USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > The town and city of Waterbury, Connecticut, from the aboriginal period to the year eighteen hundred and ninety-five. Volume III > Part 1
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Go 974.602 W29la v.3 1142417
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
n 3 1833 01105 5644
E
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/towncityofwaterb03ande_0
T HE TOWN AND CITY OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, FROM THE ABORIGINAL PERIOD TO THE YEAR EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE.
EDITED BY JOSEPH ANDERSON, D. D. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ANNA L. WARD.
FORT W
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
ALLEN COUNTY IND.
VOLUME III.
NEW HAVEN : THE PRICE & LEE COMPANY. 1896.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1896, BY THE PRICE & LEE COMPANY, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME III.
The numbering of the chapters and pages in Volumes II and III is continuous. In Volume I the pages of this third volume are sometimes referred to as contained in Volume II.
CHAPTER PAGE
XXXI. THE CHURCHES IN THE MODERN ERA, . . 561 By the Rev. Joseph Anderson, D. D., E. N. Folsom and others.
XXXII. THE FIRST CHURCH FROM 1826 TO 1864, . 579 By Dr. Anderson. 1142417 601 By Dr. Anderson. The biography of Dr. Anderson by the Rev. F. Stanley Root.
XXXIII. THE FIRST CHURCH SINCE 1865, .
XXXIV. THE SECOND AND THIRD CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES, . 629
By Douglas F. Maltby (pp. 629-636), the Rev. F. P. Waters and others.
XXXV. ST. JOHN'S PARISH SINCE 1830, . 645 By the Hon. Frederick J. Kingsbury, LL. D.
XXXVI. TRINITY PARISH; ITS CHURCH AND ITS WORK, . . 663 By Mr. Kingsbury.
XXXVII. THE BAPTIST CHURCHES, . 670 By Professor David G. Porter and Dr. Anderson.
XXXVIII. THE STORY OF METHODISM, . 693 By Anson F. Abbott (pp. 693-721) and Dr. Anderson.
XXXIX. THE PARISH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, . 727 By the Rev. James H. O' Donnell.
XL. OTHER ROMAN CATHOLIC PARISHES, . By the late Rev. John H. Duggan (pp. 753-760), the Rev. J. H. O'Donnell and the Rev. Farrell Martin, D. D.
753
XLI. THE LATER PROTESTANT ORGANIZATIONS, . 773 By Dr. Anderson.
XLII. THE LEGAL PROFESSION AND THE COURTS, 790 By Mr. Kingsbury, Dr. Anderson and others.
0
iv
CONTENTS OF VOLUME III.
CHAPTER
PAGE
XLIII, PHYSICIANS, DENTISTS, DRUGGISTS,
828
By Dr. Anderson and others. Biographies by various writers.
XLIV. CHARITY, PHILANTHROPY AND REFORM, .
.
. 879
By Charles F. Chapin, Dr. Anderson, Anson F. Abbott and others.
XLV. POETS AND PROSE WRITERS, . 922 By Dr. Anderson.
XLVI. "THE AMERICAN " AND OTHER NEWSPAPERS, . . 968 By Mr. Chapin. "The Republican" by Thomas D. Wells. Biographies by Mr. Chapin and others.
XLVII. LIBRARIES, BOOK-STORES, LITERARY SOCIETIES, . 1002 By Homer F. Bassett, M. A. (pp. 1004-1009), Arthur Reed Kimball and others.
XLVIII. PAINTERS, SCULPTORS AND ARCHITECTS, 1031 By Miss Charlotte Benedict and Dr. Anderson. Water- bury coinage (pp. 1053-1059) by the late Thomas S. Collier, New London.
XLIX. MUSIC AND MUSICIANS, . . 1062 By Albert J. Blakesley.
L. THE DRAMA AND OTHER AMUSEMENTS, . 109I By Mr. Kimball (pp. 1091-1112) and Mr. Chapin.
LI. THE MASONIC AND OTHER FRATERNITIES, . III8 By the late Nathan Dikeman (pp. 1118-1131), Mr. Chapin and others. Odd Fellowship by Henry W. French.
