USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > New Haven > History of the South Congregational Church, New Haven : from its origin in 1852 till January 1, 1865 > Part 1
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Gc 974.602 N4 1ha 1242278
M.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01104 3301
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall_0
J. C. Mc. Rae.
SOUTH CHURCH,
NEW HAVEN, CONN.
HISTORY
OF THE
South Congregational Church,
NEW HAVEN, Correct
FROM
ITS ORIGIN IN 1852 TILL JANUARY 1, 1865.
BY GERARD HALLOCK, CLERK OF SAID CHURCH.
NEW HAVEN. PRINTED BY TUTTLE, MOREHOUSE AND TAYLOR. 1865.
-
1212278
TABLE OF CONTENTS,
+
CHAPTER I.
Pages
Preliminary History of South Church,
5-18
CHAPTER II.
Ministry of Rev. Dr. Stiles,
19-50
L
CHAPTER III.
Ministry of Rev. Mr. Noyes, - 51-70
CHAPTER IV.
Ministry of Rev. Mr. Carroll,
71-102
CHAPTER V.
The Ex-parte Council, 103-104
"Result of Council," 104-111
Reply of South Church to do., 111-133
Rejoinder to Reply, 133-140
Remarks on the Rejoinder, 140-161
Strictures on the "Remarks" by a Member of the Council, 161-162 Reply to the Strictures-Rev. Dr. Dutton on Female Voting, 163-166 Effects of the Action of Council, 166-176
CHAPTER VI.
New Year's Address (1864) to Rev. Mr. Carroll, 177-183 Mr. Carroll's Reply-Rev. Mr. Barrett, 184-185
00%
, keext
iv
INDEX.
Parting Interview with Rev. Mr. Barrett,
185-187
State and Progress of the Church, 187-204
South Church Finances, 204-206
Resolutions concerning the Bell,
206-207
CHAPTER VII.
Rev. Mr. Carroll's Memorial Sermon, - 209-257
CATALOGUE.
Comprising
Pages
Confession of Faith,
1-3
Covenant,
4
Standing Rules,
5-7
Officers of Church and Society,
9-10
Chronological List of all who are or have been Members of South Church, -
- 11-23
Alphabetical List of Present Members,
25-31
Alphabetical List of Ex-members, 33-41
Chronological List of do., -
43-46
Summary of Admissions and Dismissions,
47-48
HISTORY OF THE SOUTH CHURCH,
1
CHAPTER I.
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
PRIOR to the erection of the South Church edifices, in 1851 and 1852, there was no house of worship of any Protestant denomination, in the south-western section of the city. The nearest Protestant church, at the date mentioned, was that in College street, dis- tant, by the course of the roads, about three-quarters of a mile from the site of the South Church. For two or three years, a few individuals had been moot- ing the question, whether it was not possible to provide a place of worship for this destitute section, too many of whose inhabitants excused themselves from attend- ing public worship on account of distance, poverty, and other circumstances, which served to quiet their con- sciences and keep them aloof from the means of grace. True, there was a small Sabbath School held in the Mount Pleasant School-house a part of the time, and occasionally some clergyman from town, or theological student, would come over and hold a meeting for prayer, or preach a sermon. The few pious people
1
6
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
who resided in the vicinity, encouraged these efforts, and did what they could to promote them. But they were poor, as well as few in number, and could really do nothing, or next to nothing, towards the erection of a house of worship. Some individuals who be- longed to churches in town, were too much attached to them to be willing to engage in any new enterprise looking to a disruption of existing relations.
Thus, in one way or another, the projectors of the South Church enterprise met with discouragement at every step. The first idea was, to have a Mission Chapel, erected by subscription, and free to all. But on this basis there would be no revenue, and a con- stant outlay would be required to support the minis- ter and defray other necessary expenses.
Next, a small church edifice was contemplated, in which the slips should be rented, and thus the expense of supporting the establishment be in part defrayed. But this plan was found to be no more acceptable than the other. A personal application to all those persons in the vicinity who were deemed most likely to be able and willing to aid the enterprise, produced but one subscription, ($50,) and an offer on the part of a farmer to assist in digging the cellar .* These
* It should, perhaps, be mentioned that a lady offered to give a site for the church, not far from the present location, on condition that the edifice to be erected on it, should be used forever as a Congrega- tional church. This offer, generous as it was in some respects, the parties interested felt obliged to decline, as they could not run the risk of losing their whole investment, in case the church enterprise, which was altogether an experiment, should not succeed.
