USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Bridgeport > Reports and papers. Fairfield County Historical Society, Bridgeport, Conn. 1882-1896-97 > Part 1
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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01146 1271
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Fairfield County
HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Report and Pap is 1882-9.7 ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
BY - LAWS,
LIST OF MEMBERS
AND
First Anniversary Meeting,
APRIL 14TH W822.
BRIDGEPORT THE STANDARD SEMINATION PUNTEN.
1774465
FAIRFIELD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
PRESIDENT. ROWLAND B. LACEY.
VICE-PRESIDENTS.
WINTHROP H. PERRY.
Southport.
CHARLES BURR TODD, Redding.
A. B. HULL, . Danbury.
RECORDING SECRETARY. NATHANIEL E. WORDIN. M. D.
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. LOUIS N. MIDDLEBROOK.
HISTORIAN AND CUSTODIAN OF SOCIETY RECORDS. WILLIAM B. HINCKS.
TREASURER AND CURATOR. RICHARD C. AMBLER.
P. 4526
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F 84615 Reports and papers. Fairfield County historical so- 1 ciety, Bridgeport, Conn ... 1882-1896/97. Bridgeport, 1882-97. 8g v. in 1. illus., plates. 23°. · 'Consolidated in 1899 with the Bridgeport scientific society under the name Bridgeport scientific and historical society.
Fairfield County historical society, Bridgeport, Conn.
CONTENTS .- Articles of association, by-laws, list of members and first anniversary meeting, April 14th, 1882 .- Act of incorporation, by-laws, list . of members, and fourth anniversary meeting. April 10th, 1835 .- Fifth anni- versary ... held April 9th, 1886: and the papers read before the society,- Annual report in -Sur- Annual report ... for 1859 .-- kanaal .report for 1891-2 .- Fairfield Reports ... for 1891-5 .- County historical society, 18: 3-1 .- Reports and papers ... 1896-18 7. 1. Fairfield Co., Conn .- Ilist -- Societies.
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7-23 28
Library of Congress
F102.F2F3
LIST OF MEMBERS OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN ORDER OF THEIR ELECTION.
ORIGINAL MEMBERS.
R. B. Lacey, Bridgeport.
G. C. Waldo, Bridgeport.
W. H. Noble, Bridgeport. L. N. Middlebrook, Bridgeport.
W. B. Hincks, Bridgeport. N. E. Wordin, Bridgeport.
MEMBERS SINCE ADDED.
Rev. B. L. Swan, Monroe.
Abram W. Morehouse, Bridgeport.
A. B. Hull. Danbury.
J. N Ireland. Bridgeport.
R. C. Ambler. Trumbull.
HIon. W. T. Minor, Stamford.
Hon. Lemuel Sanford, Redding.
James L. Gould. Bridgeport.
James W. Beardsley. Bridgeport.
Heury M. Hoyt. Bridgeport.
C. B. Todd, Redding.
11. G. Scofieldl. Bridgeport.
James Ryder, Danbury.
Hon. E. S. Hawley. Buffalo, N. Y.
H. K. Scott, Ridgefield.
Curtis Thompson, Bridgeport.
Rev. J. K. Lombard. Fairfield. W. A. Beers, Fairfield.
Rev. F. W. Maxcy, D. D., Bridgeport.
Rev. William Shelton, D. D., Buffalo, N. Y.
Rev. George S. Burroughs, Fairfield.
1. 11. Byington, Norwalk. Winthrop HI. Perry. Southport.
Ilon. J. II. Trumbull. LL. D., Hartford.
Rev. E. E. Beardsley, D. D., New Haven. Walter Hubbell, New York.
Henry S. Sanford. Bridgeport.
(. J. Hoadley, State Librarian, Hartford.
D. B. Lockwood, Bridgeport.
S. M. Middlebrook, Bridgeport.
W. T. Van Yorx. Bridgeport. Frederick Bronson. Greenfield Hill, Fairfick. O. P. Dexter, New York.
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ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION.
We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, to wit: Rowland B. Lavey, William II. Noble, William B. Hincks, Nathaniel E. Wordin, George C. Waldo and Lonis N. Middlebrook, all of Bridgeport. Fair- field County. State of Connecticut, do hereby form a Voluntary Assu- ciation, under the laws of said State, for the promotion and encour- agement of Historical, Antiquarian and Genealogical Investigation relating to said County and the Towns composing it: the same to con- sist of the under-igned as present members thereof, together with such others as may be chosen by a unanimous vote of such meetings of said Association as may be hereafter held for that purpose: we. the subscribers, and our associates and successors, forever to be known as the Fairfield County Historical Society, and to be governed by such officers, rules and by-laws as may from time to time be established by said Association.