LII. MILITARY LIFE SINCE THE REVOLUTION, . . II78 By Captain Charles W. Burpee and Mr. Chapin.
INDEX TO THE ENTIRE HISTORY, . . 124I
By Miss Anna L. Ward.
PORTRAITS IN THIS VOLUME.
ON STEEL.
PAGE
Atkins, Irenus,
682
Bassett, Homer Franklin,
IO16
Boughton, Henry Isaac,
808
Bronson, Bennet,
797
Bronson, Henry,
855
Carter, Calvin Holmes,
806
Clark, Jacob Lyman,
648
DeForest, Erastus Lyman, .
896 876 I231
Duggan, John Henry,
753
Hill, Robert Wakeman,
1048
Johnson, Horace Chauncey,
1033
Judd, Sturges Morehouse, .
II33
Kellogg, Stephen Wright, .
803
Leavenworth, Melines Conkling,
837
Magill, Seagrove William,
636
Micou, Richard Wilde,
668
Mulcahy, John Aloysius,
746
Munson, Luzerne Ithiel, North, Alfred,
842
Peck, Henry Brandagee,
1218
Platt, Gideon Lucian,
838
Porter, Timothy,
680
Rockwell, Philo Guiteau,
857
MISCELLANEOUS.
PAGE
Abbott, Sarah Tyler,
(200
Alcott, Amos Bronson,
032
Bronson, Silas,
1014
Cooke, Edward Bronson,
077
Dougherty, Thomas Dennis,
S41
Hendricken, Thomas Francis,
Holmes, Reuben,
1195
Hopkins, Samuel Miles,
524
Ives, Ambrose,
SOS
Kingsbury, Henry Walter,
1211
Kingsbury, Julius Jesse Bronson,
1191
Lynch, James,
241
McDermott, James T.,
877
Dikeman, Nathan, .
Doherty, John Bush,
vi
PORTRAITS.
PAGE
Martin, Farrell,
771
Neville, Edwin Michael,
I220
Nineteenth century pastors of the First church (ten portraits),
. 614
O'Neile, Michael,
733
Peck, Mrs. Mary,
712
Peck, Mary Philena, .
713
Perry, James H.,
716
Porter, Joseph,
834
Smyth, James,
730
Trumbull, John,
924
Walsh, Lawrence,
. 743
.
.
.
.
.
.
-
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THIS VOLUME.
PAGE
Building of the Young Men's Christian association,
571
The Mill Plain chapel, 577
Fourth house of worship of the First church, 589
Fifth house of worship of the First church, 606 Parsonage of the First church, 1893, 612
Second Congregational church, 1857, 630
Second Congregational church and adjoining buildings, January 19, 1857,
631
Second Congregational church, 1857 to 1894,
New Second Congregational church, 1893,
Third Congregational church,
St. John's church as enlarged in 1839.
St. John's church, built in 1848,
St. John's church, January 19, 1857.
653
St. John's church, 1889, 655 661
St. Paul's chapel, Waterville,
666
The first Baptist church, 1835, fronting on South Main street,
674 677
First Baptist church, Bank street, 1860 to 1877,
First Baptist church, Grand street, 678 690
Baptist chapel, Simonsville,
691
German Baptist church,
692
Ruins of the birth-place of the Waterbury Methodist church,
The first Methodist church, 1833, 705
The Methodist Episcopal church in 1857, . 707
First Methodist Episcopal church, 1889, 709
Grace Methodist Episcopal church, Waterville,
721
St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal church, 722
Chapel street Methodist Episcopal church, 724
African Methodist Episcopal Zion church, 725
The first Roman Catholic church, 1847,
7.31 736
St. Patrick's hall,
St. Mary's convent, .
St. Patrick's church, .
