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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 03247 9542
Gc 974.602 T63t Thomson, Eloise M. Trinity Church, Torrington, Connecticut
Centennial
of it
Parish
Trinity Church
Torrington, Connecticut
3
1843
1943
"Our Help In Ages Past, Our Hope For Years To Come."
1
Allen County Public Library 900 Webster Street PO Box 2270 Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270
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TRINITY CENTENNIAL
Message From The President
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February .. 4, 1943.
Dear Mr. Hine:
It gives me great pleasure to send hearty greet- ings to the Rector, Wardens, Vestry and Congrega- tion on the happy occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Trinity Parish. I am most grateful for the assurance that I have a remembrance in their prayers.
The Centennial of Trinity comes at a time of grave crisis in our national life and in world affairs. This crisis emphasizes anew man's dependence on the everlasting reality of religion. I trust that the commemoration of your centenary will inspire all who participate with a renewed sense of the strength that lies in spiritual things.
Very sincerely yours, FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT.
Reverend H. Francis Hine, Rector, Trinity Church, Torrington, Connecticut.
TRINITY CHURCH
Trinity Church Torrington, Connecticut
. .. ...
With Parish History Compiled By
Eloise M. Thomson
The Torrington Printing Co. Torrington, Conn.
1943
THE REV. HENRY FRANCIS HINE, B. D. RECTOR OF TRINITY CHURCH
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The Rector's Message
We cross the threshold of Trinity's second cen- tury in almost breathless expectancy. 4
What does the future hold? No one dare proph- esy.
Life is a story in volumes three,
The past, the present, the yet to be.
The first is written and laid away,
The second we're writing every day.
The third and last of the volumes three
Is locked from sight-
GOD keepeth the key.
But this we know: goodness will overcome evil; light will banish darkness, for "GOD is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."
Already the first far pennants of the morning lift above the east and the golden spearheads of the day march through the gates of dawn to press their conquest down all roads of the retreating shadows till comes the occupying splendor of the fully risen sun.
More than a story, life is a drama in which we all share: it is a continuing play, and as the curtain rises on Act II, scene 1, we find ourselves on the stage. Into its setting and its performance go all of our memories, our hopes, our plans, our duty, our . days, our moments.
We do not make the plot-thank GOD. He, the Great Designer, does that. But we, the players, have to learn His thoughts, speak His truth, carry out His purposes.
We are not saved-the world is not saved-by self-carved character, but by the grace of GOD. This
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grace produces Christ-made character, and that alone has survival value.
Nothing spiritual can ever cease. The Church is essentially spiritual, a spiritual process. Neverthe- less it operates through "material" means, through bodies, through the efforts of men and women. The Church's setting, its milieu, is very earthly, very hu- man. You and I, followers in Christ's train, and those who come after us, are the channels of this work which is imperishable, which penetrates beyond the confines of the visible and temporal, outlasts the centuries and endures longer than the sun and moon and stars, - which is immortal!
As the years go by, our problem is to incarnate the Eternal; to inculcate spiritual principles in the natural order; to keep alive those dynamic forces by which alone the world can be sustained in righteous- ness and the Truth which sets men free. Only so can evils such as war be destroyed.
How shall they be distinguished who accept the challenge? By their radiant integrity. By a "glory which exalteth" in all their dealings - moral scru- pulousness in business, punctilious discharge of ob- ligation, candor of speech, just regards for the rights of others. Beacons of hope, they are the dawn-men, the morning-men, with visions of the new day. Cheer- ful and bright, joyous beyond others, they are lamps shining down the lost road, unveiling vistas of inviting possibility. They are "restorers of paths".
Through Trinity Church the Religion of Christ Who is the Truth has pulsated in this community in the past. May it continue so to do! May it abound in our lives! We shall find happiness as we try to
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perpetuate this glorious heritage of ours in the place we love so well.
Forward! be our watchword, Steps and voices joined: Seek the things before us, Not a look behind: Burns the fiery pillar At our army's head; Who shall dream of shrinking, By our Captain led? Forward through the desert, Through the toil and fight! Jordan flows before us; Sion beams with light. Far o'er yon horizon Rise the city towers, Where our GOD abideth; That fair home is ours. Thither, onward thither, In the Spirit's might! Pilgrims to your country,
Forward into light! Till the veil be lifted, Till our faith be sight.
Let us go forward-remembering!
THE REV. H. FRANCIS HINE.
Torrington, Connecticut. Septuagesima Sunday, February 21, 1943.