7
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
subscriptions were afterwards respectfully declined, and the plan was adopted which was finally carried into effect. It was simply this,-for the projectors of the undertaking to take the work into their own hands, do it at their own expense, and hold the prop- erty in their own right, until such time as the church and society should be able to redeem it. But then the question arose, how large a building should be erected,-whether of wood, or brick, or stone,- whether only large enough to accommodate such of the existing population as might be expected to attend, or having reference also to prospective wants. If we built a small church, we should be likely to have a small minister, small congregations, and a small income. But if we should be prospered be- yond our hopes, then would come the necessity of a larger house, and we should have to lengthen it, or in some way add to its dimensions. This would vio- late its architectural proportions, and otherwise de- form it,-at the same time increasing the expense.
Suffice it to say, the result of our deliberations was, to build a church of the first class, whether as to dimensions, materials, architectural beauty, or other basis of comparison ; one that should do honor, not only to the neighborhood, but to the city ; one that should be suited to the wants of the community half a century hence. This conclusion was aided and encouraged by the eminent architect, SIDNEY M. STONE, to whom we applied for a plan, and who sub- sequently took the contract for building the church,
8
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
and became a proprietor to the extent of $1,000. The contract was dated January 25, 1851, and called for the completion of the building by the first of March in the following year. With the exception of a lot of land worth $2,000, all the payments were to be made, and were made, in cash, as the work pro- ceeded. A very eligible site had been purchased one week previous, for $1,015, of Mrs. Hannah Tuttle and her daughters Lucy and Elizabeth, at the corner of Columbus and Liberty streets, described in their deed as containing " ninety square rods, more or less." It is bounded Northerly 115 feet 6 inches by Colum- bus street, Easterly 206 feet by Liberty street, South- erly 115 feet 8 inches, Westerly 203 feet 9 inches.
The walls of the church above ground are of Port- land (Connecticut River) stone, 64 feet front and rear, by 90 feet from outside to outside, and 34 feet high from top of water-table to line of eaves. Re- cess for pulpit in rear end of the church, 7 feet by 22, and 26 feet six inches high from top of water- table to line of eaves. Tower 21 feet by 21, and 87 feet high from top of water-table to top of stone- work. From the surface of the ground to the top of battlement, 98 feet 6 inches. As the tower pro- jects 10 feet from the main building, the entire length of the structure is 107 feet. The audience room is 75 feet by 59 feet 8 inches in the clear, exclusive of the recess for pulpit, and organ-loft in front. The foundation walls of the tower are six feet thick at bottom, and four feet at top. Walls
9
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
of tower, above the foundation walls, 2 feet 3 inches thick 35 feet upward, then 2 feet thick 27 feet up- ward to bell-deck, then 1 foot and 6 inches thick 25 feet upward to top of stone-work. The foundation walls of the building proper are 3 feet 6 inches thick at bottom, and 2 feet 10 inches at top ; the side and front walls 2 feet thick from top of foundation walls to the height of two feet above the tops of the win- dows ; then 1 foot 9 inches thick to eaves. The rear wall, including recess, 1 foot 6 inches thick. All the interstices in the walls as they were being built, were filled with soft mortar or cement. The mason-work was let out by the contractor to Messrs. Perkins & Hine ; the wood-work to Nicholas Countryman. The whole was done to the entire satisfaction of the parties interested, and unless destroyed by fire or some other extraordinary visitation, the building will stand for ages.
Scarcely had the main edifice been opened for pub- lic worship, on the last Sabbath in June, 1852, when there was found to be an urgent necessity for smaller rooms, suitable for conference and prayer meetings, and for the Sabbath School, which had been trans- ferred to this church from the Mount Pleasant school- house. Accordingly THE CHAPEL, fronting on Lib- erty street, directly in the rear of the Church, was projected and built by day's work, 57 feet by 35, from outside to outside, in the same style and of the same kind of material as the main edifice. Both buildings are rigidly plain, but the effect is, to give
18
10
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
them an air of dignity and permanence, rather than cheapness ; to please the eye with beautiful propor- tions and a simplicity that never tires, rather than tickle it with ornament for a time, to be disgusted in the end. A single enclosure embraces both build- ings,-the fence on both streets being a substantial cast-iron railing, resting upon, or rather entered into, a massive dressed-stone coping, of the same material as the walls of the buildings. The entire lower floor of the Chapel, except the vestibule, is fitted up as an Audience Room, being provided with a pulpit and slips, and will comfortably seat from 250 to 300 per- sons. The upper story is occupied chiefly as the " Ladies' Room" ; being neatly carpeted, and provi- ded with seventy or eighty chairs, settees, work- tables, tea-tables, sideboards, crockery, and other apparatus, for the convenience of the Sewing Society and other meetings. In this " large upper-room fur- nished," the church prayer meetings are held. Over the vestibule is the Pastor's study, carpeted and fur- nished in an appropriate manner. The Sabbath School Library, comprising about 500 well-selected volumes, is kept in a little room set off from the ves- tibule. A Melodeon is used in common by the Sab- bath School and other meetings in the Chapel and Ladies' Room.