Parochial residence, St. Patrick's church,
Church of the Sacred Heart,
Parochial residence, parish of the Sacred Heart,
St. Anne's church,
764 -66
St. Cecilia's church, .
Universalist chapel, .
774
Second Advent church.
German Lutheran church,
777 780
632 634 644 651 652 653
St. John's church, after the fire of December 24, 1868,
Trinity church,
The Simonsville Baptist church,
Church of the Immaculate Conception; also parochial residence, St. Mary's parochial school,
748 749 750 755 759 702
viii
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Swedish Lutheran church. .
783
The Hall memorial chapel; Riverside cemetery gate, 787
The Newton residence; superseded by the court house in 1896,
. 793
The Kingsbury house, 795 .
Parlor and kitchen of the Kingsbury house,
796
The Bennet Bronson house,
. 798
The Castle block, and Dr. W. L. Barber's residence and office, Dr. C. S. Rodman's residence; also the Waterbury Club house, The Johnson house, .
844
845
Store of the Apothecaries' Hall company, 1849 to 1891,
Apothecaries' Hall company and Bohl's block, 1894,
872 873 874
The almshouse of 1839, 883 884
The almshouse, 1893.
The Waterbury hospital.
892 898
The Industrial school building,
The Welton drinking fountain and the City Hall,
905 929
A. Bronson Alcott's second home, .
970
Residence of E. B. Cooke, . 978
989
The Bronson library,
IOII
Studio of H. C. Johnson,
1034
Studio of George E. Bissell in Paris, with the figure which surmounts the Soldiers' monument, .
1038
Seal of the Photographic society of Waterbury,
. IO43
Tokens for hard times, 1056
Columbian Exposition award medal, obverse,
1060
Columbian Exposition award medal, reverse,
106I
The Jacques Opera House, .
1095
The first Masonic lodge room,
II23
Masonic temple,
1124
Monument in the Masonic burial lot, Riverside cemetery,
II27
Masonic medal, II34
The Odd Fellows' building,
II39
Monument to Col John L. Chatfield,
I208
Captain Neville's medal of honor, .
. I22I
The Soldiers' monument,
. I240
Sandy bottom, Naugatuck river, near the farm of Robert K. Brown, facing 124I
First number of the Waterbury American,
First number of the Waterbury Daily Republican,
CHAPTER XXXI.
FOUR ERAS OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY-DENOMINATIONAL DIVISION- NATIVE AMERICAN CHURCHES-IMMIGRATION-GROWTH OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH-THE PROTESTANT POPULATION- CANVASSES AT DIFFERENT PERIODS-MATERIAL PROGRESS-MUL- TIPLICATION OF EDIFICES AND ORGANIZATIONS-MOVEMENTS TOWARD REUNION-THE FRATERNAL SPIRIT-UNION MEETINGS- UNION SOCIETIES-UNION CHAPELS-THE SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION -THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION-CHRISTIAN VISITA- TION AND CHARITY-CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR UNION-MILL PLAIN CHAPEL-BUNKER HILL CHAPEL.
T HE ecclesiastical history of Waterbury, considered in a broad and general way, may be divided into four periods. These periods, although consecutive, are not distinctly marked, but to a certain extent overlap one another. The first is the period of exclusive Congregationalism. It extended from the origin of the set- tlement to the immigration of the first Episcopalians, but may be regarded as continuing to the establishment of a new ecclesiastical society at Westbury (now Watertown) in 1738. The second is the period of territorial disintegration, and extended from 1738 to 1826, when Columbia society (now Prospect) was established. The third is the period of denominational subdivision, and might strictly be con- sidered as having begun at the date already mentioned, when rep- resentatives of the Church of England first settled in the town. The denominational era really began, however, with the appear- ance of such new denominations as the Baptists and Methodists, about the beginning of the nineteenth century, and has continued until the present time. At the dedication of the present house of worship of the First Baptist church, May 31, 1883, our denomina- tional history was summed up, briefly and in a friendly spirit, by one of the speakers in the following statement :*
I speak not simply as a Congregationalist, but as representing all these Protes- tant churches. And if you will glance back with me over the past, you will see that I have a certain right to appear in this capacity. The first settlers of this old town came from Farmington, and they came, let us bear in mind, as members of the Congregational church in that place. For nearly twenty years they made their weekly journey of twenty miles, that they might worship God with their
* The address was published in full in the Waterbury American of June 6, 1553.
