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HISTORY
OF
QUAKER FARMS
DONNE
Gc 974.602 0x22 1182922
pyt
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02211 8662
=
n
Christ Church, from Hog's Back. Painting by Miss Helen Pomeroy
A HISTORY
OF
CHRIST CHURCH, QUAKER FARMS IN
OXFORD, CONNECTICUT
Compiled
By
NORMAN LITCHFIELD
QUAKER FARMS, 1954
Copyright 1954 Norman Litchfield
Lithoprinted in U.S.A. EDWARDS BROTHERS, INC. ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
5.00 Goodspeed_$50
1182922
TO MISS J. MABEL LUM
Without whose labors and leadership, it is not unlikely that there would have been no Christ Church, for us who followed.
V
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019
https://archive.org/details/historyofchristc00litc
CHRIST CHURCH, QUAKER FARMS Historical notes compiled by Norman Litchfield
FOREWORD
Some one has said that the history of the places in New England is inseparable from that of its churches. This is surely true of Quaker Farms, and the place and its church must be considered together. Hence, in these notes many times we shall be speaking of the town, its inheritances, its houses and its people without adhering narrowly to the church and religious events only.
As we shall explain later in more detail, Quaker Farms or more properly "The Quaker's Farm", is a child of Derby, which in turn was a child of Milford.
It must be borne in mind that the best form of travel in early days was by sailing vessels. These would cover the long dis- tances by sea and then beat their way up the rivers until stopped by shallows or falls, this point being known as the "head of navigation".
Milford was served from Boston by sea, around Cape Cod and through Long Island Sound to Milford Harbor.
As settlements sprang up in the interior, freight came by sloop up the "Ousatonic" or "The Great River" as its names then were, to the head of navigation at Paugaset, later known as Derby, and there unloaded and hauled overland to the settle- ments around Woodbury. Naturally, therefore, Derby became a business centre, and the road from Derby Neck up over Great Hill and up Rock House Hill to Quaker Farms, Southbury and Woodbury became a busy highway.
For dates therefore, we have -
Plymouth, settled by the Pilgrims in 1620 Salem, Massachusetts Bay Company 1628 Boston, Massachusetts Bay Company 1630 New Haven, Seceded from Massachusetts 1638 Milford, A port of the New Haven Colony 1638 Derby, Known first as Paugaset, later Derby 1675 Derby Neck to Four Mile Brook, the first record of
settlements pushing on towards Quaker Farms 1670
vii
Name of Quaker Farms first appears on records 1683 Dr. John Butler of Stratford, first permanent settler in Quaker Farms 1692 Charter of Oxford Parish 1741 St. Peter's Church 1764 Town of Oxford Incorporated 1798 Christ Church, Quaker Farms 1812
Christ Church, Quaker Farms, an independent parish 1826
With this short summary, we may now proceed to consider the historical background in more detail.
viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The thanks of the writer are due all who aided him in the preparation of this history.
The Rev. Henry S. Douglas started him off by giving him a copy of his historical address delivered in Christ Church, Oct. 6, 1935.
Miss J. Mabel Lum has given much from the rich store of her memories, lifelong in Quaker Farms.
Miss Mary L. Meigs, once of Quaker Farms, now of Water- bury, provided the invaluable original historical documents con- nected with the founding of Christ Church, now published for the first time.
Mr. Leslie Tomlinson and Mr. Robert Z. Hawkins have aided in many ways.
Mr. Ralph Pomeroy has helped with many technical details.
Mr. Wm. Congdon pointed the way to valuable information in the Yale Library.
Dr. Loyal Y. Graham has graciously contributed his reminis- cences of Quaker Farms.
The Archivist and Historiographer of the Diocese, The Rev. Kenneth Cameron, very kindly arranged to lend to the Derby Library, Miss Kennedy, Librarian, a copy of the early Convention Journals, thus saving long trips to Trinity College.
The Columbia University Press has kindly given permission to quote from the book published by them, - "Early Connecticut Meeting Houses", by J. Fredk. Kelly.
