History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

" It is said that the frame of the building in New- town, tw'enty-eight feet long and twenty-four feet wide, was raised on Satur<lay, the roof boards were put on the same evening, and the next day the liand- fnl of churchmen assemldeil fpr iliviue service under its imjierfect protection, sitting upon the timbers and kiu'eling upon tlie ground." Previous to the erection of this first church build- ing, jiistory informs us that, because there was no suitable place for assembling, the Rev. John Beach, rector, invited the few ]irofessors of the Church of England to meet in his own house, where for a t'on- siderablo time he conducted the church services; and the first sermon preached by him was under an immense buttonliall (or sycamore) tree that stood on the green in front of the jiresent residence of Cliarles C. Warner, ICsip 1)1 174ii a second church building was erected, wdiich Dr. Beardsley says — doubtless quoting the words of Eev. John Beach in his repin-t to the Proi)a- gation Society — " was a strong, neat building, forty- six feet long and thirty-five wide." Forty-four years passed away, during which time the peojile continued worshiping in that church, hut, probably owing to its prosperity and growth, it wa.s f Contriljuted by E. L. JoLnson. 468 HISTORY OF FxVIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. found to be too small to accommodate the worshipers, and wo find from the jmiish records that a society's meeting was held Nov. i, 1790, when a vote was taken " to build a new church house." Wc find that then, a-s now, there were obstacles in the way of pushing such things along, for at an adjourned meeting, held Nov. 2."), 179(1, an effort was made to rescind the aforesaid vote, which was de- feated. At a meeting hchl Dec. :H0, 1790, " Voted, That if we do build a new church, that it shall be erected where the town-house now stands." Pa.ssiug along until Oct. 3, 1791, it was " Voted, That we will build the church by signation, provided we can get subscribed one thousand pounds lawful money by the second Tuesday in Novendicr next." At an adjourned meeting held Nov. 8, 1791, "Voted, That the bigness of the church-house shall be sixty-eight feet by forty-eight." March 5, 1792, another meeting was held, when it W!is voted that the ])rice of the c(mimon timber for building the church be four pence per square foot, brought to the place of building and well dressed; and a committee was also appointed to appraise the extraordinary timber. This church was finished in 1793, and received its name at a parish-meeting held June 17, 1793, when it was voted that the new church be called "Trinity." It stood ju.st north of the present site of the stone edifice. No record can be found giving an account of its consecration, but it was consecrated by the venerable Bishop Seabury, the fii'st bishop of Amer- ica. It was said to have been for a long time the largest house of Episcoi)al worship in the State, and tr.adition recor<ls that it excited the wonder of the surrounding country, so that people came from all directions to visit it ; and for more than three-quarters of a century it stood a noble monument of the liber- ality, public s|)irit, and i)icty of the nu'u who erected it. At the time of its erection Rev. Philo Perry wits rector, on a salary of one hundred pounds per year, ofliciating one-fourth part of the time in lirookfield, and the salary was provided for by a tax of three per cent, on the ]>ound on the grand list of the town. Stoves and fire in church were then unknown, and for twenty-seven years the worshipers had no tax to pay for fuel, but at a meeting held Jan. 24, 1820, it was " Voted, That a committee of three be a])pointed to erect a stove in Trinity Church." In this church were held three Diocesan Conventions, in the years IROl, lSO(i, and 182(). Although missionary wiirk had been done to some extent in Newtown as far back as 1722, and i>erliaps previous to that year, yet there could proi>crly be said to be no church organization here until 1732, when the Rev. John Beach, then a young man, who had been settled fo» eight years among the Inde- pcndent.s at Newtown and very popular with all classes, publicly informed hi.s people of a change in his views in favor (if tin Church of England. He was entered as a communicant at Stratford, hLs n.itive place, Eiuster Day, April 9th of the same year, went to England for holy orders, and, returning with them in September, 1732, 'commenced his work, and in six months after speaks of having forty communicants. His rectorshi]) extended over a ])eriod <if fifty years, — from 1732 to 1782. He was followed by Rev. Philo Perry, rector from 1787 to 1798. He wa.s succeeded by Rev. Daniel Burhan.s, D.D., rector from Aug. 5, 1799, to Nov. 1, 1830; Rev. Samuel C. Stratton, 1831-39; Rev. S. S. Setocking, 1841-48 ; Rev. William Carmichael, 1850-52; Rev. Benjamin W. Stone, D.D., 18.')2-fl6 ; Rev. Newton E. Marble, D.D., 1857-78, when he was obliged to resign on