THE RT. REV. FREDERICK G. BUDLONG, D. D. BISHOP OF CONNECTICUT
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Message From The Bishop
207 FARMINGTON AVENUE HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
January 8th, 1943.
To the Rector and Parishioners of Trinity Parish Torrington, Connecticut.
Dear Brethren:
A review of the history of Trinity Parish reveals what extensive service has been rendered by the Parish and of what superlative value it has been in the community for one hundred years.
You have been blessed with able, consecrated and untiring Rectors, and you have given them whole-hearted cooperation in the worship and work of the Parish.
As your Bishop, I am proud of what you have done and of what you are doing, and I am confident that the service of the Parish in the days ahead will be a gratification and an inspiration to the Church as a whole.
My warmest congratulations to you all upon your anniversary, and my prayers for God's blessing upon your endeavors through the coming years.
Faithfully yours,
FREDERICK G. BUDLONG,
Bishop of Connecticut.
3 1833 03247 9542
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From The Presiding Bishop
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CHURCH MISSIONS HOUSE
281 FOURTH AVENUE 1 NEW YORK, N. Y.
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDING BISHOP
To the Members of Trinity Church
Torrington, Connecticut.
Trinity Parish is celebrating its Centennial. This anniversary marks the attainment of another impor- tant milestone in the history of your Parish and I extend personal greetings and congratulation to you upon this occasion.
I would remind you that a glorious past is of little value unless you can look forward to a future of greater service and dedication. Hence, I would suggest that at this time you not only recall the his- tory of your distinguished Parish but that you look to the present and future, seeking to discover where you can be of even greater usefulness to Christ and His Church at this important moment in history. Grave days are ahead of the Church and I am sure Trinity Parish will now highly resolve to play her part in these days.
My best wishes to you.
Yours faithfully,
The RT. REV. HENRY ST. G. TUCKER,
Presiding Bishop.
New York, N. Y.
January 19, 1943.
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From The Governor
QUI
USTINE
IRANSTU
STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS HARTFORD
Januray 20, 1943.
Reverend H. Francis Hine Rector, Trinity Church Torrington, Connecticut.
My dear Mr. Hine:
I congratulate the Rector, Wardens, Vestrymen and the good people of Trinity Church, Torrington on the One Hundredth Birthday of the Parish.
The passing of a century has seen some marked changes in Torrington. From early beginnings in industry the city has developed into one of the im- portant industrial centers of the United States. The products and workmanship of the people of Torring- ton are known the world around.
During the changing years your Parish has play- ed a vital part in building and maintaining the moral fiber of the community. During all the difficulties of business and industrial revolution and the fire and trial of wars the Church of Christ has offered the one true light to inspire hope and dispel fear.
With foundations built upon such a glorious past of service your Parish and its good people are con- tinuing, I am sure, the work of the Church so that with God's Help we can face the future with bright promise and unafraid.
Yours very sincerely, RAYMOND E. BALDWIN,
Governor.
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From The Mayor
The Rev. H. Francis Hine Rector, Trinity Church Torrington, Connecticut.
Dear Mr. Hine:
As mayor of the City of Torrington, I take pleas- ure in extending felicitations to Trinity Parish on the occasion of its 100th birthday.
For 100 years, Trinity has been an integral and important part of this community. Its growth and service have ever kept pace with the growth of the community itself. Its contributions to the common task of making Torrington a better and more desir- able place in which to live have been notable.
You have good reason to be proud of the record of achievement of the past 100 years. May these achievements continue through the years to come.
Very sincerely yours,
WILLIAM A. PATTEN,
Mayor of Torrington.
Torrington, Connecticut.
February 1, 1943.
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A Prayer For Trinity Parish
O ALMIGHTY GOD, Who has joined us together in a fellowship of service, send Thy blessing upon this our Parish Church which our forerunners or- ganized and built to the glory of Thy Name. May it ever abound in the beauty of worship, in the word of Thy truth, and in holiness of life. Grant Thy grace and peace to all who enter it; accept their praises and answer their prayers according to Thy will. And may the light and truth of Thy Holy Spirit go forth from it even unto the ends of the earth. Amen.
A Suggestion
Among the special needs of Trinity Church, to carry on its work and make it an instrument for GOD's glory and an agency for good through the long future, is a considerable addition to its endow- ment fund.
In answer to inquiries from members and friends of Trinity who plan to remember the Parish in their wills, the following form is suggested:
"I give and bequeath to the Rector, Church Wardens and Vestrymen of Trinity Church at Tor- rington, Connecticut, the sum of $. in trust nevertheless, the same to be invested by them and kept in good and lawful securities, and the in- come thereof to be applied to the use and benefit of said Trinity Church."