Subscribed by us at said Bridgeport this February 4th, A. D. 1841.
ROWLAND B. LACEY. GEORGE C. WALDO.
NATHANIEL E. WORDIN. WILLIAM B. HINCKS.
WILLIAM H. NOBLE. LOUIS N. MIDDLEBROOK.
And of the same date, hereby waving any further notice of a first meeting of said Association, for the purpose of completing the present organization of the sune, adopting rules and by laws, and transacting any other business that may be lawfully done al such meeting, we. the said subscribers, do hereby unanimously adopt the following rules and by-laws for said Association :
RULE I .- The officers of said Association shall consist of a Presi- dent, three Vice Presidents, Treasurer, Recording Secretary and Cor- responding Secretary, who shall be chosen annually from its members. by a majority ballot, at the annual meeting of the Association, upon notice of the time, place and purpose thereof, to be given by the Presi- dent and Corresponding S. cretary, for the time being. personally or by mail, to all of said members, one werk before said meeting.
And said officer- shall hold their offices for one year from their elec tion, and until others shall be chosen in their places; and their powers
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and duties shall be those usually appertaining to those offices, except when otherwise ordered by the Association.
And any vacancy occurring in any of said offices before the expira- tion of its term, may be filled for the unexpired portion thereof, by those of the Executive Committee of said Association who shall be in the exercise of their offices at the time.
Said officers shall also be the Executive Committee of said Associa- tion, and as such shall have charge of and direct all matters of execu- tive, financial and clerical business appertaining to the management of the Association, except when otherwise ordered by the Association.
RULE II .- The election of new members of said Association shall be by a unanimous vote, by ballot or otherwise, at any annual, regular or special meeting of the Association ; the nomination of such new members having first been made at the last regular meeting preceding the meeting at which said vote shall be taken, and not less than one week previous to such voting.
RULE IN. - The regular meetings of said Association shall be hell on the first Friday evening of each and every month: and special meetings thereof, as also of the Executive Committee, may be held whenever the Association shall so order, or whenever the President and Recording Secretary shall deem it necessary to call the same, on the giving of one week's personal notice, or notice by mail, by the President and Recording Secretary, of the time, place and purpose thereof, to all members of said bodies respectively.
RULE IV .- The first annual meeting of said Association for the elec- tion of officers, and such other business as may be lawfully transacted thereat, shall be held in the city of Bridgeport, at the office of the Mayor of said city, at & o'clock r. st .. on the first Friday in April. A. D. 1881. And the annual meetings of the Association thereafter to be held, shall be held on the anniversary of that day in each year.
RELE V .- All persons elected to and accepting membership in said Association shall subscribe these original Articles of Association. Rules and By-Laws.
RULE VI .- These Rules and By-Laws may be altered, amended. repealed or added to, by a major vote of the members present at any annual, regular or special meeting of said Association, held in accord- ance with the rules of the Association.
Adopted unanimously this 4th day of February. A. D. 1851.
ROWLAND B. LACEY. GEORGE C. WALDO,
NATHANIEL E. WORDIN. WILLIAM B. HINCKS.
WILLIAM II. NOBLE, LOUIS N. MIDDLEBROOK.
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Additional Rules adopted by the Fairfield County Historical Society August 5th, A. D. 1881.
RULE VII .- The President of this Association shall be, ex officio, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Association.
RULE VIII .- The Chairman of the Executive Committee shall be the Auditor of the accounts of the Association, and as such shall audit and approve all bills of expenses incurred by the Association before the same shall be ordered paid, and only upon such audit, and an order of payment by the Association or Executive Committee, shall the Treasurer pay out any funds of the Association.
RULE IN .- The Treasurer of the Association shall be also Curator of the same so long as he shall be Treasurer; and the duties of the office of Curator shall be to have the care, custody and preservation of the books, papers, antiquities, and all other property of the Associa- tion.
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ANNIVERSARY MEETING.
The inception, organization and objeet of the Fairfield County Historical Society are set forth in its constitution and the papers whiel follow.
The foundations are laid and the one year's work has pro- dueed a fruitage which is decidedly encouraging. Valuable papers have been prepared and read at the monthly meetings, some of them of great research and rare value. Some inter- esting old books and relies have been received, and many more are in waiting for a suitable depository for their safe keeping. We bespeak the hearty co-operation of all who enn in any way further the objects of the society. The first anni- versary of the Society occurred on the second Friday in April. the 14th, 1882.