Mrs. Iva E. Parker, of Seymour, Conn. daughter of Wm. C. Sharpe has kindly given permission for use of material from his "Seymour Past and Present", Oxford Sketches" and articles in the "Seymour Record."
Mrs. George Kuss and Mrs. David Stiles gave generously of their time in the typing of the manuscript.
Miss Helen Pomeroy has permitted the use of her painting of Christ Church from Hog's Back.
Mrs. Herbert K. Twitchell, of New York City, has kindly given permission to use material from the Twitchell Genealogy.
And, last but not least, the Rev. Wm. E. Soule who encouraged the writer in the work.
ix
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I Early History of Quaker Farms
1
II Oxford Separates from Derby 12
III Early History of St. Peter's Church, Oxford 18
IV During the Revolution
24
V 1779-1811 28
VI Christ Church Started 36
VII The Church Building 51
VIII Christ Church, as "the Chapel" 60
IX Christ Church Becomes a Separate Parish
70
X
1826-1845
86
XI
1846-1858 New Parish Register 101
XII
Changes to Building in 1858 109
XIII The Civil War 111
XIV
1865-1876 113
XV Services of Rev. Sheldon Davis
118
XVI
1882-1900 126
XVII
New Vestry Minute Book
132
XVIII
No Settled Minister 1915-1928
138
XIX
Ministries of Rev. James B. Sill and Rev. Henry
XX
World War II to Resignation of Rev. H. S. Douglas 150
XXI
Ministry of Rev. Wm. E. Soule 154
APPENDIX
Church Membership 163
The Pipe Organ 164
Community Hall 165
Transportation 167
Quaker Farms Cemeteries 168
170
Parish Register of 1858
171
Families on Map of 1868
179
The Church School 180
List of Clergy 183
Music 188
The Ladies' Society 189
Tradition About First Stick of Timber 191
INDEX
193
xi
Church Families in 1858
S. Douglas to World War II 142
CHAPTER I. EARLY HISTORY OF QUAKER FARMS QUAKER FARMS
A description of Quaker Farms appeared in the Aug. 17, 1883 issue of the "Seymour Record", which is so true to-day, that a quotation from it seems to merit a place at the beginning of this account of Christ Church, -
"This quaint village has few, if any, exciting topics, but it is not for this any less attractive. Approached from the East, over the high ridge which separates it from the Center, it presents a beautiful aspect. The valley stretches out like a broad amphi- theater inclosed by green and forest covered hills. White dwel- lings appear here and there half hidden by the shade and fruit trees. Eight Mile Brook winds quietly along the western border, and the mill wheels which once disturbed its placid flow and gave forth the sounds of industry, now revolve no more."
The name "the Quaker's Farm" first appears in 1683, only fifty-four years after the Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled in 1629. The progress from Massachusetts to the Housatonic River and up that stream to Derby and from thence to Quaker Farms, started in 1637, when a group of people from Hertford- shire, England, led by the Rev. Peter Prudden, came to Massa- chusetts and there joined another group which had arrived a few weeks earlier from London, led by the Rev. John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton. The next year, 1638 these two groups sailed together from Boston to Quinnipiac (New Haven). The Prudden group was given a separate allotment of land there, known as the Hertfordshire section.
Before these two groups had left Boston, the Rev. Thomas Hooker, in 1636, had led a number of persons from Massachusetts across country to the Connecticut River where they founded the towns of Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield.
In the summer of 1638 Mr. Prudden went from Quinnipiac to Wethersfield and preached there, and some of the people became so much attracted by him, that they wished to move to a new settlement of their own, of which Mr. Prudden would be the head. Some of the Hertfordshire group at Quinnipiac felt the same way, and the decision was reached to leave Quinnipiac and make a settlement at the Wepawaug River. Here they purchased land from the Indians in February 1639, and founded the Town of Milford.
1
PAUGASET, OR DERBY.
