USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Oxford > A history of Christ Church, Quaker Farms in Oxford, Connecticut > Part 10
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Mr. Robert Hawkins tells me that the house he commenced housekeeping with his bride, Jennie Shoemaker stood on Quaker Farms Road just north of the Old Mill Road (now Barry Road) directly opposite Miss Palmer's house, (now Mrs. Congdon's), and originally the Wells Judson House). The little house is now torn down, only the well and the lilac bush remaining.
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SUNDAY SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT
In the same issue of the Seymour Record (Mar. 29, 1894) is found the account of a Sunday School Entertainment given below, which was held Tuesday Mar. 27, 1894, in which some of the older members may recognize themselves as performers, -
"The entertainment on Tuesday of this week given for the benefit of the Sunday School was well attended and an enjoyable affair, and every one thought the 10 cents admission at the door was none too much for the pleasures of the evening. The pro- gram which we give in full was carried out to the letter.
Singing by the choir,
The Spinning Wheel, a tableau, Miss Susan B. Ryder A Basket of Flowers, Clara Hawkins
The Wreck of the Hesperus, Jessie Hinman
Charity, Sadie Lewis
Catch the Sunshine, Maria Morris
Pretty is that Pretty Does, Harriet Morris
In Trouble, Flossie Hinman He didnt think, Charlie Hinman Cherry Time, Cora Hinman Brown's Mistakes, Alfred Tilquist Spring, Carrie Tilquist
A Beautiful Mansion, Huldah Tilquist
The Last Hymn, Margaret Robinson Singing by the Choir
Our Country's Wealth, a Dialogue Singing
Papa's Letter, Annie Oleson
Singing, George, Willie, and Fred Yarrington.
A Selection, by Edith Wooster
Dittle Dolly Dumpling, M. Olive Davis Who Stole the Nest, Noyes Wooster An Easter Carol, Jessie Lum. The Three Copecks, Emma Thompson
Dollie's Pocket, Clare Thompson
Suppose, Lizzie Thompson
Singing, George, Willie and Fred Yarrington Discontent, Percy Ohl A Long Time Ago, Essie Carter The Cherry Tree, Edward Yarrington
The Little Gardener, Willie Yarrington The Story of an Apple, Fred Thompson The Three Billy Goats, Essie Carter. Recitation by Miss Fairchild's School
Widder Green's Last Words, Miss Maybell Warner.
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THE CHURCH REPAINTED - 1896
The Seymour Record of Nov. 19, 1896 tells of the repainting of the Church. "There will be a service and Sunday School at the Hall on Sunday next beginning at 1 P.M. Mr. Hooper has a gang of men painting and repairing the church. The services are necessarily omitted there while the work is being done."
This was while the Rev. Mr. Morris was in charge.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, COLORED EVANGELIST
In the same issue of the Seymour Record, it is recorded that "George Washington, the colored evangelist, who has held a series of meetings at the Hall, has gone to New Milford to con- tinue his work there."
MR. MORRIS RESIGNS - 1898
In 1898, the Rev. Mr. Morris resigned the charge of St. Peter's, Oxford, and Christ Church, Quaker Farms, and became rector of Christ Church, Bethany. It will be remembered that he had been rector there just prior to coming to Quaker Farms.
THE REV. EDWARD THOMSON MATHISON AND THE REV. WILLIAM ATWATER WOODFORD 1898-1900
In the 1898 and 1899 Convention Journals, Mr. Mathison, Rec- tor of Immanuel Church Ansonia, is recorded as "Minister in charge" of Christ Church, Quaker Farms, - in the latter year with Mr. Woodford as Asst. Minister, (June 1899), and Mr. Wood- ford's post office address is given as Quaker Farms, which in- dicates that he lived here.
The wardens were Messrs Ryder and Skidmore and the clerk and treasurer, Mr. Charles A. Davis. In 1899 the Trustees of Donations and Bequests report having received "From the will of Benjamin Nichols, late of Ansonia, two notes made by Corne- lius Ryder, one of six hundred dollars, one of $1650.00 and $750.00 in cash, income to be paid to Christ Church, Quaker Farms to be used for care of two cemeteries at Quaker Farms and for the insurance and repairs of Christ Church". They re- port total of funds held for Christ Church as being $5600.00 par value.