The following schedule shows the cost of the South Church property, both real and personal, distinguish- ing as far as practicable, between the Church and the Chapel :-
11
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
SOUTH CHURCH .- MAIN EDIFICE.
Cost of Lot, $ 1,015 00
Contract with Sidney M. Stone, for main edifice, - 19,000 00
Variations and extras, - -
-
235 16
Richard Carse, windows for church, complete, . 654 00
Bell, (2,504 lbs.) and rigging, from Holbrook's Foundry, East Medway, Mass., .
686 00
Gas pipes, meter, &c.,
-
38 70
Grading, turfing, trees and vines, about the church, - 195 37
Paving in front of church, -
-
35 76
Carpets for church, and putting down,-Marble & Foster,
632 38
Church furniture,-Blair's bill, - -
1,270 17
Psalm books and Music books for church,
32 63
Mats, &c., for church,-Walker's bill,
22 81
Curtains for pulpit windows,-Doolittle's bill, -
88 50
Organ, from Erben's Factory, New York, -
2,500 00
Carting do., and trimmings for pulpit, - -
32 09
Countryman's bill for out-buildings, benches, and sundries about church, - 332 06
Communion Service, and Baptismal Vase,
-
-
75 00
Cloths for do.,
- 18 50 . -
21 23
Iron Railing Company's bill for fences, &c., - 918 38
Painting iron fences,-Andrews' bill, -
- 25 00
Countryman's bill for vestibule, - - -
48 81
Total cost of church edifice and furniture complete, including ground, - $27,877 55
SOUTH CHURCH CHAPEL.
Sidney M. Stone's bill for Chapel, -
- $6,076 31 Ventilators for do., -
Carting stone for do.,-Hull & Wallace's bill, -
132 00
Stones left after building church,-bought of Perkins & Hine, 21 00
Carse, for Chapel windows, -
- 249 00
Carpets for lecture room of Chapel, -Marble & Foster, 149 79
.
Wm. M. Hubbard, for work, &c. at church, before occupancy,
11 00
12
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
Mats, &c. for Chapel,-Walker, .
5 71
230 00 Blair's bill for sundries in furnishing Chapel and Pastor's Study,
do. do. furniture for Ladies' Room, - 190 00
Side-board for do. do. Bowditch, 7 00
Carpets for do. do. Marble & Foster, -
109 73
Oil cloth for do. do. Fairman,
4 13
Stove, &c. do. do. Cannon, - 18 27 -
Crockery and tea urn for do. do. Minor, - 23 51 -
Gas extension to Chapel, - - -
46 50
Bible and 127 Hymn Books, (red covers,) for Chapel, 44 45
Six missionary maps for do.
-
28 00
Total cost of chapel and furniture complete,
- $7,346 40
church, &c., as above,* - -
27,877 55
1 66 Church and Chapel, including ground, + $35,223 95
Of which was paid by Thomas R. Trowbridge and Brothers,
- $3,500 00
By Sidey M. Stone, - - - 1,000 00
By Amos Smith, - - - - - 1,000 00
5,500 00
By Gerard Hallock,
- $29,723 95 :
who, accordingly, on the 23d of April, 1853, con- veyed to Thomas R. Trowbridge, for the latter and his brothers, Henry and Ezekiel, one undivided tenth of all the property aforesaid, and to Sidney M. Stone
* This distinction in the cost of Church and Chapel is not strictly accurate, as some of the bills are charged to the Church which belong, in part, to the Chapel, and vice versa. For instance, the iron railing is all charged to the Church, while the stone coping on which it rests, is all charged to the Chapel. So, likewise, the horse-sheds and other out-buildings are all charged to the Church, while all the side-walk pavement on Liberty street is charged to the Chapel. On the whole, the variations from exactness about balance each other.
+ Many small items, amounting to several hundred dollars inf the aggregate, were paid by the principal proprietor, without being inclu- ded in this account.