OPENING ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT.
Ladies and Gentlemen :
When the settler of a new country pushes into the wilder. ness, acquires and locates his homestead, he is, for the time, and naturally will be, for a number of years, too much oecu- pied with building his eabin, making improvements, rear- ing and providing for his family. to attend to matters of his tory. Current events, even, are likely to be neglected-much more the past. This remark will apply to and illustrate the condition and experience of the early settlers of New Eng. land. Though the condition of succeeding generations has changed, and thrift and comfort have taken the place of hard- ship and privation. so inwrought has been the idea of utility. measured by a money value, that to spend time even, to fix and perpetuate the faets of our early history and the habits and sentiments of the fathers and mothers, has been deemed ex travagant waste. Speak on this subject to a majority of peo- ple and you will be met with the question, will it pay ? In- quiry into family genealogies, at onee raises, in most minds, the presumption that some estate or fortune in the old coun- try is behind it.
The fact that our grandfathers and grandmothers could tell us, mueh of our early local history from their own observation and memory, or from tradition, has been enough for too many of us, and we have thus suffered data of intense interest, and
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often of great importance, to be buried in their graves or seattered to the winds. I am glad there are some exceptions to this, and that something has been done to recover and fix the past, to transmit with eurrent history to succeeding gen- erations.
The early church, parish and town records forin a sort of skeleton or frame work for our local history, but these need to be supplemented. amplified, clothed or illustrated by per- sonal and family sketches-specimens of implements and articles useful and ornamental-such as have been to a limited extent and can be more largely gathered up in every village and hamlet in the county.
The store-rooms and atties of numerous old family resi- dences are the receptacles of books, papers and quaint articles, useful in their time and exceedingly useful now as illustrative of the thoughts and industries of a century or two ago, and should be preserved.
Numerous facts about our early history are now accessible on research, more or less dilligent, which in a very few years will be beyond recovery.
A few individuals have held and pondered sentiments like these, and although something had been done in the right direction, the feeling prevailed that to reach any adequate results, combined organized effort was needed. This has led to the organization of the Fairfield County Historical Society -- as will be recited more in detail by the Recording Secretary.
I congratulate yon upon what has been done by the little effort put forth in one year, and welcome our friends and fellow members from abroad who have not usually been found at our monthly meetings, and those of our fellow citizens who have gathered at this our first anniversary.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE RECORDING SECRETARY.
Mr. President :
At this anniversary meeting of the Fairfield County His- torical Society it is very proper and may be somewhat inter- esting to cast a look backward.
In the year 1880. attention had been called to some histori-
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cal facts connected with the county by the publication of a book which, compiled by parties from a distance, by its very incorrectness invited those interested, to have the truth. In the early part of 1881 a conversation took place in the office of Maj. L. N. Middlebrook, Franklin block, during which that gentleman suggested the formation of a society whose mem- bers from different parts of the county, working together. should collect snel facts as could from time to time be gath- ered, so that the history of our ancestors and the parts they played might be known.
A few gentlemen notably interested in such matters were consulted, and on the evening of January 28th, 1881, Maj. L. N. Middlebrook. Maj. W. B. Hineks, Mr. R. B. Lacey. Gen. W. H. Noble and Dr. N. E. Wordin, met at the residence of the latter and arranged definitely for the formation of the Fairfield County Historical Society.
The first meeting of this society was held at the office of Maj. W. B. Hincks, Wheeler's Building, on the evening of February 4th, 1881. Mr. R. B. Lacey was chosen chairman, and Maj. L. N. Middlebrook, secretary. Articles of Associa- tion and Rules and By-Laws were adopted, and the roll of membership was increased by the addition of seven names.
At the first annual meeting held in the Mayor's office. April 1st, 1881, the following officers were chosen :
President-R. B. LACEY. Bridgeport.
1st Vice-President-Hon. W. T. MINOR, Stamford.
2nd - .. Rev. BENJ. L. SWAN, Monroe.
3rd “ CHARLES BURR TODD, Redding.
Treasurer-Maj. W. B. HINCKS, Bridgeport.
Recording Secretary-Dr. N. E. WORDIN. Bridgeport.
Cor. Secretary-Maj. L. N. MIDDLEBROOK, Bridgeport.
These officers have remained on duty during the year, and, ex officio, constitute the Executive Committee.