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BENJAMIN AND MINERVA NICHOLS AND THEIR DAUGHTER MRS. NANCY WIRTH
Benjamin Nichols was the son of Russel Nichols, (who had so much to do with the building of Christ Church in 1812) and Nabby Riggs. According to the Biographical Record, he was born in Oxford, grew to manhood on the old farm, receiving a common school education, which he supplemented by a generous course of reading in later years. He was first selectman of Oxford dur- ing the Civil War, and had control of the funds for hiring substi- tutes. He served several terms as Representative, and in 1876 he was chosen State Senator. He married Minerva Tomlinson, daughter of Truman Tomlinson, a blacksmith of Oxford.
The Tomlinson Genealogy says Truman Tomlinson was a son of Isaac and Mary (Hawkins) Tomlinson and that he married Nancy, daughter of Yelverton and Patience (Tomlinson) Perry. Both Benjamin Nichols and his wife, therefore, had the closest of ties with Christ Church.
Their only child was Nancy, who married first, in 1862, George A. Tomlinson, son of George Tomlinson and grandson of David and Lorena Tomlinson, so by this marriage she tightened her connection with Christ Church.
George A. Tomlinson died in 1891, and in 1896 Nancy married Henry P. Wirth. Mrs. Wirth contributed liberally to the support of Christ Church and in her will left $2000.00 to Christ Church for the same purpose as her father's bequest.
In June 1900, Mr. Mathison gave up the charge of Christ Church and Mr. Woodford resigned to become rector of Trinity Church, Seymour. The officers remained as before. The funds in the hands of the Trustees of Donations and Bequests were increased by a deposit in the Derby Savings Bank of $1000.00.
THE REV. A. BALSEY
In the Parish Register, there are entries made by the Rev. A. Balsey, but he is not listed in the Convention Journal as being in charge of the parish, so he probably merely supplied.
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CHAPTER XVII
NEW VESTRY MINUTE BOOK
MINUTES OF THE VESTRY 1812-1900
No book of minutes of the vestry of Christ Church, Quaker Farms has been found, despite a search, for the years prior to 1900. Mr. Rider had been clerk for many years and may have kept the old minute book when he retired.
NEW MINUTE BOOK, 1900-1948
This minute book, which the retiring clerk, Mr. Thomas Schreiber, turned over to the writer in 1948, starts with the Annual Parish Meeting held Easter Monday, 1900. It is now in the Diocesan Archives in the Library of Trinity College, Hart- ford, Connecticut.
REV. WM. A. WOODFORD 1900
At the 1900 meeting, it is recorded, "Rev. Wm. A. Woodford, Rector. Wardens C. C. Rider, George D. Skidmore. Treasurer, and Clerk, Charles A. Davis. Vestry, Charles A. Meigs, Charles Hawkins, Chas. A. Davis. "Mr. Woodford's resignation was accepted with deep regret."
The Senior Warden was Cornelius C. Rider of whom we first heard in 1867 when he was baptized as an adult. On the 1868 map of Oxford he is shown as living in the present Thomas Schreiber house. Then in 1876, we learned that the joint efforts of the Rev. Sheldon Davis and himself resulted in services again .. being established, and it is probable that he was elected senior warden in that year or before, - he held this post until 1909.
Of the Junior Warden, Mr. George D. Skidmore, we have but little record.
The Treasurer and Clerk elected was Mr. Charles Alling Davis. At the time of this meeting he was 42 years old.
The other two members of the vestry were Messrs. Charles A. Meigs and Charles Hawkins.
MR. CHARLES A. MEIGS AND MISS MARY L. MEIGS
Mr. Charles A. Meigs was born in Oxford, March 6, 1825, the son of Samuel Meigs and Lorena Tomlinson (daughter of
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David and Lorena Bacon Tomlinson). He passed the early years of his life at the old homestead in Quaker Farms and obtained his education in the common schools of the neighborhood. He and his brother David T. Meigs were for many years merchants in Quaker Farms, occupying what was the stand of their grand- father David Tomlinson, at about the location of the house on the west side of Quaker Farms Road now occupied by Mrs. Sadie Olson.
