a dreadful fight." She saw the " red-coats" take up several of their dead or wounded and carry them to their boats ; saw the steeple of the meeting-house fall in. TUAI.NI.NG DAYS.