Eleven regular monthly meetings have been held during the year, from only two of which has onr President been absent.
The present membership is thirty-nine, of which there are resident in Bridgeport. nineteen : resident outside of Bridge-
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port, mostly within the county, twenty. Among them are eight lawyers, six clergymen, five editors, six business men and five gentlemen, business or profession not stated.
Original papers have been presented and read before the Society during the year as follows: By Richard C. Ambler, Esq., A. W. Morehouse, Dr. N. E. Wordin, W. A. Beers, Esq . two; five in all. As one of these papers occupied part of . three evenings, and as three documents not original with the members of the Society, but of historical interest. have been also read, it will be seen that the evenings have been well occupied with literary labor.
Seven members have been asked to contribute articles who have not yet complied. Probably most of them will comply during the coming year. I take this opportunity of making the suggestion that in the future we carry out the original plan of the Society and only receive such additional members as will contribute to our object, viz .: the collection of the early history of Fairfield County.
I will also repeat here a suggestion made by one of our members, that some person be appointed to gather such items concerning our Society as may be published in the daily papers, especially extended reports of essays and papers read from time to time, and that they be preserved as additional history of our Society.
With congratulation on the unexpected progress made dur- ing the year.
Respectfully submitted, N. E. WORDIN, Recording Secretary F. C. HI. Society.
REPORT OF THE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.
Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Fairfield County His- torical Society :
Macaulay, in one of his inimitable essays, says : " A history in which every particular incident may be true, may on the whole be false. The circumstances which have most influence on the happiness of mankind, the changes of manners and morals, the transition of communities from porerty to wealth,
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from ignorance to knowledge, from ferocity to humanity : these are, for the most part, noiseless revolutions. Their progress is rarely indicated by what historians are pleased to eall important events. They are not achieved by armies, or enacted by senates. They are sanctioned by no treaties and recorded in no archives. They are carried on in every school, in every elmreh, behind ten thousand counters, at ten thousand firesides."
And again, the same noble author, in his review of ~ Hul- lam's Constitutional History of England," takes occasion to reassert this view of the philosophy of history, in this way :
"To call up our ancestors before us, with all their peculiari- ties of language, manners and garb, to show us over their homes, to seat us at their tables, to rummage their old-fashi- ioned wardrobes, to explain the nses of their ponderous furni- ture, these parts of the duty which properly belongs to the historian, have been appropriated by the historical novelist."
And even the great Gibbon was willing to confess, "that he owed part of his success as a historian to the observations which he made as an officer in the militia."
It is, I take it. gentlemen. in the spirit indicated by these sentiments, that our youthful society, one year ago, entered upon its work.
And it appears to me, and so I think it does to all of 1Is, that the reflections of the distinguished authors quoted, most peculiarly illustrate the character of the labors upon which we have entered.
And yet, while our duties are in the main such as above de- scribed, the history of Fairfield County is not entirely without what even Lord Macaulay would call "important events." The biography of its principal founder. the father of Connecticut . jurisprudence and the author of our constitutional govern- ment, would be an addition to any archives. And it will doubt- less surprise some of my hearers to learn, that in our county and within the reach of this society, are original autograph manuseripts relating to the military operations in Fairfield County of Gens. Washington and Putnam, and other foremost men of the Revolution, to which their signatures are affixed.
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No less curious would seem the fact that some of the gilded fragments of the equestrain statne of King George, that stood in the old Bowling Green in New York city, until de- molished by the indignant patriots, are said to be reposing peacefully in Fairfield County.
But, gentlemen, I will not detain you. Of the more formal part of the annual report of your Corresponding Secretary. there is but little, and that may be embraced in a few words.
Your correspondence has been conducted with many men- eminent in all the walks of life, both within and without New England, upon subjects germane to our purposes.
And this I desire more particularly to report, what indeed you have doubtless observed, that the interest expressed by these correspondents, and the desire manifested by them to aid us in our labors, has been remarkable. From this sign alone, your Corresponding Secretary would be willing to pre diet prolonged life and success for our cherished enterprise.
All of which is most respectfully submitted.
L. N. MIDDLEBROOK. Cor. Secretary F. C. I. Society.
After the acceptance of these reports, William A. Beers, Esq., of Fairfield, read his paper on Roger Ludlow, which has been published, and the following sketch of Rev. Rich- ardson Miner was read by the anthor:
A sketch from the life of of Richardson Miner, who from November 18th, 1730. to March 21st, 1744, was pastor of the Church of Christ at Unity (now Trumbull), by Richard C. Ambler, Esq. :
In writing upon this subject I shall be compelled to state many things which are familiar to some of you who have spent days among the records, which are the source of what little information upon the subject I possess. Hence, I beg you not to expect to be informed or instructed by my paper.