Charles A. Meigs married (2d) Jan. 3, 1867, Bernice, daughter of Ebenezer and Julia (Davis) Riggs. They had three children, one of whom died in infancy, - the other two being Miss Mary Lorena Meigs and Mr. Charles E. Meigs. After his second mar- riage, Charles A. Meigs divided his time between Waterbury and Quaker Farms, having business interests in both places. He lived in the house build for George A. Tomlinson on the west side of Quaker Farms Road, now occupied by Mrs. Johanna M. Thompson and which he bought when he sold the old homestead, Mr. Charles A. Meigs was a vestry-man of Christ Church for many years and at the time of his death in 1906 he was Junior Warden.
His daughter, Miss Mary L. Meigs was active in the affairs of Christ Church for many years. She has always been interested in the history of Christ Church, and preserved the old documents which had belonged to her grandfather, Samuel Meigs, who was Parish Clerk in the formative period of the church. She is now living in Waterbury.
Miss Meigs' brother, Charles E. Meigs became a prominent attorney in Waterbury.
CHARLES HAWKINS
Mr. Charles Hawkins was a son of Silas Hawkins Sr. and grandson of Capt. Zachariah Hawkins. He was a vestry man for a number of years.
A more extended account of the Hawkins family has already been given in the chapter on the starting of the church in 1812.
THE REV. W. STURTEVANT RAFTER 1900-1902
At the 1900 annual church meeting, after accepting the resig- nation of the Rev. Mr. Woodford, they "called the Rev. W. S. Rafter as minister with salary $300.00 and house." The 1901 Convention Journal records him as "Minister in charge, June 1900. In an article in the "Seymour Record," April 4, 1901, Mr. Rafter writes this of himself, -
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"The present rector, who resides at the Farms, is a priest, a graduate from the theological College of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, a Venerable society to which the Church in America owes so much". From this, one infers that he was an Englishman, which is confirmed by Miss Lum, who knew him when she was a young girl. He makes the following interesting statement, -
"The two parishes are not three miles apart, but the steep hills and rough roads that lie between, make it necessary for the minister to have a team, otherwise he could not conduct services at a convenient time in both churches every Sunday."
"The Rector has usually lived at Oxford in a rented house, but owing to the earnest desire of the congregation at Quaker Farms in 1899 and because Christ Church is the more wealthy of the two, and therefore has a greater claim on the minister's services, the pastor has made his home at Quaker Farms."
Miss Lum says he lived in the house at the south-west corner of Quaker Farms Road and O'Neil Road, now occupied by Mr. Walter R. Dann.
THE REV. THEODORE MOUNT PECK 1902-1905
At the Annual Church Meeting of 1902, Mr. Rafter was still reported as Rector, but the minutes of a vestry meeting Sept. 14, 1902 record, "Rev. T. M. Peck invited to become minister in charge from Sept. 1, 1902 at Salary $400.00 per annum."
The wardens were Messrs C. C. Ryder and Charles A. Meigs, Treasurer and Clerk C. A. Davis, and vestrymen Chas. B. Johnson, Chas. A. Davis, H. S. Tomlinson, James T. Tomlinson and Albert J. Lum.
The Annual Church Meeting April 20, 1903 again called Mr. Peck as rector with increase of salary of $50.00, (total $450.00). The meeting approved placing the Merrill-Treat Fund of $4000.00 with the Trustees of Donations and Bequests for Church Purposes.
The 1904 Annual Meeting was held at the residence of C. A. Meigs. One new member, Mr. Robert Z. Hawkins was admitted, he then being 32 years old. At the same meeting they organized a committee for obtaining subscriptions for the support of the church. Mr. Peck was to obtain pledge cards for distribution, and the committee appointed for soliciting was, Mabel Lum, Clara Hawkins, Mrs. James Tomlinson.
At the 1905 Annual Meeting, held at the residence of Mr. C. C. Ryder, one new member, Mrs. Henry B. Davis, was admitted, and a committee was appointed to report on the foundation and steps of the church.
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On Aug. 7, 1905, the resignation of Mr. Peck was accepted to take effect Oct. 1st.
