Norwalk After Two Hundred & Fifty Years

Owing to the deep-seated prejudice against all Bap- tists, a prejudice which at that time was quite general throughout New England, the church experienced no little difficulty in securing a lot upon which to build a church edifice. It was only by strategy, and through a third party, who transferred it to the church, that a plot of ground was finally secured, where the present build- ing now stands. This building was erected in 1839 and dedicated in March, 1840. Immediately following the dedication, a revival began, which resulted in numerous accessions to the membership. In 1870 the building was renovated and refurnished throughout, at a cost of $1,400.00. At the time this church was organized there were no public conveyances. The members residing in Winnipauk chartered a carry-all, as a private conveyance, which carried a full load to and from church services. Mr. Charles T. Raymond's family were regular in at- tendance though they were obliged to walk from Flax Hill. Mr. Moultons, of Saugatuck (now Westport), also walked to church. Susan Moulton married McMaster, the founder of McMaster's University, of Toronto, and of the Moulton Female Seminary. Another daughter married the Rev. James Scott, of Stratfield Baptist Church. Cottage prayer meetings were held in houses all over the town, South Norwalk members walking to the services, up a shore-path, by way of Pine Island and Water street. David Burbank's family came all the way from Belden's Point to the meetings. Deacon Weed, of New Canaan, was a regular at- 275 tcndant at all services, rarely missing the monthly cov- enant meeting, held on Saturday afternoons. A pecu- liarity of the deacon's was that he wore his hair combed forward over the top of his head, braided and tied with a shoe-string. The church seemed to have reached the zenith of prosperity under the pastorate of Rev. L. D. Gowan, from 1 856 to 1859. The pastor's salary at this period was $500.00 and the sexton's $25.00, and it was a difficult task to raise, what seemed at that time, to be a great amount of money. About this time H. M. Prowitt, the choir master, introduced into the service a "melodien," which created a good deal of gossip, many members disapproving of such worldliness. Heretofore a tuning fork and bass viol had been the only instruments. The chorus choir was com- posed of volunteers, who furnished their own music and books. The Sunday School flourished for more than a quarter of a century under the efficient superintendency of James L. Ambler. Miss M. A. Hyatt conducted the primary department for about thirty years. Rev. J. Ellis, of New York city, joined the church in 1842, and during J. L. Woolsey's pastorate frequently assisted in the services. On one occasion he thus com- mented on Rev. Lindsey Woolsey's sermon: "You have all heard the sermon, if sermon it may be called. For my part, I call it 'a reasonable service,' a sort of Linsey Woolsey address." The following named pastors have from 1838 to 1902 served this church: Rev. William H. Card, 1838 to '39. Rev. J. L. Woolsey, 1840 to '47. Rev. J. Chaflin, 1847 to '5°- Rev. W. Broughton, 1850 to '51. Rev. J. L. Woolsey, 185 1 to '53. Rev. W. C. Wyatt, 1853 to '56. Rev. L. D. Gowa,n 1856 to '59. Rev. G. W. Lasher, 1859 to '61. Rev. O. W. Gates, 1861 to '73. Rev. E. D. Bentley, 1873 to '82. Rev. W. E. Wright, January to October, 1882. Rev. R. McGonegal, 1882 to '86. Rev. C. E. Torrey, 1886 to '90. Rev. F. E. Robbins, 1891 to '98. Rev. Dr. W. Talmage Van Doren, 1899 to the pres- 276 ent time. During this period, although the mother church has given of her membership to form four Baptist churches, she has grown from 15 to 280 members. The pastorates of Woolsey, Gates, Bentley, Torrey and Rob- bins were especially marked by the addition to the church of many converts. At this date (December, 1901), the church is growing in membership and in influence. New furnaces have been put in the building, and the ses- sion and class rooms have been redecorated and re- furnished. The yearly expense of conducting the church ($2,500), is promptly provided for, and the ser- vices are largely attended and of deep religious interest. The Pastor's Bible Class numbers 85 adult members. The "Circle of Light," a band of consecrated Christians, led by the pastor, numbers 173 members. With Sunday School and all other church adjuncts in a flourishing condition, and with frequent additions to the member- ship by baptism, the church has every reason to thank God for all the way that He has led His people. 