36
562
HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
brethren in the Farmington meeting-house. The first church in Waterbury-the church which I represent to-day-was organized in 1691, and the first house of worship was erected in 1692. It was a Congregational church; and with good reason, for in those days there was nothing else in Connecticut. For fifty years, from the settlement of the town onward, we had it all to ourselves. We call it "the good old Congregational way," but, at all events, it was our own way, and we could not tolerate any other.
It was not until 1722 that any man heard within the ancient limits of the town a note of "dissent," or saw any token of "schism." But about that time there appeared here and there a "churchman,"-some one cherishing an attachment for the church of England and its ministry, and possessing courage enough to repeat the Lord's prayer aloud. The churchmen increased in numbers, and by 1742 they had not only a congregation but a church edifice and their career of prosperity was begun. From that time the Congregationalists did not have every- thing their own way, but the two denominations divided things between them. We were two highly respectable, dignified, well established organizations, getting along comfortably together by dividing the ecclesiastical taxes between us, and little anticipating any new forms of dissent.
But about the beginning of the present century a new element began to appear. The energy, the glowing zeal of Methodism had made itself felt in the old New England parishes, and Waterbury did not escape the spiritual contagion. In 1800 we find traces of Methodist preaching and worship in the town, and in 1832 the Methodist society is strong enough to have a meeting house of its own. And about the same time appeared another " sect," rather harder for the old folk to get along with in some respects than either of the others -- the Baptists. As you may see on the new corner-stone, out here, they organized a church in 1803; in ISIS they built a meeting-house in the northeast part of the town, two miles and a half away; in 1835 they built at the centre, right in the midst of things, and now they have erected and finished and dedicated the beautiful structure in which we are assembled to-night.
Such is our church history, very hastily outlined; and you can see, from this brief sketch, that in one respect at least the old "First church" is like the " Jerusalem which is above "; it is " the mother of us all." We are not related in quite the same organic way, but these churches are all children of the old church. aud sisters one to another.
But within the period thus outlined new tendencies have begun to appear; a " movement" has in fact developed, which may be considered a movement toward reunion, although thus far it has not passed beyond the stage of denominational co-operation. It is, however, so distinct and so influential in the ecclesiastical life of the Protestant community that it deserves to be regarded as creat- ing a new era. This new era may be dated from the attempt, in 1828, to organize an interdenominational Bible society in the town, and this date corresponds very nearly with the opening of the borough period, at which our second volume begins.
The process of territorial disintegration, and the fact that its origin in each case was ecclesiastical, have been made clear in Volume I. The process of denominational subdivision, the story
563
THE CHURCHES IN THE MODERN ERA.
of the incoming of such organizations as the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, and the record of denominational co-operation belong obviously to the present volume.
The Baptist and Methodist movements, whatever their origin may have been, were American; they found their chief field and did their chief work amidst the native American population. The same is true of Adventism, half a century later. But the establish- ment of Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism in the town must be explained in a different way,-as a natural result of the Irish immi- gration in the one case and the later German and Swedish immigrations in the other. The Irish immigration has been so extensive, the Irish-American stock so productive, the Roman Catholic church so strong in its grasp upon its own people, and the administration of its affairs so thorough and successful, that it is now not only larger than any other denomination in the town, it probably exceeds all the others taken together. Of late years its place in the community has been still further strengthened by the incoming of immigrants from southern Europe and from Canada, and by the establishment of Roman Catholic schools and societies.