It was decided to put the gift of the late Jane C. Tomlinson of $200.00 in charge of the Trustees of Donations and Bequests, - interest to be used for Rector's salary.
At a meeting Aug. 4th 1905, the vestry accepted Trusteeship of the property of the Good Templars Association "for the peo- ples good" and decided to proceed with the erection of a new hall at once, (the former building having burned down). Building Committee Chas. B. Johnson, Chas. A. Davis, Wm. R. Palmer. Mr. Palmer was appointed solicitor, with Miss Mabel Lum, Miss Cora Lum and Mrs. Henry B. Davis, assistants. This building is now "Community Hall".
THE REV. GEORGE J. SUTHERLAND 1906-1914
At the Annual Meeting April 16, 1906 one new member was admitted, Mr. Wm. M. Palmer.
On July 8, 1906 the Rev. George J. Sutherland was called as rector. He came from the missionary district of Asheville.
The Wardens were Messrs. C. C. Ryder and Chas. B. Johnson. At the Annual Meeting in April, Mr. Charles A. Meigs was still Junior Warden, but died in the interim. Treasurer & Clerk, - C. A. Davis, - Vestry, Henry Tomlinson, Chas. A. Davis, James Tomlinson, Albert J. Lum and Henry B. Davis.
Mr. Sutherland continued on as rector for eight years. During his stay he experienced a tragic occurrence, - one of his children swinging in a hammock, fell out and was killed.
THE MASON & HAMLIN REED ORGAN
Around 1907 a Mason & Hamlin reed Organ, with two banks of keys and a full set of pedals was obtained by Mr. Wm. R. Palmer, who had come to Christ Church in 1904, and who was organist and choirmaster at the time. He had been organist in the Church of the Holy Nativity in New York City before coming to live in Oxford. According to Mrs. Elsie Stanton, he developed a fine choir of some thirty voices which became renowned for their singing of Gregorian chants.
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Miss Lum says the organ had been made for some wealthy man to use in his own house, but he did not like it and sold it to Christ Church for $200.00. It was a very fine instrument of its kind and of exceedingly powerful tone for a reed organ, - in fact the 32 ft. bourdon pedal was almost too powerful In 1947 an electric blower was installed. The organ was located in the
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northeast corner of the Church alongside the chancel. In the autumn of 1951 it was given to the Riverside Methodist Church near the Stevenson Dam.
Mr. Palmer also obtained a gift from the Church of the Holy Nativity in New York City of the present Altar Cross, Flower Vases and Eucharistic Candle Sticks.
In 1909 the wardens were Cornelius C. Ryder and Wallace G. Tomlinson, the latter succeeding Chas. B. Johnson. Mr. Wallace G. Tomlinson was made a church member in 1909 and was the father of Mr. H. Leslie Tomlinson and Mr. Louis Tomlinson, the former being present senior warden and the latter past vestry- man.
Mr. Davis continued as Treasurer and Clerk and the Vestry- men were Chas. A. Davis, Robert Z. Hawkins, James Tomlinson, Henry Tomlinson and Henry B. Davis.
This marked the entry into the Vestry of Mr. Robert Z. Haw- kins, then 37 years old, who has remained a staunch friend of Christ Church through the years, and who celebrated his 80th birthday on May 21st, 1953.
At the annual meeting March 28, 1910 Mr. Charles A. Davis was elected Senior Warden, a post which he continued to hold until his death in 1937. He continued also as Treasurer during the en- tire period, and as Parish Clerk until 1914. Mr. Wallace Tomlin- son continued as Junior Warden until 1934. The vestrymen elected in 1910 were Robert Z. Hawkins, Henry Tomlinson, James Tomlinson and E. D. Tomlinson.
In 1911 the officers remained the same except for the omis- sion of E. D. Tomlinson. Also, for the first time in the history of the Church an auditor was elected at the annual meeting, Mr. Robert Z. Hawkins being selected for that post.
In 1912 we note the election of Mr. Thomas Schreiber as a Church member and also as a vestryman, beginning a service that was to continue until his retirement in 1950, when he was elected at the annual meeting January 17th to the post of Warden Emeritus for life.
Another new member elected at the 1912 meeting was Mr. Henry Brockerhoff who later served as vestryman for one year, 1914, in place of James Tomlinson.
