History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

A romantic story is told concerning the Rev. Mr. Lamson. Before entering the nnni.stry, perhaps while still in college, he became engaged to Miss Abigail Ramsey, of Fairfield, a beautiful youug girl of good family, only sixteen years of age. While on a visit to friends in Stratford, she wius suddenly taken very ill, and it soon became evident that there was no hope of her recovery. Mr. Lamson was summoned to her bedside to bid her farewell, and before her deatli she directed that her gold beads — ornaments greatly iirizcd at that day — shimld be taken from her neck and given to lier lover. It is said that he wore them around his neck for many years afterwards. The remains of the young lady repo-se in the burying- ground at Stratford, and the stone above her grave bears this epitaph : " Wiutiiig HicknrMS BiMiileil tliy tM-ftiiteous form, And ileiilh roiiKi^iMl tlioo t<> tlij kiii(tro<l worm. Thu ilay lulTanccit wlieii the (taiiii> mIiiiU ris43 With »|>nrkllng gitiry, and naceuil the Rkieit." Mr. Lamson afterwards married a Miss Wctniorc, daughter of the Episco|^ clergyman at Rye, N. Y. His succes.sor in the ministrv at Fairfield and as missionary. of the Gospel Propagation Society was the Rev. John Sayre, wlio had previously been sta- tioned at Newburg, N. Y. Mr. Sayre was a Royalist during tlie Revolution, and as such encountered con- siderable hostility. He was stationed in Fairfield from 1773 until 1779, and in the latter year, after having vainly endeavored to prevent tlie wanton de- struction of Fairfield by British troops, he took the ill-advised step of embarking with them for New York, and never returned to tlic colony. Respecting the persecutions said to have been in- flicted upon the early churchmen by the Congrega- tionalist.s in this vicinity, it may be projier to say here tliat statemeiit.s of this kind, if not wholly without foundation, are certainly luudi exaggerated. By the colonial as well as by the English law every person was required to pay according to his ability for the support of public worship, and in default of payment wa-s proceeded against in the same manner as for any other species of debt, but the principle of religious toleration was distinctly laid down by the (Jenoral Court as early as KK!!), and reafiirmed in 170S.* At the May session, 1727, it was enacted that in every parish throughout the ctilony where worship according to the order of the Church of England was maintained by a resident clergyman, the entire tax collected from members of that denomination should be paid over to the Episcopal clergyman for his sup- port. The members of tlie denomination were also allowed to tax themselves such furtlier sum as they might elect. In Stratford and Fairfield the law went into immediate eftect. In Stratfield, there being no resident clergyman, the churchmen appear to have paid rates fur the sup- port of the establislu'd order down to the close of the year 17.)2. After that (bite their share of the tax was always paid over to thcni, as shown by Mimierons re- ceipt.s like the following: "Stratkiki-d, Muy 8, 1765. " Tht-n KerJ of M r. dunicl Sunic>i-8, Coloctor of titv pnrUh of Strnllleld, tho mm of Hftcon poiindii Uiirlii'ii slitllingii, old Tenor, In full of all my Ucmiindii for Hate from nd. jKij lull, for Uic year 17.'v;i. I my Bee' pr. mc, "Jos. LAMgos, Mine'?." "FAllilir.l II, Oit.d,'. 30th, 177.1. "Ihon Red' of Dcnjuniiu Liiccy, Collittor for tlii' Chimli of Kiiglaud in Slratflcld, the xnin of Ion imundfi tirtiun Khillings ii 4<l., Luwfull money, in full for tlif 1UU'» Din; from Slruttlclil |>itrish to my Father Jor-i-ph I.iinu4on, Itrj*' for y .vojtr 177:1. I Say IUh.-' pr. me, "WiLLiAji Lamson, Exocf." "Tliit* H t nil.v whom It nmy ronci-rn timt Mr. Stephen SomerB, Collector for the Mirii«Ior« liiitw of Uif Churtli of EnKlnnd in tin' I'arlKh of StiHtlleld, on the I-i«t for tho year 17"», hath made me a full MiliBfac- Uon for tlie wime, and thin in lii» nunicient dlix-harge forciglitc«u pounds, Hovcnleen shillings, and three |K<nce, the amount of it. '* JoUN Sayrf., Roctor of H-l Parish. " Falrflold, June 21, 1779. "£18,17,3." This was written less than a month before Fairfield was laid in ashes l)y British troops. • Seo the pulillshed Colonial Reoonla of Connecticut, U. 100; t, 50, 87 ; anil, in iiartiinlar, vii. IO<i, lci7, etc. bi!II>(;ki'(>i;t. How Mr. Havre's place was filled, is sIkiwii liy the reei'iiit wliicli toll(^ws: "Stratfield Society, IGtli of April, 17S1. " WIitTras tlitire is 111) Slissionary to Officiato in tin- Distiirt to wliich Wf licliing of tlu^ Piofcssiou of the Chui'cli of Eiiglaml, \Vu llzias Burr, Elijali Hurritt. and Jonatlian Smith, a Committee ajipnintt'il tiy tlw Pro- fcssocs of the ('hnrcTi of England, agreeable to a vote of s'l Sneifty, and Pliiio Slielton, of Stratford, offissiator in the t'hurch in said Society have Kee'' of Benjamin T«acy, Collector of the Church of England, Forty thiee Pounds lis. 5'4d. Currant Money of Bills immetted hy the state of Con" necticut, it being in full of Sallery Due to the aiid Chundi Ministerial Bate for the yi-ar 1780. •' Kec'i p' Us 'MJZI.