In the chapter on "Catholicity" in Waterbury its origin is related and its remarkable progress sufficiently set forth. A cor- responding history of Protestantism as a whole would be difficult to construct, although it might be gleaned to a large extent from the narratives of the several churches. At different times, how- ever, canvasses of the Protestant population have been made, and statements have been published which enable us to trace after a fashion the growth of Protestant church life in the community. There was, for example, a canvass made of the city and town in 1865, by an agent of the American Bible society, in which were col- lected "statistics sufficient to fill two considerable volumes." According to a summary published in the Waterbury American (Sep- tember 29, of that year), 1900 families were visited, numbering 9008 persons, and of these 859 families were Protestant and 718 Roman Catholic. Of the 1900 families, 323 reported themselves as not attending any of the churches, and very few of these were Roman Catholics. At this rate, the church-going Protestants were con- siderably fewer, even in 1865, than the Catholics, and out of a popu- lation of 10,000 only 2700 were to be reckoned as belonging to the church-going Protestant class.
Another canvass, or rather, a count of the attendance at public worship in the Protestant churches, was made on a Sunday morn- ing in 1889. On that day (January 13), the weather being favor- able, the attendance at the morning services numbered 2847 per-
564
HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
sons (more than three-fifths of whom were women) and the evening attendance 2164. Supposing the Protestant population at that time to have numbered 15,000, the revelation of non-attendance and pre- sumable neglect of public worship is rather startling, but the facts brought to light are of value rather for "evangelistic" uses than as indicating the denominational attachments of the community and the actual growth of the churches relatively to the population. In the address above quoted, the growth of the churches between 1868 and 1883, as revealed in their material prosperity, is set forth as follows:
It is an important question for Waterbury Christians whether the growth of religion has kept pace with our growth in material things. Does the church in this busy city keep pace with the world? Do the Protestant churches keep pace with the Protestant world? The question is a difficult one to answer: for there are many sides to it. But I would point you, this evening, to the answer given by our church edifices. Some fifteen years ago, those living near the centre, if they looked out of their windows between Christmas eve and Christmas morning, might have seen a strange and startling brightness in the sky, revealing the fact that the old St. John's church was on fire, -- a Christmas gift ascending to heaven in flames. That noble edifice, worthy to protect the worshippers of generations to come, was succeeded by the still nobler edifice which occupies the old site to-day. This was the first of a series of new churches, the erection of which our own eyes have wit- nessed. Since that time the congregation of St. John's has divided, a new parish has been formed, and the corner stone of "Trinity " has just been laid. Its mas- sive walls are now rising heavenward. In 1875 the church and society which I represent completed and dedicated their new edifice-the fifth which they have built in two hundred years-thus providing accommodations under one roof for a thousand worshippers. Our sister and daughter church-the Second Congrega- tional-is only waiting a little while, ere it follows our example. Some six or seven years ago the Methodist society disposed of the old house of worship and built another, large enough, with its spacious chapel and parlors, to serve as a hospital for the state. And now the Baptist church has completed its new " church house," and to-day it has been dedicated to sacred uses. Here, then-to say nothing of what our Roman Catholic friends have done-is a partial answer to the question whether the church, in this prosperous city, has kept pace with the world. Compare these new and stately edifices with the houses in which we ourselves have worshipped during the past fifteen or twenty years, and you will see what progress has been made. If we had stood still, we might well feel that we had gone backward; but our religious organizations have shared in the general pros- perity, and I believe our progress has been genuine.
Between 1883 and 1895, the process of church extension has gone forward in all the denominations here mentioned, and besides these the Lutherans have built two churches, the Adventists have become well established, and the Salvation Army has done an important work. The Protestant churches in 1860 were five, and their com- municants numbered 1557. In 1883 the number of communicants was 3000. Between 1860 and 1880 the population of the town
565
THE CHURCHES IN THE MODERN ERA.