The year 1914 marked two events, one a bequest of $1000. by the will of the late Chas. B. Wooster of New Haven. Mr. Wooster was the son of Bennett Wooster and Sarah Bassett. Bennett Wooster was engaged in blacksmith work and auger manufactur- ing in Humphreysville for a number of years.
Mr. Charles B. Wooster was born Dec. 5, 1824 and married Oct. 8, 1849 Mary Ann Booth of Oxford. He was a merchant for
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a number of years in the town of Seymour and then removed to New Haven where he engaged in carriage manufacture.
At his death in 1914 he was 90 years old. He had but one child who died when two years old. He was a grandson of Nathaniel Wooster who was so influential in the building of Christ Church, Quaker Farms. Whether Charles B. Wooster ever lived in Quaker Farms is uncertain but it is probable that he often visited his grandfather and there met Mary Ann Booth who was a native of Oxford. These interests probably account for his bequest to Christ Church. By action of the Vestry in June, 1914 this gift was placed with the Trustees of Donations and Bequests for Church Purposes.
In July, 1914 the resignation of Mr. Sutherland was accepted to take effect Aug. 1, 1914, incidentally the date of the opening of the First World War.
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CHAPTER XVIII
1915 - 1928 NO SETTLED MINISTER
During this entire period there was no settled resident min- ister, services being held by lay readers with the occasional help of neighboring clergy.
At the 1915 annual meeting Mr. Thomas Schreiber was elected Parish Clerk, a post which he held continuously until 1948.
At the 1916 annual meeting Mr. J. Farley Townsend was elect- ed a member of the parish and also a vestryman. It was voted to offer Lay Reader Sidney W. Wallace a salary of $15.00 per week "during the vacation". Mr. Thomas Schreiber was elected audi- tor, a post which he continued to hold until 1922.
In June 1917 Mr. Loyal Graham, then a student at Berkeley Divinity School, became lay reader.
At the 1917 meeting the treasurer reported that the receipts were $879.06 and expenses $686.50.
WORLD WAR I. 1917-1918
On April 2nd, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson went before Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Germany, and by April 6th both houses had done so. In May, Congress passed the Selective Draft Act, and June 5th became the day of registration.
Those who entered the armed services from Christ Church, Quaker Farms were:
as recorded on the framed list hanging on the wall of the church lobby, entitled, -
1917 DEFENDERS OF OUR NATION
Olaf S. Christensen
Ralph E. Davis
Harold Bernard Davis
Loyal Y. Graham 3d.
Robert Henry Johnson
Clarence F. Roberts Herman H. Sonnesthul
James Farley Townsend
John H. Townsend
August J. Tilquist Clarence A. Williams
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The war ended on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918. At the request of the writer of this history, Dr. Graham has written the following Reminiscences of his stay in Quaker Farms.
REMINISCENCES OF THE
REV. LOYAL YOUNG GRAHAM 3rd. S. T. D. March 1953
I was introduced to Quaker Farms and Christ Church in the Spring of 1917 by the Rev. Sidney Wallace who had been Lay Reader and was now a curate in St. John's Waterbury. I began my service in June of that year. It was a lovely experience, - the people were friendly. I first boarded with Mr. R. Z. Hawkins, we hoed corn together, - with a nip now and then to ease our parched throats ! ! - it was a pleasure to call on the people and to enter into the activities at the Community House, - after a month I went to cook for Jack Townsend who had come to his summer home (now the Congdon House) to train for Ambulance Service in France.
We had a merry time on the hills - (Jack wore braces on his legs, - he had been a polio victim) I think it helped him - for later he drove an ambulance at the front! They were most kind to me and let me ride their white mare. I really covered the people in the hills now and had many amusing experiences, - also collected money for the Red Cross in the most inaccessible places! Ralph Davis, my fraternity brother was home that sum- mer and I got to know him and the whole Davis family including Miss Lum who I consider the first lady of this section, and who observes the biblical admonition "Let not thy right hand know what thy left hand doeth !"
In September 1917 I was called to be Athletic Assistant to Chaplain Curtis H. Dickins at the League Island Navy Yard in Philadelphia. In December I waived exemption and joined the Marines. My name immediately went on the Honor Roll at Christ Church, Quaker Farms and is still there.
