History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

In the year 1800, on petition of Amos Hubbell and forty-nine others, the village heretofore known as Newfield was incorporated under the name of the Borough of Bridge|)ort. and granted mo.st of the priv- ileges usually cont'erreil ujion cities except represen- tation in the General Assembly and the right of vot- ing at town and State elections, for which jmrpose the inhabitants of the borough were still obliged to go to Stratford. Careful .search in the archives of the State, at Hartford, lias brought to lightlhe original petition, which is now piiblisbed for the first time. The docu- ment is in the handwriting of Joseph Backus, attor- ney, who originated the idea and drew the charter, the first of the kind in the State: COPT OF PKTITIOS. " To the Honorable OeMtral Auemhly o/ the State of Cnnneelicvt to be huUen at Sete IlareH in Mid State on the fecond Thunduy of October next. "The PeUtiot) uf Aino« llubN'll, Juniuli Lacey, John S. Cannon, Sal- mon llulibcll, and oUierv, whotie tinnuM are hereunto BulwcriUsl, liiliab- itanti! of Sewflold, In tho town of Stmtford and County of Faii^old, Hunilily Bhewplh: " That said Newflold Is a Sen Port, compactly settled, rapidly Inert- Ohing in popnliitinn, navlgaliun, commerce, boUi furt'ign and domestic, and varioutt other klmU of buiiilne»«; and that your )>etitiol)era have for a conridonihle time sufferc^l grvait inc»>nvenienco fnini a want of iK»wer to reioilute the internal jiollce, and to make and carry iul<» execution Buch by-IuwB nB are noce»*(«ary for their pniH|HTity ami convenience. " When-niHUi ynur I'elitionen* w.iuld humbly pniy your Ilunont, That all the Freeiiien of tlili* Stjtte. Iiibabitants of Hiid town of Stratford, dwelling wllhli. the following IkiuihIk.— vli.. Beginning at tho Sia or Sound, thence ninninK Nortliwanlly on the line dividing Uio towns of Strnlfonl and Fiiirlli'lil. until it ioiui-b U> the .s..uOi end of the Line Road, Boralle<l; thence Ka»t to the hjii-t Bl.le of said Line Ib.a<l; thence North- wardly, on the >ji*t Bide of wild Line Kimd, to the South west end of Ut>lden Hill Kond; Uienee Sortli Fju.twardly, on the South tji»t side of BRIDGEPORT. 91 8ai«I Golden Hill Ro.id. ttt tlic Nortli Eiist oii'l nf the sivnie. at the New- Uiwn Road; thence East hituks said Newtown Koad to the Western lK)Undary of Indian Lot, so callel; tlietue Noith\vaidl\, on the line dividili.ic said Newtown Boad IVoin saiil Indian l.'d 1" the Xiirthwest corner of said Indian Lot; tlienee Eastwardiy on the Nniihern line of said Indian Lot to the West side of saicl Newtield ILuhonr; theuce Sonthwardly t"> an Island, or drv Kiiowl, in said Haihonr, ojiposite said Indian Lot; Thence -Southwardly, to the middle of Newli.dd or Lottery llridjie, so called; thence Sonthwardly to the Kasternniost Jioint of Welles Tongue at low water mark; thence .Southwestwardly on the edge of the Bank at low water mark, till it conn-s to the first mentioned bounds, at the Line dividing the said towns of Stratford and Fairfielrl, — may hy an Act of the Legislature he ordained and instituted a hoiiy i lU- porate liy the name of the Warden, Burgesses. A Freemen of the Borough of Bridgeport; with the power of succession, suing and being sued, A purchasing, holding, .& conveying estate, both real & personal; of an- nually choosing a Warden, six Burgesses, Bailiff, Treasurer, Clerk, Col- lector, and inspectors of Produce, Ac. ; of laying out and altering Higti- vvays, of Levying Taxes, of making Bye laws relative to Markets and Commerce within the limit of said Borough; lelative to jircserviug said Borough from injury by fire; "Relative to burial of the deail ; Relative to Nuisances within said Borough; relative to streets .t Highways of said Borough; relative to wharves, channels, anchoring, and mooring of Vessels ; relative to trees planted fur shade, (U'uament, convenience, or use, public or private ; rela- tive to the fruit nf such trees; relative to trespa-sses committed in gar- tiens; lelative to walks and buildings, public or private ; relative to the w.arning and holding meetings of said Borough ; relative to the mode of tJixation, as to ta.xes to be levied in said Bcuough ; relative to the form of oath to be taken by the Treasurer of said Btuough ; relative to the I)enalties to be incnrred by those who being chosen to Offices in said Borough 1 efuse to serve ; relative to a borough watch ; relative to imblic lights and lamps of said Borough ; rehative to restraining horses, cattle, sliei'p, swine, and geese from going at large in said Bon.iugh, and to in- llicting penalties for the breach of said Bye laws ; and that said Borough by their proper ofticei^ may have power to lay out, alter, and change Highways, sti eets, and public walks in said Borough, and to erect & keep in repair a legal sign post in said Bonuigh ; aiul that said Borough may have power to admit to the freeclom thereof any of the Freemen of this State behiiiging to either of the towns of Stratford or