THE REV. J. CHAUNCEY LINSLEY, D. D. RECTOR EMERITUS
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From The Rector Emeritus
70 SACHEM STREET NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT
Heartiest congratulations to the Rector and Peo- ple of Trinity Parish, Torrington, upon the completion of one hundred years of fruitful corporate life.
Begun by the Rev. Henry Zell, Rector of Christ Church, Harwinton, as a mission to skilled English workmen and others in the infant manufacturing vil- lage of Wolcottville, in the town of Torrington, Trinity has grown to take its place among the large parishes in our country, and ministers richly to faithful earnest people, among whom are those derived from nearly a score of European lands.
Trinity Parish inherits fine traditions. Among its richest treasures are the lives of its long line of saintly people, now in the Paradise of God, whose prayers and sacrifices made the present Parish possible. Well is it, then, to commemorate this One Hundredth Anniversary, and to give thanks to Al- mighty God for His continued sustaining care, and for the holy lives of those the fruit of whose labors are now so richly enjoyed.
Happy my lot indeed to have been connected with this Parish.
Gratefully and affectionately, J. CHAUNCEY LINSLEY.
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Trinity Church Officers
Rector, The Rev. HENRY FRANCIS HINE, B. D. Rector Emeritus,
The Rev. J. CHAUNCEY LINSLEY, D. D.
Curate, The Rev. MAURICE G. FOULKES, B. A. Supt. of Church School, MISS ETTA F. SHARP Organist and Choir Director, STANLEY BLAKE SMITH
Wardens And Vestry
Senior Warden, H. BLAKE FUESSENICH
Junior Warden, FRANK H. JOYCE
Warden Emeritus, WALTER HARRISON Clerk
HARRY W. KNICKERBOCKER
Treasurer W. B. WATERMAN Vestry MRS. T. W. BRYANT
MR. F. E. COE
MR. GEORGE T. COLT
MR. H. H. FUESSENICH
MR. H. C. GOODWIN
MR. I. B. HOLLEY
MR. ARTHUR J. HUNT
MR. KNICKERBOCKER
MR. ARTHUR M. LAWTON
MR. FLOYD A. PEARCE
MR. EDWIN M. STONE
DR. T. L. THOMSON
MR. W. B. WATERMAN
MR. ARTHUR H. WILCOX
Sexton
JOHN WESTBERG
7
44 205 358 235
INTERIOR OF TRINITY CHURCH
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History Of The Parish
Compiled By ELOISE M. THOMSON
I
The establishment of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut was attended with great difficulties and its growth was slow.
The Congregational Ecclesiastical Societies, formed contemporaneously with the towns in Con- necticut, were sanctioned by the General Assembly and were accorded the right to tax all the people for their support. Here the Nonconformists had a state church, an institution which they had bitterly fought in the mother country.
All efforts to introduce the form of worship established by the Church of England were strongly opposed and the Congregational ecclesiastical so- cieties for many years resisted every attempt of Episcopalians to gain a foothold in the colony.
But an impetus was given to the cause of the Church by the action of President Cutler and several of his associates at Yale. They read and studied volumes of Church history which had been sent to the Yale library from England and eventually, con- verted to the Episcopal faith, announced their inten- tion to go to England for ordination. This caused the utmost consternation among the Congregational so- cieties as Yale College received certain emoluments from the Colony. But it gave heart to the many small groups of Church people who had been struggling for recognition. They seized the opportunity to organize parishes in and about New Haven - in Hartford, Branford, Guilford, Newtown and as far
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north as Litchfield. St. Michael's, Litchfield was founded in 1745. Fifty years later the Church of which Trinity became a mission, Christ Church, Har- winton, was organized.
II
The first mention of Trinity Parish, Wolcottville (later Torrington), was recorded in a statement of the Rev. Henry Zell in the Convention Journal of 1843. Mr. Zell was then Rector of Christ Church, Harwinton. He reported that he had in 1842 preached every fourth Sunday in Wolcottville but in the following year he divided his time equally between Harwinton and Wolcottville with assistance from the Rector of St. Michael's. Churchmen had, he said, held serv- ices in Wolcottville twelve years before, about 1830, but when he undertook the mission he found few who had any knowledge of the Liturgy of the Church or of its rites and ceremonies.
Academy Building on South Main Street in which first Episcopal services were held.
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The old Brick Academy which still stands on South Main St. opposite Coe Park housed various church societies on alternate Sundays, the upper floor being used for school on week days. Here Mr. Zell held church services.