\S BURB, \ "ELIJ-ill BVRRITT, '- t'l'lil'tei/." "Jonathan Smitu, ) Mr. Slieltoii was nrilaiiied in IJS'i by T>isliii|i Sca- liiiry, ami is believed tn liave liceii the hrst chTizy- iiian til receive episeiijial nrdiuatinii ii|iiin this siih' iif tlir iieeaii. He eoiitiniled to iiffieiate as rertnr of St. .Jiiiiii's Church until his resignation, at Ktister, !S24. He died Fel). 27, l.S2,5, in the seventy-first year of his age. Tlie tliird church organized in Strattleld was of the lia|itist orik'r, and was gathered in Octolier, 1751. Most of tile original members — ten in innnl>er — ha<l been eonneeteil with the Congregational ('hiircli, but withdrew, I am inclined to think, on account of the tronliles connected with the dismissal of Rev. Lyman Hall in .Tune of tlie same yetir. It was " upon the second Sabbath of Octolier, at the liouse of .Tolin Sherwood, of Stratfield," — the same Cajit. Slicrwood who.se encounter with the Indian has already liecn related, — that Elder Joshua Morse, of New London, at tlie close of the usual service, " proceeded anil went on in the ordinance of baptism by plunging under water each particular person" composing the church, — viz., Zachariah Mead, Xathaniel Seeley, Eliliii Marsh, John Sherwood, Elienezer Sarilord, Samuel r>eard.sk'y, Elizalietli Seeley, Mary Slicrwood, Sartdi lleardsley, and Martha Jennings. Previous to litip- tism each of the candidates came forward anil " in the ]iresence of a large assembly gave out a particular relation of the work of (xod upon his soul." .\fter baptism they united in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Passages in their church covenant are very impres- sive. It commenced thus : "O most drearlful God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God in three Persons, I give up myself, soul, body, and all that I have and am, to bo Tliine, and forever Thine, in everlasting covenant never to be forgotten. I entirely and unreservedly dedicate myself to Tbee and Tliy service, and, seeing no other way of reconciliation with the Father but in and through the Son, I come on the bended hieesof my soul unto the Lord ,lesus Christ for juatiliiation, sanetification, and eternal redemption. . . . " And now, 0 .Sacred Majesty, omniscient and omiii]iresent God, in Thine awful presence .and in the presence of angels and men I dedicate myself afl thy dutiful servant and child (and by Thy grace in .leans Christ 1 am Thy covenant child). .\nd may what is done here upon earth this day be ratified in heaven. Amen." The record goes on to state that at tinother meeting the members of the church "gave in their testimony concerning a minister, from whiidi it evidently ap- ]ieared that Brother John Sherwood was called to lie a witness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ," and that upon the third Tuesday of December he was ordained and set tipart to tlie work of the ministry by solemn prayer and fasting, elders and messengers from the baptized churches of New London and (iroton bring present by invitation. Elder Slierwood is described as a man of large stature, of superior physical strength, and of no Mnall degree of energy and firmness in carrying ont his views of right and duty. His wife is said to havi- jiiLssessed remarkable gifts, both in ixhortation and in ]irayer, so that frequently the ]iro|ile desireil to hctir her preach instead id' her husband. At her death, in 1707, he resigned his office, and was suc- ccedeil by Rev. Benjamin Coles. Elder Sherwood died Sept. IS, 17711, aged lu-arly seventv-four vears. C H A P T E R I X. BRIDGEPOKT (Continued). BRIDGEPOKT AND ViriNlTV IN THE REVOLUTION. The Village of Stratiield one hundred Tears ago — Military Companies — Petition for a Uarbor Gu.ard in 1777— The Guard estaldished— Ilepai lure of Vnlunteers — Horrors of Smallpn.x — F.airfield pillaged and imrneil by the British — Abduction of Gen. Silliman, and Captnri' of .lodge .bines — Naval Services of Capt. David Ilawley — Escape of Ilavid Ma- thews, the Tory ^layor of New York — Kev. Lyman Hall, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence — Partial List of Kevolntionary Scd- diers — Epitaphs from the old Cemeteries — ,\needotes of Gen. Wa-'^hiiig- ton.