The constant urge for land spurred Milford people to push up the "Great River", (the Ousatonic) to the head of Navigation at Derby, the settlement there being first known as Paugaset, (that being also the name of the river flowing into the Ousatonic at that point, now known as the Naugatuck). This settlement was first made in 1649, only ten years after the settlement of Milford. By 1675, Paugaset had grown so that the General Court at Hart- ford granted to it "the power and privileges of a plantation", and named it Derby, as some of the settlers came from Derby, England. Undoubtedly some of these families had come directly to Milford from England after the founding of that town, as did Henry Tomlinson in 1652, whose descendants were to play such a part in Quaker Farms.
By 1675, about twelve families had settled in Derby. The "History of the Old Town of Derby", by Orcutt and Beardsley says that "the twelve families were:
Edward Wooster
Francis French
Joseph Hawkins
Samuel Riggs
Ephraim Smith
Abel Gunn
Stephen Pierson John Hulls Jeremiah Johnson
Jabez Harger
Ebenezer Johnson
John Tibbals
Those intending "to come in forthwith" and who had received grants of land were:
Mr. John Bowers
Deacon Abel Holbrook
Nicholas Camp Joseph Hawley
George Beaman
Henry Tomlinson
Jonas Tomlinson
Henry Botsford Moses Johnson
All settled here within a few years except Mr. Hawley; Henry Tomlinson and Mr. Camp did not come for some years, if at all."
2
This settlement was on the east bank of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers.
The History of Derby says "The Rev. John Bowers had been preaching at Paugaset for some time when the proposition was made in 1673 to settle him and provide for his support."
"The efforts of these persons at Derby were really wonderful, amazing! Twenty-three families, twelve only in the place, sup- port a minister nearly two years, while at the same time paying their full share of ministerial tax elsewhere (Milford), and building a minister's house at a cost of one hundred pounds, and they in a new country, with but little land cleared upon which to raise any produce. In half of the twelve families the parents were married only a few years, and had but little with which to lay the foundation of their life work on new farms. Under these circumstances, the struggle for success was beyond description. For church services there were but three ways open before them; to go without the gospel, or go to Milford, or support a minister at home. Nearly twenty years some of them had trav- elled to Milford on Sunday and back, to obtain all the good they had from the means of grace, and they knew quite well how much that cost."
Settlements Pushing out towards Quaker Farms.
About the first record of settlements pushing out towards Rock House Hill and Quaker Farms, is that of the ferry,-
"When the Assembly granted Paugasset the powers and privi- leges of a town, a committee was appointed by the General Court May 1675 to fix a place for a ferry, and settle some matters of dispute as to lands which had been purchased by individuals above Birmingham, or on what was then called Derby Neck, which included land between the Ousatonic and the Naugatuck Rivers. This land had been purchased in two parcels, forming a belt across the Neck, the northern boundary being at Four Mile Brook, and across to what is now West Ansonia, or there- · about."
The necessity for this ferry arose from the fact that by 1673, the town of Woodbury had been settled by families from Stratford, and people in the new settlement soon began to want to be able to journey back and forth between their old and new homes. So in 1675 the Court appointed the committee to lay out the highway from Woodbury to "Paugasack" (Derby) and to arrange for a ferry over the Ousatonic at the latter place. This would enable the Stratford people to journey up the Western shore of the Ousatonic to Derby, there to ferry across the river and then up the Eastern shore to Woodbury.
3
"In 1678 these lands on the Great Neck were laid out accord- ing to the directions of the Court; to Mr. Hawley, Mr. Tomlinson and the ferryman "whoever he may be" and to the six men to whom were to be apportioned fifty acres each, - William Tomlinson, Samuel Brinsmade, Samuel Nichols, Isaac Nichols, John Pringle and John Hubbell, all of whom settled in the town." (Thus, at this early date, familiar Quaker Farms names appear, such as Tomlinson, Nichols and Hubbell.)
In 1698, the agents of the town of Derby purchased a tract of land north of the Four Mile River, called Wesquantook and Rockhouse Hill, said to belong to the Wesquantuck and Pootatuck Indians, and received a deed of them.
The settlements were thus pushing out further towards Rock House Hill and Quaker Farms.