13
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
and Amos Smith, each an undivided thirty-fifth. In 1855 he re-purchased the shares of Messrs. Stone and Smith, and on the 20th October, 1864, those of the Messrs. Trowbridge ; thus becoming sole proprie- tor. As soon as a church was organized, November 8, 1852, the buildings were placed at its disposal, for use and occupancy, at the nominal rent of a barley- corn a year, and have continued in its possession, or in that of the church and society, to the present time, at the same nominal rent,-the principal proprietor keeping the property insured at his own expense for about $30,000, and doing most of the repairs. As he is the only one of the original proprietors who is now connected with the church and society, and as he is identified with them in all their sympathies and interests, they have every reason to be satisfied with the present state of things, until they shall be dis- posed to take the property into their own hands, and sustain the establishment after the usual manner of such organizations. Whenever that time shall come, it is fair to presume that they will find him ready to meet their wishes on satisfactory terms.
It may not be generally known that the South Church was erected with a view to the occupancy of its pulpit by Rev. E. N. SAWTELL, now seamen's chaplain at the port of Havre, France. He had pre- viously occupied the last named position for seven years,-had officiated for about an equal period as pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Ky., and for several years had been one of the Secretaries
14
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
of a Society in New York, now known as the Amer- ican and Foreign Christian Union. In every sphere in which he had been called to act, he had acquitted himself with distinguished ability ; and being now at the zenith of his intellectual powers, with a warm, Christian heart, and rare speaking talents,-withal longing to engage again in his Master's service as a preacher and pastor,-it was a great disappointment to those of us who knew his worth, to find ourselves cut off from all prospect of consummating the pro- posed arrangement ; and equally so to himself, as will be seen by the following extracts from his letters :
"CLEVELAND, December 30, 1851.
"For several weeks it has been in my heart to write you fully and frankly on the precarious state of my health, or rather, the almost entire loss of my speaking powers. * You are aware, I think, that an attack of bilious fever which I had in New York last February, was succeeded by an inflammation of the throat, which troubled me more or less through the summer. It however gave me but little anxie- ty, as I thought time and care would eradicate the com- plaint. In this I have been mistaken. On the return of cold, frosty weather, it seized my throat with increased vir- ulence ; and since leaving New York, I have not been able to preach at all. Even in conducting family worship, or reading an article aloud in a newspaper, my voice has so ut- terly failed me, that I could finish it only in a whisper. I have availed myself of the best medical advice, but to very little purpose; physicians give me but little encouragement.
*
"Now, my dear sir, what shall be done ? The Lord's hand is evidently in this matter, and while it is our duty to bow submissively to His will, it is equally our duty to in- quire what He will have us to do. * * * O, what a world of uncertainties and disappointments ! How easy for
15
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
the Lord to thwart all our plans ! It does indeed require much grace to say at all times and under all circumstances, ' The will of the Lord be done.' Lord, increase our faith. Mrs. Sawtell has often felt that the Lord might tear me away from what she sometimes feared was my idol. Though not conscious of idolatry, I am aware that my soul has been wrapped up in that one object. But the Lord can do without me. That He intends to have a church there, I have not the least shadow of doubt, though my voice may never be heard in that pulpit, May God bless you and yours, and the enterprise you have so much at heart."
" CLEVELAND, Feb. 18, 1852.
" Messrs. Hallock, Trowbridge, Smith, Stone, and others.
" DEAR SIRS :- The recent intelligence which I have received of the near completion of your church edifice, has filled my heart with mingled emotions of joy and grief; of joy, that the Lord has enabled you to do so much ; grief, at the prospect of my doing so little, or, perhaps as I ought rather to say, of my doing nothing, in advancing that noble enterprise in which you are engaged. I have before in- timated to some of my friends, my fears on this subject, owing to the precarious state of my voice. But hoping at the return of each day, that some favorable change or symptoms might manifest themselves, and unwilling to be convinced that I was to have no part nor lot in that mat- ter, I have deferred writing to you jointly, until I dare de- fer no longer. I think it due to you all, as well as to my- self, to make known to you the whole truth in this matter, and keep nothing back, that is in the least calculated to shed light upon your path and mine. During the whole winter I have been a great sufferer, with an inflammation of the throat, accompanied with an entire exhaustion or pros- tration of my speaking powers. I have recently made two attempts to speak in public, in both of which I failed, and had to cut short my remarks, and from the effects of which I have not yet recovered. One was simply a short address, at the anniversary of the Society for National Popular Ed- ucation ; and although I yielded reluctantly to the solicita- tions of Governor Slade to make this address, I finally did
16
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
it rather as an experiment, to see what effect it would pro- duce upon my throat, that it might shed light upon my future path, and enable you the better to judge whether it would be prudent and wise for me to enter upon that invi. ting and important field of labor which you have, at so much expense, opened before me. To my own mind, the testimony furnished by this experiment, has been most painfully conclusive. I did not spend over an hour in jot- ting down the few thoughts I offered on that occasion, and yet, when I entered the church, my whole frame was agi- tated, my nerves unstrung, my throat inflamed and almost closed up, and when I returned home, I had a high fever, and for three days was confined to the house. There seems to be a connection, a strange sympathy, between my throat and all mental efforts. The least excitement only enhances the disease; and as it is impossible for me to speak in pub- lic, and much less to preach the Gospel, without mental effort, and strongly excited feelings, I can see but little hope for me,-and I write this with a feeling heart and weeping eyes.