In truth, I feel at loss to attempt a paper upon a subject of this nature, in which laboring among so few facts I must be confined simply to the originality of clothing them.
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. In the first place it may be well to state as preliminary some faets which, while they may be well known to all hearers, still tend to bring to mind more elearly the situation of the work in which the subject of this sketeh was engaged.
The old town of Stratford at the beginning of the last een- tury, and later yet, comprised what is now within the limits of Stratford, a part of Bridgeport and the whole of the towns of Monroe, Huntington and Trumbull. This was subdivided into districts, not having definite boundaries, comprising New Stratford, now known as Monroe; Ripton, now Huntington ; and North Stratford or Unity, now Trumbull.
The scattered population of this large town attended "meet- ing" at Stratford proper. As the settlement increased and the people spread farther and farther back into the town. it became necessary to form a new society farther inland. This was done November 18th, 1730.
The new organization was called "Church of Christ at Unity." This society continued until May 6th, 1747, when, owing to the conversion of Richardson Miner. the pastor. to the Episcopal belief, of which eireumstance we shall hear more below, dissention followed in the church and society. The association, the General Assembly of the colony and the neighboring associations sought to advise, but the society became so broken that it was gathered anew by the council at the settlement of the next pastor. the Rev. James Becbe.
"It was natural that when the shepherd had thus sought another fold, the one he leaves should be scattered. It was so here," and we find on the record of the association that over two-thirds of the Rev. Richardson Miner's congregation at Unity followed him into the Church of England. It was these people who formed the nucleus of the parishes of Grace and Trinity Churches, Trumbull, and added many members to Christ's Church, Tashua, and to the Episcopal parishes in Huntington, Monroe and Stratford. Then, of course, the society being so disunited, could no longer appropriately be called by the name of Unity ; hence, in 1747, it was changed to the name of Church of Christ at North Stratford, which
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name it continued to hold until the town of Trumbull was set off from Stratford in 1798.
Of the birthplace of Richardson Miner, there has been some doubt, which doubt has been entirely removed by fol- lowing up a circumstance which laid open a long missing elne. The Rev. Dr. E. E. Beardsley in his history of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, Vol. 1, page 142, speaks of Mr. Miner as going home for orders. Now, it being a fact that he did go to England for Episcopal ordination, of course Dr. Beards- ley in speaking of his going home implies that his home was in England. That this was a faet seemed highly improbable.
Mr. Miner graduated at the age of 22 from Yale College in the class of 1726. a class of 23 members, the largest that had graduated since the organization of the college. Now only the sons of men who possessed some considerable wealth were sent to college in those days, and it is hardly probable that an Englishman of means would have left the world re- nowned universities of England to edneate his son in a yonng college in the colonies.
Of the date of the birth of Mr. Miner, I find the following in his own handwriting, made upon the society records of Unity, after entering the birth and baptism of his son, as fol- lows: " William, son of the Rev. Richardson Miner and his wife, Elizebeth, born November ye 24th, 1739, baptized No- vember ye 25th." He made the following posteript: " N. B .- The above sd Revd. Mr. Miner was born November ye 25th, 1701."
With this record alone would we have been left and all knowledge of his birthplace and ancestors would have been unknown, had it not been for the precision and exactness with which he made record of all his ministerial aets. In the Unity records, upon a neglected fly leaf, the careful observer will find entries written by Mr. Miner that time has nearly effaced. Among these he recorded the faet of his being at Stonington on two occasions, and on one of these times, July 20th. 1740, at North Parish, he baptized Robert, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Miner. The distance of Stonington from Unity, taken into consideration with the difficulties of traveling in
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those early days, and also the fact of the baptism of a person in that place named Miner, led me to surmise that perhaps Stonington was his early home.
I find that the date of Richardson's birth in the Miner family records coincides fully with his postscript made on the records at Unity, thereby to my mind sufficiently identifying the person to be the same. Also, the New London family record not only mentions Samuel Miner (who, by the way, was half brother of Richardson) and his wife Elizabeth. but also that Samuel and Elizabeth Miner had a son Robert, born July 4th and baptized July 20th, 1740, which to a letter confirms the entry on the Unity records. This Robert Miner died un- married in the French army at Crown Point, August 30th, 1761.
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