Another tract of land had been purchased of the Indians, a number of years before, and a mortgage given to Mr. Nicholas Camp of Milford. This tract of land was known many years by the name "Camp's Mortgage Purchase" and was bounded " southward with Derby Purchase, westward with a range of swamps near Moose Hill, northward with a little river, commonly called "Little River", eastward with Naugatuck River, which is a parcel of land about three miles square. Given in 1702".
THE GREAT HILL SECTION. 1670
The growth we have so far outlined was along the Housatonic, and more particularly along the road from Derby Neck, over Great Hill to Rock House Hill and Woodbury. In the history "Seymout Past and Present" by Wm. C. Sharpe and Rev. H. A. Campbell the authors say of this section, -"Great Hill was early the most important part of town. The section was purchased from the Indians in 1670, but in 1702 much of it was included in the Camp's mortgage, which was divided up soon after this date. There is a fragment of history stating that "Jonas Tomlinson, emigrant, settled on Great Hill about 1680. He had two sons, Jonas and Agur. Samuel Bassett has generally been regarded as the first to settle on his land on the south side about 1717."
THE DERBY-WOODBURY ROAD.
Previous to 1745 a road was laid out over Great Hill and over Rock House Hill through Quaker Farms to Woodbury; this road or path is mentioned in deeds as early as 1693. By 1750, Derby had become a considerable port and the road to it from Wood- bury became, for those days, fairly heavily travelled.
4
Transportation of goods on Connecticut highways became such a problem, that by 1778, Governmental Supervision became necessary, and the Court passed the following law,-
"Feb. 1778- An Act for Regulating the Transportation of private property by Ox Teams.
"Whereas the transporting of private property or the goods and effects of particular persons from place to place through the State has greatly increased, and employs so great a number of Oxen as threatens to lessen agricul- ture and the raising of grain and provisions for the use of the people and shortens the supply of beef for the use of the United States Army; be it enacted by the Governor, Council and Representatives in General Court assembled, That from and after the first day of April next, no private property ----- -- shall be transported --- on any waggons, cars, carts, or carriages, drawn by- .- -- more than one pair of oxen."
While there is no direct record, it may well be that this ap- plied as much to the traffic between Woodbury, Quaker Farms and Derby, as it did to other places.
By the close of the Revolution, perhaps the most important house along the road over Great Hill was the Russel Tomlinson place. It is thought that the original structure may have been built by Jonas Tomlinson, who was the son of the Henry Tomlinson who came from England to Milford in 1652. Jonas Tomlinson is known to have lived on Great Hill. "Seymour Past and Present" says, "Sometime following the Revolution, Russel Tomlinson built the old house over, making a large house, and the best in all the country round about." It was located at what used to be called "Davis Corners", - at the southeast corner of Botsford Road and the road over Great Hill to Derby Neck. It burned down some twenty-five years ago, and at this writing (1953) the only things left to mark it are a bit of picket fence and the cellar hole.
"Russel Tomlinson was called Squire Russel, and his place became one of the taverns (or stopping places) in the days of overland transportation of Merchandise from the Derby landing up country to Woodbury. Evidently Squire Russel was one of the leading men in this vicinity". As we shall see later, he was a son of Capt. Isaac Tomlinson of Woodbury, and older brother of Squire David Tomlinson, of Quaker Farms, and one of the founders of Christ Church.
"At the beginning of the War of 1812 the place passed into the hands of Anson Davis, son of Col. John, who came from
5
Oxford and the old homestead on Chestnut Tree Hill". Anson Davis had ten children, among whom were the Rev. Sheldon Davis and Anson R., father of Charles A. Davis who was promi- nent in Christ Church affairs, as we shall see later.
"Close by the Russel Tomlinson house is "the old parsonage", built in 1788, the home of "Priest" Abner Smith, the pastor of the congregational church, 1786 to 1829. It is a good sized, gambrel-roofed house, on the west side of the highway, facing east, on the highest point of Great Hill." It is now occupied by Mr. Bomba.