277 OYSTER INDUSTRY MONG the many industries of the busy thriving' town of Norwalk that have mad< marvellous strides in growth and development in the last half century, there is not one that so excites our admiration and astonishment as the wonderful growth of the oyster indus- try. And this interest that is rapidly extending over all the waters of the State promises to put Connecticut at the fore-front of the oyster producing states of the Union in the near future ; and the oyster planters of Norwalk can with pardonable pride point to the fact that the system that has produced such astound- ing results originated in Norwalk. Long years ago, be- fore the white man came to these shores, while the race was still young, the red man gathered in his summer vil- lages along the shores of Norwalk. The smoke of his wigwam might have been seen on the banks of the Rowalton River at Wilson's Cove, Village Creek ami Gregory's Point: and the shell mounds at these places disclosed the fact that oysters and clams entered largely in the menu of those days. When two hundred and fifty years ago the white man appeared, he was not slow to learn from his savage brother the value of the oysters and clams that grew near the shores of our town ; and not only on the shores of the main land, but out among the romantic and picturesque islands that like jeweled settings dot the water front of Norwalk The waters teemed with its wealth of shed- fish ; and it was here that the early settlers found a very large part of their food supply. As the years passed on and the population increased the natural beds failed to respond to the increased de- mand, so that less than fifty years ago oystermen began to experiment in raising large oysters from the seed taken from the natural beds ; and planted it on private grounds, the Legislature of the State meeting the changed conditions with wise laws ; so that all the inside lands that could be lawfully taken up were speedily brought under cultivation ; and the business prospered to that degree that the Norwalk oysters were famed for their superior qualities far and wide. But the enterpris- ing and far seeing oyster-planters of Norwalk could not 278 be confined to the narrow limits of the inside oyster lands, so they began to look about for new fields to con- quer. In 1870 a few planters went out on Long Island Sound off Norwalk and took up land and began plant- ing. These were the pioneers in artificial propagation of oyster spawn. They planted the stool the oysters ad- hered, they caught a good set and the venture looked promising for a while, but the starfish came on in great numbers and destroyed all the beds, but they persevered, overcoming every obstacle, surmounting every difficulty, they finally climbed to success ; and the results that Nor- walk with her fine fleet of oyster steamers, her wharves and oyster shipping houses with thousands of acres of land under water in cultivation, give but faint conception of what has been achieved in the last fifty years. It was a citizen of Norwalk that fitted out the first steamboat, the forerunenr of the magnificent fleet of more than one hundred boats that are owned in the State to-day. Some of the very first oysters, if not the first, were shipped to England, laying the foundation for the splendid export trade of to-day, were raised in Norwalk. The Norwalk oyster has shown great power of adaptation ; it has been transported across the Rocky Mountains and planted in the quiet Pacific, and never seemed to feel the change ; it has been carried over to England, planted in the muddy Thames and in the bays of the English Coast, and was just as happy as when in its own native waters. Norwalk may well be proud of the men who by en- terprise and push have given the town the prominence and leadership in the development of this great industry. — CHAS. W. BELL. 279 THE LEGAL IN OLD PROFESSION NORWALK OR WALK in the past has been the home of many distinguished jurists. Many more, natives or descended from ancestors residing in the ancient town of Norwalk, have achieved professional eminence in other parts of the State and nation, who cannot be sketched or even named here. Among Norwalk law vers, not now living, were the following: ' THOMAS FITCH, a native of Norwalk, grandson of one of the original settlers of the same name, was graduated at Yale College in 1721. He was educated for the ministry, but turned his attention to the law and was said by the first President D wight to be "probably the most learned lawyer who had ever been an inhabi- tant of the Colony " He was chosen one of the "Assis- tants" of the Colony yearly from 1734 to 1846; was Deputy Governor from 1750 to 1754. and Governor from 1754 to 1766; and for four years was chief Judge of the Superior Courts. In 1742 he was appointed, with Roger Wolcott and Jonathan Trumbull, both afterwards Gov- ernors of the Colony, and John Bulkley, afterwards a Judge of the Superior Court, to revise the Statutes, and had "the principal efficiency" in making the revision of I750. He was the author of a protest, written at the re- quest of the General Court in 1764 and presented to the British governmetn, against the power of parliament to tax the people of the Colonies without their consent by representation therein, stating with great clearness and force the grounds on which the independence of the Col- onies was afterwards achieved ; and of other noted State papers.