Under his faithful ministrations interest in the Church increased and a strong desire was manifest- ed by his parishioners to build a church edifice of their own. Mr. Zell encouraged the wish and sought every means to strengthen their purpose.
In February 1843 a legal notice was given to all persons desirous of organizing a Protestant Episcopal Parish to meet for that purpose on Tuesday, the twenty-first, at the Brick Academy. The meeting was held with the Rev. Dr. Frederick Holcomb in the chair. The organization was perfected and a con- stitution was adopted. The society took the name of Trinity Parish. The officers elected were: James Gaunt and Benjamin H. Morse, Wardens; James R. Coe, Charles Cooper, Samuel Bradley, Vestrymen; Demas Coe, Treasurer, and Benjamin H. Morse, Clerk.
The Corporate members of the Parish were: Samuel Bradley, James Gaunt, M. W. Fyler, Samuel Workman, Charles B. Smith, Benjamin H. Morse, James H. Seymour, Demas Coe, James Ashborn, Nelson Alvord, James R. Coe, Edward Atkins, Charles Cooper, James B. Phelps and Allen G. Brady.
The Rev. Mr. Zell was now removed from Har- winton and made Rector of Trinity Parish, Wolcott- ville, where he gave his entire attention to the infant society. A subscription paper was circulated and the sum of $1,481 was raised. To this, Waterbury and
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some smaller places added their gift of $600 and the total was a trifle more than two thousand dollars -for the building of a church.
With intrepid faith the hardy churchmen proceed- ed to purchase the lot at the corner of Water and Prospect Streets, where beautiful Trinity Church now stands, and before a year had passed their simple wooden structure raised its tower toward Heaven, to the glory of God. The men who had dared to un- dertake the burden of this new parish looked upon the Church they had built with reverent pride. On December fourth in 1844, though there was still a small debt on the property, Bishop Brownell con- secrated the edifice.
The Parish was poor and its maintenance de- manded sacrifices of the members all their lives but it was a loved burden, gladly borne. They must have come to believe in miracles, for when debt pressed too heavily and threatened the existence of their church, help always arrived. To that little band of humble courageous churchmen, uplifted by a su- preme faith in God, Trinity Parish owes its existence and today proudly acknowledges its debt.
At one time the parishioners of Christ Church, Harwinton, expressed an understandable doubt whether an Episcopal church could ever be built in Wolcottville, the old "Mast Swamp" where nothing grew but pines from which the masts of ships were cut. Today our wide busy Main Street lies solidly across the swamp. A search for the old records of Christ Church, long since defunct, has recently dis- covered one volume which contains the lists of mem- bers of that parish and as early as the 1840's we find evidences of an exodus to more wide-awake, if less
ORIGINAL CHURCH BUILDING WHICH STOOD ON SITE OF PRESENT CHURCH
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beautiful communities. From 1845 on there is the frequent notation, "Removed to Wolcottville." These churchmen and their families were accessions to Trinity Parish.
III
Greatly to the advantage of the Church, business took an upward turn in Wolcottville at this time bringing in many English families. These were largely members or adherents of the Mother Church and they added their numbers to the Parish. The Woolen Mill, built by Mr. Frederick Wolcott in 1813, had become a thriving industry. Mr. Samuel Work- man who arrived in Wolcottville in 1836 was first a stockholder and then owner and president of the company. One of the corporators of the Parish, he was a loyal and faithful churchman, a Vestryman and Warden whose guidance and financial support were a comfort through many dark days.
Four generations of Workmans have fol- lowed him in the Woolen Mill company and in Trini- ty Parish. His son George was church organist and Vestryman; John Workman, gentle and devout, was first Vestryman, then Junior Warden and later Senior Warden over a period of twenty-three years; James S. was a Vestryman. Samuel's two daughters, Caro- line Workman Coe and Miss Ann Workman were active members of Trinity Parish. Samuel C. Work- man who died in 1919, was for years a Vestryman to whom the Church was one of the first concerns of his life. Mr. Franklin Earl Coe, grandson of Caroline Workman Coe and great grandson of the first Samuel Workman, is at the present time a Vestryman of Trinity Parish.
INTERIOR OF THE ORIGINAL CHURCH BUILDING
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The Coe Furniture Manufacturing Company was prospering, The Alvord Carriage Company was an enterprise of much importance to the place; a grist mill and a saw mill, the lowly genesis of Hotchkiss Brothers, were busy; and the year 1834 saw the be- ginnings of the Coe Brass Manufacturing Company which recruited many outside workers, among them Englishmen, for their shops. All these industries brought more and more people into Wolcottville.