Just northwest of this was the house built by Moses Fanton in 1781. "Seymour Past and Present" says that in 1902 it was "occupied by two elderly twins, Julius H. and Junius N. Benham, who had in their possession the old communion service used by the Episcopal people on Great Hill in the early history of the Congregational Church and in which other denominations worshipped."
At the foot of Rockhouse Hill, four roads meet, -the road over Great Hill, and over which we have gone, the Rock House Hill Road that extends up over the hill towards Quaker Farms (now part of Route 188), the road to Seymour, now known as "Great Hill Road", and the Squantuck Road to the Housatonic River, (now also part of Route 188).
"Somewhere near the corner of the meeting of these roads, there was a tavern, roadhouse and hotel, all combined, where were entertained a great many people and in the order of events the place became known as the "Hell House". Following events led to the name of one of the roads as Hell Lane, extending northward past the Holbrook and west past the Gunn and Nettleton places."
To identify these road names with those of the present day, the map herewith taken from the Map of Seymour, 1902, shows the "Davis Corners" to be at Botsford Road.
The road which the authors of "Seymour Past and Present" say "runs north from the four corners" (now the traffic circle), they speak of as "Hell Lane", but their map shows it as Holbrook Road, and "Hell Lane" running off Holbrook Road, skirting Moose Hill, the highest point in this region. Hell Lane is now known as Moose Hill Road.
It is a pity that the name "Holbrook Road" has not been retained, because its present name "Great Hill Road" confuses it with the old Derby - Woodbury road running over Great Hill.
6
HELL LANE
ABEL GUNN HOUSE (LATER CAPT. NETTLETON)
HOLBROOK ROAD
TITUS LANE
BURYING GROUND
ROAD
MOUNTAIN ROAD
SQUANTUCK ROAD
GREAT HILL RD.
BOTSFORD
DAVIS CORNERS
BENHAM ROAD
+
FIRST SITE OF CONGRL. CHURCH
TOMLINSON RD.
+
GREAT HILL ROAD
OLD PARSONAGE OF " PRIEST" ABNER SMITH
-
7
ROCK HOUSE HILL ROAD
HOLBROOK ROAD
HOLBROOK HOUSE BURYING GROUND RD.
GREAT HILL SCHOOLO
RUSSELL TOMLINSON HOUSE (LATER ANSON DAVIS)
TOMLINSON RD.
THE FIVE PRINCIPAL DEEDS.
In Part Two of Sharpe's "Oxford Sketches and Records", he states that "the five principal deeds to land included in the bounds of the town of Oxford, purchased from the Indians at various times from 1678 to 1710 are the following,-
1. Wesquantuck (now shortened to "Squantuck").
2. Rockhouse Hill.
3. Camp's Mortgage.
4. The Quaker Farms Purchase.
5. The North Purchase."
FIRST MENTION OF THE NAME, QUAKER'S FARM.
Sharpe continues, - "The date of the first settlement within the limits of the town of Oxford has not been established, but as a tract of land in the westerly part of the town was designated as the Quaker's Farm in 1683, it is evident that at least one white man settled there before that date."
"In 1683, Joseph Hawley of Stratford proposed to have his grant in Derby, laid at Quaker's Farms."
"It is probable that there was a considerable number of settlers here before 1680, as it is recorded that in that year it had become necessary to establish the towns bounds between Derby (of which Oxford was then a part) and Waterbury."
In the "Seymour Record" of May 15, 1894, Mr. Sharpe writes in No. 8 of a Series of Historical Sketches entitled "Oxford in the Olden Time", about a well preserved document "found at Quaker Farms some years ago", from which he quotes,-
EBENEZER JOHNSON'S GRANT.
March 27, 1688 170 acres of land were laid out to Lieut. Ebenezer Johnson in one parcel within the bounds of Derby at the place near to it commonly called the Quaker's Farm -- ---- all in one parcel containing within it the Brook commonly called the Eight Mile Brook, etc."
Sharpe's "Oxford Sketches and Records, Pt. 2, referring to this and other evidence, says "There is therefore abundant evidence that the "History of the Old Town of Derby" (page 229) is in error in saying, - 'The first permanent settler in Quaker's Farm was some time after 1707."