increased from 10,004 to 20,269, or 102 per cent. The increase in the membership of the Protestant churches during the same period was 1421. At the present time there are seventeen Protestant churches (or parishes) in the town, and six Roman Catholic, but the population of the Catholic parishes is much larger, on the average, than that of the Protestant. Their names and the dates of their establishment are as follows :
The First church (Congregational), I69I
St. John's (Protestant Episcopal), about 1740
First Baptist, . 1803
First Methodist Episcopal, 1815
Immaculate Conception (Roman Catholic),
1847
Second Congregational, 1852
Second Advent, 1869
Catholic Apostolic, 1870
Trinity (P. E.), 1877
African M. E. Zion, I879
St. Patrick's (R. C.), 1880
Waterville (M. E.), 1884
Sacred Heart (R. C.),
1885
St. Anne's (R. C.),
1886
St. Paul's (M. E.),
1888
Chapel Street (M. E.),
I889
German Lutheran,
1890
Swedish Lutheran,
I 890
Third Congregational,
1892
Second Baptist, .
1892
St. Cecilia's (R. C.),
1892
German Baptist,
1894
St. Joseph's (R. C.),
1894 *
In the address already quoted the speaker referred to the denominational divisions which had taken place in the following terms:
The present condition of things results from the twofold fact that we did not at first understand the law of liberty, but have learned to understand it now. There is an incident related in the records of the First church which, although not greatly to our credit, I somehow like to refer to. It is this, that in the year 1800, on the Fourth of July-day consecrated to liberty-that church took action looking to the excommunication of certain good people for the crime of being Methodists. They were excommunicated in September following, and the cause of the church was triumphantly sustained by the citation of Titus iii, 10: "A man that is a heretic. after the first and second admonition reject." That was in isoo -- not so very far back in the past; but we have long ago given up expelling men for being Metho-
* A Universalist Society was organized in 1868, but ceased to hold services in 1874. The Waterbury corps of the Salvation Army was organized in 1802. Public worship has been conducted by the Hebrews of Waterbury since 1872, and by the orthodox (Russian) Hebrews since 1893.
566
HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
dists. Our attitude toward the Baptists, it seems to me must have been different from the first. . For, my friends, these are the days of fraternity. Stand- ing here to-night, I let my thoughts run back to the first week of the year and the weeks following; I think of those memorable meetings in which our four churches united; and I cannot but bless God for the progress that has been made since 1800, and for our present brotherhood as well as our present prosperity. Each of these churches believes in its own type of church life, but each of them believes still more in the church catholic. In this catholic spirit we have come hither this evening, forgetting denominational differences.
The "union " meetings here referred to, held during the "week of prayer," may be taken as representative of various union move- ments and union organizations by which the latest era in our eccle- siastical life is characterized. The services held by the united con- gregations of the Congregational, Baptist and Methodist churches on Thanksgiving days and Fast days have become in Waterbury, as in other cities, an established "institution," while in times of spe- cial religious interest union meetings have been conducted in the different churches in rotation for weeks at a time. Such meetings were held in 1868, during the visits of the evangelists A. P. Graves and J. D. Potter; also during the "revival " under the preaching of the Messrs. Underwood (father and son) in 1875, during the " rail- road revival " in 1876, during the visit of Dr. George F. Pentecost in 1880 and during that of the Rev. B. Fay Mills in 1894. There have also been "temperance revivals " and "temperance campaigns" which have united the several churches in reformatory efforts and called together large union audiences for weeks in succession,- notably, the campaign conducted by Thomas E. Murphy in 1893.
It appears from the records of the First church that on Novem- ber 13, 1828, the church
Voted unanimously that there be a committee appointed to ascertain (if any) all the families that may be destitute of the Holy Bible within the limits of this society. Said committee are to co-operate with all committees that may be appointed by the different religious societies for said purpose .*
A committee of ten men was chosen, and so far as we know, this was the first movement in Waterbury toward that denominational co-operation which has become so nearly universal during the past seventy years, and has resulted in the organization of so many societies for doing religious and charitable work outside of the individual church. One of the earliest of these organizations was the Waterbury Sunday school union. A few years later came the
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