Mr. Lyman W. Coe came to Wolcottville at that time and at once affiliated with the Parish, evincing a deep interest in everything which concerned it and giving cheerful financial assistance. In 1845 he re- signed from the Wolcottville Brass Company and went to Waterbury as Secretary and Treasurer of the Waterbury Brass Company.
After Mr. Zell's departure from Wolcottville the Rev. David P. Sanford was rector for one year-until 1850. He was a man of lofty character and of ability and endeared himself to his people. He reported that in spite of the fact that the Parish had been vacant for most of the previous year the congrega- tion was then almost equal to that of former years and a brighter day seemed to have begun.
The next year the Rev. J. Downing Berry of Litch- field took temporary charge of Trinity Parish.
IV
Then followed the fruitful rectorship of the Rev. J. S. Covell. In the four years of his ministry the at- tendance at Church services was doubled and a part of the debt which hung so heavily over the Parish was paid. The Ladies Society earned enough money for thorough repairs on the church edifice.
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The confirmation classes were large. But the mem- bers of the Parish were for the most part poor and the burden of its support rested heavily on a very few. It seemed to them, often discouraged, that the Parish must for years to come depend upon the aid of The Christian Knowledge Society. It is suspected that their Rector many times paid from his own purse bills which worried his parishioners. And friends in Hart- ford, New Milford and Litchfield, with a few of the clergy, helped to meet some deficiencies.
A business depression which affected all manu- facturing firms reacted upon the churches of the East. The fact that little Trinity Parish in Wolcottville weathered the storm speaks well for its tenacity and for the strong guiding hand of its Rector. A good work well done.
In 1854 the Rev. Mr. Covell left the Wolcottville Church for St. James, Westville, and again for a time Trinity was without a Rector. The Rev. Ezra Jones and the Rev. Charles H. Seymour, Principal of the Wolcott Institute in Litchfield, served the Parish for a time.
In 1857 at the direction of the Bishop, the Parish- es of Christ Church, Harwinton and Trinity, Wolcott- ville were united, and the Rev. James Morton under- took charge of them, with residence in Harwin- ton. At the end of that time the Rev. Mr. Covell consented to return to Wolcottville and remained as Rector of Trinity Parish for five more years to strengthen and encourage it. He brought financial and spiritual blessing. He was "a faithful priest of godly life."
It was in 1863, shortly before Mr. Covell's resigna- tion, that Mr. Lyman W. Coe returned to Wolcottville
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from Waterbury. As if at a signal, prosperity came to the village and the Church. Mr. Coe again as- sumed his place in the Parish, was elected Senior Warden and took kindly command in every troubled situation. A later Rector of Trinity wrote of him: "It
TOGRAPH NOCHA CO
LOOKING UP WATER STREET ABOUT 1860, SHOWING ORIGINAL CHURCH EDIFICE IN BACKGROUND.
is not too much to say that Mr. Coe was head of the Parish as long as he lived. New courage dawned in the hearts of those whose self denial and devotion had kept the light burning in those years of difficulty, from the founding of the Parish until this new epoch." Mr. Coe's concern for the Parish was deep and last- ing. His advice and judgment and his generous contributions were always freely given.
V
An able and accomplished man, the Rev. David P. Sanford followed Mr. Covell as Rector. Mr.
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Sanford had been Rector of Trinity in 1849 for one year. He was an excellent preacher, much interest- ed in church music and a conscientious pastor. Shortly after his coming to the Parish, he raised the necessary money for needed repairs on the church edifice. It was thoroughly renovated and a recessed chancel was added.
The first service after the restoration of the Church was the marriage of Miss Mary J. Brady, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Allen G. Brady and Mr. Henry E. Hotchkiss. Mr. Brady, who became Briga- dier General in the Civil War, was one of the cor- porators and an early Vestryman of Trinity Parish. Mr. Henry E. Hotchkiss devoted many years of his life to directing Trinity choir and all musical pro- grams of the Church. He was long a Vestryman of the Parish.
The Rev. Mr. Sanford had a fine literary mind, . and what does not often accompany that gift, a practical sense. He watched the finances of the Church carefully, conscientiously attended to his parochial duties, and still found time to become editor of "The Calendar", afterwards "The Church- man", the best church paper perhaps in the country. Mrs. Sanford also contributed to the literature of the Church. After five years Mr. Sanford resigned, leav- ing a well established and nearly solvent Parish which deeply deplored his departure.
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