account of physical infirmi- ties ; Kev. Thomas W. Harkins, Oct. 14, 1878, to Oct. 1, 1880. From the report made to the Diocesan Convention by the rector in June, 1880, there were then one hun- dred and eighty-nine families and three hundred and thirty-one comnumicants in the i)arish. At the meet- ing of the Dioce.san Convention in June, 1880, a new parish was formed within the limits of the present Trinity Church, Newtown, to be known as St. John's Parish, Sandy Hook. We have no means of a.scertaining who were the first officers of the church. The officers at the present time are as follows: Wardens, Beach Camp, William B. Priudle; Vestrymen, Simeon B. Peck, Charles Skidmore, Philo Clark, E. Levan Johnson, Hobert B. Camp, Albert W. Peck, Homer A. Hawley ; Clerk, Daniel O. B^ers; Treasurer, Frederick San- ford. The first movements towards building the i)resent beautiful stone edifice, that stands just south of the site of the old church building, were inaugurated at a parish-meeting held Sc))!. 12, 18(it), but the building was not completed until January, 1870. The first sermon delivered in the new church was by the rector. Rev. Newton E. Marble, D.D., on Fel). 6, 1870, from 2 Cor. v. 17: "Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." Heretofore the ehurche-s erected by the parish had been temporary structures, as all wood buildings are, and could hi-st but a comparatively short time, but the noble edifice of which wc now write will stand sound and solid when centuries have rolled a\v;iy and the many generations that have worshiped within its sacred walls shall have mouldered to dust,— unless it shall be destroyed by some unforeseen catjustrophe or convulsion of nature, — a nol)le monument to the memory of those men and women who contributed of their time and means to accomplish so desirable an end. METUODIST El'ISCOP.\b CHURCH, SANDY HoitK. As nearly a-s we can luseertain, about the year 1800 a class wius formed and Methodist preaching wa-s givea I NEWTOWN. 4G0 by two Idi'uI liri':U'luTs, Levi liuiisnii and Jnscpli I!:iiii;s (ilinl lu'l'e), ISfSS; X. ^[cailc, IS.'iil— Kl; S. J. rieiTi', ill a linuso that stooil iipou the grouiid wIutc StcMiiiis, 1x41-42; L. (Mark, (i. 1j. Fuller, 1X4:1; A. Trinity eluireh now staiKls, ill Newtown Street. Tlie S. Jlill and (1. L. Fuller, in 1X4+-1.") ; S. W. Suiitli, first |pi'earliiii^' liy an itinerant minister was liy .'-^am- 1X4(1-47; ]>. I). Xiekerson, 1X4X ; X. ( ', I, .wis, IS4'.l ucl M. Erwiii, of the Methodist K]iiseopal (.'liurtli, — ")(l. uliout the year 1804. linrinL' the year IX.'iO tin- eliureh ediliii' at Xew- Iii IXOf) a class was fornied as a nueleiis to furiniii"^ ' town was scdd and a more eoniiiiodiiuis one liuilt at a cliureh organization. Here t.illow ihr names ol'the Sandy Hook, a small village one mile and three-qiiar- origiiial elass-paper : Isaae Sanliu-d, Ann Sanfonl, ters cast (jf Newtown, at a eost of three thousand Benjainiii Curtiss, Pcdly C'urtiss, Sally ( 'iirtiss, Aniea tliree luindicd dollars. The Kev. Or. Kennedy Summers, Hannah ( iamley, Sarah Fyon, .laeoK Kay- I preached the dedication sermon, and the following niond, Hannah I'l:itt, Nciniah Sanford. Saliia Kooth, havelilli'd the pulpit to tlie year IXXO: W , H. liaiigs, Polly Nap, Betsey Hand, I'.cach Ucnnett. Sarah An- IX.'.l-.".!' ; F. Lovcjoy, lX."i:;-.".4 ; \. .McAlister, 1X,V) <lcrson. -.')i; ; (iidman, 1X.'j7; Inaijamin Kedford, LS.'iX ; The circuit over wliicli the ilincrants traveled was li. K. Heyiiolds, IX.IO'-IIO ; Kdwanl Oldine, lX(il-(;2; from !Milford to New Milford, and from Dantown to ."s. H. I'latt. IXilli-iU; S. ( '. Laiid^, IXii,"); \',, A. (iil- the Housatonic Eiver, about forty hy fifty miles. At man, IxiWI-Im: F. W. Lockwooil, ixcx-d'.l; A. M. this time there was but one Mitlioilist ICpiscopal Slnrnnin, 1X7(1; Sylvester Smith, 1X71-72; without church Ijuilding, and situated at I^aston. supply, 1X7;;; .loscpli W. rattisson, bS7-l-7'i ; .Tames A (dass was formed at Flat Swamii lucstcrn part of Tavlor, 1X7(;-7S: C irncll S. Dvkiman IX7!)-,X(I I ' " Newtown) as early as 1X2.S. Ciixaiit preaching was i This chiireh recommended Luman Sanford for ad- had, mice in about four week i at school-house or at mission into the Conference about IX.SD; Isaac San- private dwelling. There was circuit ]u-caching in ford, 1X4(1 ;< 1. .\. Hubbell, lX4o (now presiding elder Newtown once in two weeks on a wick-day. In ix;!l in New Haven Histricti ; S. H. I'latt, 1X.'>:;; \\'illiam John Lovejoy held a love-feast at the town-hall. It T. Hill, lX."i.") i now presiding elder in Bridgeport Dis- was on this occasion that the s]ieaking of a certain trii't). female produced such an inipris>ii,n that some of the This clinrch has Deman I'.lackmau ami Edgar citizens said the Methodists shall have a church. I'.iitt as local preachers; lueal deacons, Thomas ( 'liii- .\boiit this time trustees wcri' a]ipointed, viz. : Friah ger, H. L. Wheeler. Hays, of BnjokfieM, Isaac Siaidilcr, .\Ians.in (iilliert. The presiait otlicers are Ezra I'atch, Henry L.