I was blown by a shell at Belleau Wood, France in June 1918, - I was in very bad shape, - when I returned to the United States the doctors told me to "get out in the dirt".
The Chandlers took me in, ploughed up 1/2 acre and my re- habilitation began in Quaker Farms! All members of the parish were most kind and helpful, - I shall never forget what was done for me in this lovely valley! When I came to Christ Church Stratford in 1928 my first trip was to Quaker Farms. The Davis family invited me to Thanksgiving Dinner that year. Last year, 1952 we observed the 25th Anniversary of that dinner! My chil- dren always connect Thanksgiving with Quaker Farms!
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Of course I never think of Christ Church, Quaker Farms without a prayer of thanksgiving for the whole parish and the sympathetic imagination of those I loved there many years ago. God bless you all !
Loyal Young Graham 3rd.
During the First World War, Miss Lum says the Clark Brothers, David and John, served as lay readers, David the longest. There appears to be no other record of their service. The 1918 Convention Journal records, "Lay Reader, William Grimes.
At the 1918 Annual Meeting, the Treasurer reported that the receipts were $915.47, expenses $761.29.
After the Armistice, Nov. 11, 1918, Lay Reader Graham, who had served in the Marines, returned to Quaker Farms for re- cuperation, as told in his Reminiscences.
He had been graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1916, and was a student at Berkeley Divinity School when he left for the war in 1917. He returned to the Divinity School and was graduated in 1921. During all this time, from 1918 to 1921, he was lay reader at Christ Church.
THE REV. JOHN LEWIS
Miss Lum says that the Rev. John Lewis used to come over from St. John's, Waterbury, and hold communion service Sunday after-noon, - Mr. Graham being the lay reader as noted above.
At the 1920 Annual Meeting, Mr. Townsend retired from the vestry.
At the 1921 Annual Meeting, two new voting church members were elected, Miss J. Mabel Lum and Miss Caroline Palmer.
REV. HENRY S. HABERSHAM PRIEST IN CHARGE 1921-1922
The Convention Journals for 1921 and 1922 record the Parish as Vacant, but with the Rev. Henry S. Habersham, of St. Peter's Church, Monroe, as Priest in charge. He was very popular in Quaker Farms, and is said to have been a great storyteller. In 1922, the Annual Church Meeting was held in February, instead of April as had been customary previously. Finances showed improvement over previous years, with receipts of over $1200.
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MR. PERCY GODDARD LAY READER 1923-1925
The 1923, 1924 and 1925 Convention Journals record Mr. God- dard as Lay Reader, but no mention is made of any Priest in charge. At the 1923 Annual Church Meeting, Miss C. H. Palmer was elected Auditor. At about this time she made a gift of altar linen and certain hangings. Other altar cloths were the gift of the New Haven Archdeaconry Altar Guild, and the processional cross was given by Mr. Carl M. Eckstrom.
At a Vestry meeting held Aug. 12, 1924, it was voted to allow Mr. Goddard $100.00 "in addition to the regular amount", during vacation. Mr. Goddard was a divinity student at the time.
THE VENERABLE GEORGE HICKMAN BUCK PRIEST IN CHARGE 1926 MR. FRANK WESTERVELT, LAY READER
Mr. Buck was Rector of St. James Church, Derby, and Arch- deacon of the New Haven Archdeaconry, thus entitling him to be addressed as "The Venerable". The 1926 Convention Journal reports Mr. Buck as Priest in charge, and the Parish Register shows one or more entries by him.
THE VENERABLE FLOYD S. KENYON PRIEST IN CHARGE 1927 MR. FRANK WESTERVELT, LAY READER
Christ Church
Mr. Kenyon was Rector of -St. Johns by the Sea, West Haven, and Archdeacon of the New Haven Archdeaconry. At the 1927 Annual Church Meeting, Mr. Westervelt suggested the use of duplex pledge envelopes, one side for the local church, the other for missions. A bequest was received, recorded as of June 6, 1927, of $1000.00 by the will of the late Sarah A. DeForest, of Derby. This was placed with the Trustees of Donations and Bequests.
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