Fairfield, holding real estate or doing regular business in said Borough. " A nil yiair petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. " Dated at Newfteld tlje 22d Day of September, A.D. ISIJO. Amos Hul.hell. Salmon llubheU. Jolin S. Cannon. l,and.ert l.ockw. Josiah Lacey. Robert Linus. David JIin.it. •losejdi Backus. Stephen Sunoncrs, Isaac Hinnian. William Benediit. La/.arus Beadi. W"> H. Peabody. Reuben Tweedy. Ml. Tlionnus Gougi Stephen Hull. Amos B. Fairmai Silas Sherman. William I'cet. As;iHubbell. Nathl. Wade. Francis Botsford Ebem-zer Allen. Lewis Sturgis. Samuel Porter. lun W" Sheffield. William De Forest. George Hayt. Thad. Ilubbell. Daniel Young & Sol Ezra Gregory. David Sherwood. Daniel S. Jlcsser. David Lacey. Stephen Burroughs, David Sterling. Isaac Burroughs. Daniel Fayerweather. Ezra Hubbell. Eli Smith. Jann> Alien. Sam'' Burr. .\.sahel Dunning. Thom.Ts Woodward. Jesse Beiu^dict. Wib" N. Wliiting. Chailes Ni.h.ils. Jonathan Baker. Zebulon Kiitlaml. John Whiting." Jr. As yet there were IKi ehurehes witliiii tlie Imniiij;-!!, and the penple were oliliired to ifi) t<i .StrattieM U> at- tend .service upon tlie Sal)h;ith, but in Mareli, ISdl, the members of St. John's parisli voted to pull down their old ehundi, which, as already st:ite(l, stooil near the jiresent crossinof of Xnrtli :iijd Wood .\ Mimes, and build a new one in Bridgeport. This was upon the corner of St;itc :iii<l liroad Streets. ;ind loiitiniird to be occupied liy the society until ]><'.'<~i. when it w;is sold to the B;iptists. An eti'ort wtis hkkIc in the sprint;- of ],S(I1 to have the Conoreffationtil Sm-iety rein<JVcd to liridu'cport, but it iiirt with eonsider;il:ile oppi>sition from that li:irt of the conjircfration rcsitlino- in Stnitlield, :ind it w;is not until ISOS tlnit the ch:inoc w;is finally clli-cteil. The new meeting-house was erected by sulisi-ription ;it ;i cost of two thous;iud dolbirs, and was on the corner of Broad and John Streets, on the site of the present North ehurcli. Rev. Elijah Waterinan w:is then the ]i;istor, and deserves tf) be comniemor;itcd, not only a-* a fiiithful and successful minister, but ;is being the first ndiite man to recognize the ailviintages of (xolden Hill as a jihice of resiflence. He built his house, afterwards occupied by the bite Hauford Lyon, upon the In-ow of this hill when it was so rugged and forcst-clail that htirdly ii neighbor was in sight, :ind his people wondered that he should locate so f:ir awiiy from the village. < )ne of the most honoreil mimes in the lii-lory of the Methodist denomination is tlnit of Jesse J^cc, the founder of Methodism in the Ivistern States. ( In his first tour through New Enghmd he preached once ;it Norwalk iind again in the court-house :it F:iirticlil. and then continued his journey into Rhode Nhuid. Keturning, he prcachcil in Strtitficbl on Friday, J-^ept. 2'), 1789. Dr. Abel Stevens, in his history of the denom- ination, thus refers to the occasion : " It was a nn-mo- rable day. .\fter the sermon he conducted a kind of class-meeting composed <if about twenty [jcrsons. It was the first el:is.s-nieeting held on the circuit. :ind led to (he formation next ihiy of the first class, composed (d' three women, who appeared willing to bear the cross and have their names east out ;is evil for the Lord's sake. Since his arrival in New England three mouths of incesstint bibors and vextitious rebuffs had pjis.sed, and but three women were orgauizc(l into the new (dinrcli wliich was to s]ire:id seriptnrtd holiness over the land." In B;irber's "Historical ('(jllcction for Counecti- cut," page 4(19, it is also stated thtit the first .Metlni- dist Society in New England " w:is formed by Kev Jesse Lee, at Bridge]M)rt, Sept. I'll, 17s;)." The house where the meetings were held W!is thiit of :i Mrs. Wells, (ju the lower ]i;iit ol' I':irk .\ venue. It was |)ullc(l down a few ye;irs :igo, but beftu'e its de- struction ]>hotogr;iphs were t:iken of it, which ;ire still preserved. Nathan ;iiiil llem;in Bangs, both eniiueiit men in the ilenomin;ition. were born in Str:itfielil. the former about the year 1777, the hitter .\pril !.">, 17'.«l. Their father, an intelligent bbicksmith, h:is :ilie:idy bei'U mentioned in these l)agcs. His house was at the foot id' the hill upon wdiich the Stratficlil Ba])tist (diurch now st;inds, but tiboiil the ye;ir 179:-! he removed to 92 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. Stamford, N. Y. He is said to have been a church- man, ami, when Jesse Lee preached here, to have kept liis family closely at home, lest they should be- come infected with tlie itinerant's supposed hetero- doxy. Both himself and liis wife in after-years be- came members of the Methodist connection. (Jf Nathan Bangs it is said, that as a minister or pre- sidin-r elder for more than sixty years, as a founder of the missionary society, the periodical literature, and the Conference system of his Church, and as its recognized historian, he rendered it more important services than any other man save Asbury.