8
DR. JOHN BUTLER, OF STRATFORD, CONN.
One of the earliest reputed inhabitants of Quaker Farms was Dr. John Butler, of Stratford, Connecticut. In an address entitled "Historical Sketch of Oxford", by Judge N. J. Wilcoxson, read at the Centennial Celebration, July 4, 1876, (given in full in Sharpe's Oxford Sketches), he says "The first English inhabitant of Oxford, as I take it from record was Dr. Butler, a Quaker and hunter, who for some years from the year 1715 had a hermit residence." (It will be noted that this statement of Judge Wilcosson's disagrees with that of Sharpe, who points out that the "Quaker's Farm" was spoken of as early as 1683.)
Judge Wilcoxson continues, - "He lived about forty rods from the old burying ground in Quaker Farms, northwest side of the brook under the hill at the turn of the road. The locality must be the turn of the road easterly from the house once the resi- dence of the late Capt. Nathaniel Wooster, and the residence of the present Silas Hawkins". (This is now the residence of Silas Hawkins' great niece Mrs. Elsie Stanton.)
At this locality, there is still, in 1954, a cellar hole which may have been the site of Dr. Butler's home. As however, the Judge gives no reference to any specific records, it is not clear how authentic his account is.
It seems well to correct here the statement made in the pamphlet of the Tercentenary published by the Oxford Committee, under Scene 10, that the Stanton house was occupied by Dr. Butler. The Rev. Mr. Douglas, in a copy of the pamphlet which he gave me, noted thereon "Error, according to Mr. T. Hines who also said I. Wooster built it."
So, Quaker Farms seems to have been known as a definite section by 1680 or earlier, and was a part of the Parish of Derby sixty years or more, until 1741 when Oxford was set apart as a separate Congregational parish.
Sharpe says,- "The Quaker Farms purchase extended easterly to the Naugatuck and beyond, and therefore included not only a large proportion of the southern part of Oxford, but a considerable part of what is now Seymour, the Indian deeds over- lapping one another. The list of names of proprietors in March 1727-8 is here given as the best available record of the heads of families here at that time".
"Here followeth a list of names which is ye augmented List which is the Rule for Deviding the lands in Quakers Farm Purchase that are yet undevided which is as followeth
9
a
S
d
EnS Sam- Bassit
28
-
-
George Black
21
0
0
Sam- Bowers
76
12
-
John Munson
18
0
0
EnS Nikols
90
0
0
Joseph Nikols
32
0
0
Abraham Pierson
72
7
-
Steaphen Pierson Jun™
76
10
-
Steaphen Pierson Snr
78
0
0
Mľ Pinto
29
0
0
John Pringle
32
-
-
John Pringle
85
10
-
Sam1 Brimsmaid
22
10
0
Abiram Canfield
23
0
John Chatfield
113
-
-
John Davis
70
4
0
Micah Denman
74
0
-
Mr John Durand
87
12
0
Francis French
135
0
0
Abel Gunn
157
17
6
Capt Sam- Gunn
-
-
-
Ebin: Harger
135
10
0
Jabiz Harger
23
0
0
Joseph Hawkins
201
15
0
Jonathan Hill
21
0
0
Deacon Abel Holbrook
129
7
6
John Hull
103
3
0
Capt Joseph Hull Jr.
366
5
0
James Humphries
25
-
-
Coll: Ebenezer Johnson
210
1
9
Ebenezer Johnson
72
16
-
Jeremiah Johnson
159
0
0
John Johnson
49
10
0
Joseph Johnson
42
0
0
Peter Johnson
123
0
-
Jonathan Lumm
70
4
0
Samll Moss
43
0
0
wm Moss
147
15
0
Ebin: Riggs
102
-
-
Edward Riggs
69
-
-
Lt. John Riggs
240
18
0
EnS Sam- Riggs
88
10
0
Andrew Smith
132
6
0
Ephraim Smith
36
0
0
-
10
3 1833 02211 8662
---
a
S
d
John Smith Jun!
20
0
0
John Smith Snr
98
10
0
Joseph Smith
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