" I have earnestly prayed, that if it be for the glory of God, this cup of disappointment might pass from me. 'Yet, not my will, but Thine, O Lord, be done,' must, and I trust ever will be, the language of my heart. I have often pictured to myself the happiness I should experience in once more returning to the duties of a pastoral life, after the shifting scenes through which I have passed, and of having my family located in such a place as New Haven, and of closing my ministerial labors in what would seem to be as near an earthly paradise as any thing I could imagine this side of Heaven; and it may be that my Heavenly Father has seen some lurking sin in these anticipations, that needs to be eradicated, ere I can ' be made meet for the inheritance of the children of light.' Or, it may be, that He sees some other one that could better fill that place, and that He has other work for me to do. At any rate, we cannot, we must not, shut our eyes to the clear in- dications of His providence, however they may thwart our purposes or cross our inclinations. I need not say, that all that human skill can do or devise, has been done in my case
17
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
My physicians give but little encouragement of my ever being able to preach much more. >
*
" And now, my dear friends, may that God, ' whose path is in the deep,-whose ways are past finding out,' guide you, and bless you abundantly in your noble work, and send you a man after 'His own heart.' And should it please Him to restore me to health, and permit us to labor to- gether, we will rejoice. If not, we will bow meekly at His feet, and say, ' Let the will of the Lord be done.'
" Your sincere friend and brother in Christ, E. N. SAWTELL."
" CLEVELAND, Feb. 21, 1852.
* * " So long have I been in the habit of contempla- ting that church as my own child, beloved and longed for, that now, to give it up, seems at times like the plucking out of a right eye. But, my dear friend, let our daily prayer be, that our mutual disappointment may be mutu- ally sanctified to us,-and teach us more and more our de- pendence on God, and the uncertainty of all human calcu- lations. The Lord doeth all things well. 'How unsearch- able are His judgments, and His ways past finding out.' * And now, my dear brother, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace; praying that His grace may be sufficient for you, and for all who are labor- ing with you; and that God may, in His own good time, send you a man after His own heart, to preach faithfully the Gospel of His dear Son, and break unto you the bread of life."
" CLEVELAND, April 5, 1852.
" Your kind letter, announcing an invitation to Rev. Dr. STILES to take my place in the new Church, has been duly received, with heart-felt gratitude to God for directing your minds to that man of God,-a man of all others in the large circle of my acquaintance I should prefer. My sin- cere hope and earnest prayer is, that God will send him to you, and open for him a wide door of usefulness. I can- not doubt but a blessing,-a rich harvest is before him, if he enter that field. He is a good man and true; fervent, 2
18
PRELIMINARY HISTORY.
eloquent, full of holy fire and apostolic zeal,-simple as a child,-an eye single, a heart warm, and a whole body full of light. O, should I live to see him settled among you, I should feel that the Lord's hand, which is so heavily laid on me, had by it wrought the greater mercies for you, and for that dear infant church."
-
CHAPTER II.
MINISTRY OF DR. STILES.
AT the time our application was made to Rev. Dr. STILES, he was engaged in the service of the Ameri- can Bible Society, as Secretary for the South ; spend- ing most of his time in the Southern States, in furtherance of the objects of that institution. Our application took him by surprise, and was successful only because, when we had ascertained his purpose never again to accept a permanent pastorship, we modified our overture accordingly. In a letter dated Savannah, April 1, 1852, he wrote as follows :-
" While I am comforted that good brethren should invite me to any field in my Master's vineyard, and especially so important a one, I must respond,-if the intent of your communication is to call me to officiate as the permanent minister of the church, I must, as at present advised, answer respectfully, but decidedly in the negative. From consti- tutional structure rather than holy principle, I habitually over-work. Youthful vigor and inordinate effort may agree for a time, but years and over-work have no congeniality. This has long been my experience. * * * I think I may say that no agency in the Kingdom could content me for a moment, if it denied me the opportunity of so preaching the Gospel as to promise, under God, the conversion of sin- ners. For this reason, why should I wish to exchange my present occupation for a regular pastorship ? I think I have seen many, many conversions this winter; thirty or forty in one place, and occasional instances all along down to my
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