USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Oxford > A history of Christ Church, Quaker Farms in Oxford, Connecticut > Part 3
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Russell Tomlinson
It appears that the division continued for some time, as shown by the next letter, which indicates that Russell Tomlinson had joined his brother. The letter is written by (Capt.) Isaac Tomlin- son to his son Isaac Tomlinson, Jr., in New York City, then under the British Occupation. Capt. Tomlinson kept a copy of his let- ter, and it is the copy which has been preserved. This has also been given to the New Haven Colony Historical Society.
Woodbury, 15th Janu ry 1780
Dear Son,
r
I have received your Letter by Mr. Bull dated 15 Nov on the 10th. Instant in which you inform me of your good State of health together with Russels', his wife and other Friends which gives me real pleasure to hear My family with friends in general here are well and send their re- spects to you with Russel and other friends in New York hoping there may be some way to accomodate the unhappy differences which now separates friends and acquaintances hope you will as often as opportunity serves inform me of your circumstances, I am your affectionate Father
Isaac Tomlinson.
(The letter is marked on the back "Jan' y 15, 1780, Copy of a Let- ter sent to Isaac Tomlinson.")
Isaac Tomlinson Sr., who wrote this letter was Capt. Isaac, son of Sergeant Isaac. Capt. Isaac was born in 1723, and in 1775 (when he was 52 years old) he "marched for the relief of Boston in the Lexington alarm. He was two days in the service at that time, the same as his company that went. He was in the 3d. Com- pany under General David Wooster in 1775, enlisted May 15, dis- charged Dec. 1, 1775. This company served at the siege of Bos- ton". (Colonial Records Vol. XII P. 613 and Adjt. General's Re- port of Soldiers in the Revolutionary War.)
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So Capt. Isaac, while apparently a good patriot, and highly indignant at Great Britain's treatment of Boston, nevertheless, like many others, he clung to the idea that the dispute between the Colonies and Great Britain could be settled peaceably. This is further emphasized by the following entry, found in "The Re- cords of the Colony of Connecticut", -
"The Ministers of the Governor and Council of Safety, January 1777, -
Capt. Isaac Tomlinson of Woodbury was sent here by the Civ- il Authority of Woodbury as being a person dangerous to the community. - Now he declared before this council that he never so well understood the state of the dispute,- -, there- fore it is resolved that he is permitted to return to his family at Woodbury and to remain in his own business within the limits of Woodbury and Derby."
Capt. Tomlinson was fifty four years old at this time, and, from the conciliatory action of the Council, he must have been highly respected. His sons, Isaac Jr. (aged 25) and Russell (aged 23) were more pronouncedly pro-British, for they left Woodbury to go behind the British lines as we have already seen. Capt. Tomlinson's younger son, David, then a lad of sixteen, re- mained in Woodbury with his father.
The Tomlinsons were probably not the only family in this lo- cality which did not entirely approve of separation from England, - we have already seen that Capt. Zachariah Hawkins was suspect- ed of having leanings that way, - but these are the only ones of whom we have found record.
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CHAPTER V. THE YEARS 1779 TO 1811.
During the latter part of the century, besides the divided alle- giance between Great Britain and the now independent Colonies, a matter that disturbed the peace in the Episcopal Church was the question whether there should be American bishops or not.
The missionaries of the Society for Propogating the Gospel in Foreign Parts were strongly in favor of bishops, while many of the local clergy were as strongly against them. One of the local men is quoted as saying, "People have no security against being unmercifully priest-ridden but by keeping all imperious bishops from getting their feet into the stirrups at all".
Many authorities feel that by the end of the Revolution, the Established English Church in New England was in a very weak- ened condition. However, in Oxford and Quaker Farms, Mr. Douglas says in his historical address, "Church meetings were resumed in 1779, and by the report of the election of officers in that year, it would seem that if there were doubts that the Epis- copal Church in general would survive the shock of the Revolu- tion, as so often recorded in the school books, it certainly does not appear in the action of this and other meetings held during the last years of the war."
At the 1779 Annual Meeting of St. Peter's Church, Ebenezer Wooster was elected Clerk, Samuel Hawkins and Isaac Nichols, Church Wardens, and Isaac Nichols, Daniel Johnson and Benjamin Twichel, Choristers. A committee was elected to take care of the Glebe Lands and the church, consisting of Thos. Osborn, John Twichel, John Wooster and Joseph Wooster.
THE FIRST AMERICAN BISHOP.
In December 1783, ten Connecticut clergymen met at the Glebe House in Woodbury, Connecticut, to select a man to go to England for consecration as Bishop. It is not definitely known, but it is thought that Dr. Mansfield was probably one of these ten clergymen. The man that they finally selected was Samuel Sea- bury, Jr., who had been the rector of the church in the village of Westchester, N. Y. (now part of the city of New York), before the Revolution.
Mr. Seabury had disapproved of the movement of the Colonies to separate from Great Britain, and had signed the protest of the
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clergy issued at White Plains, N. Y., "against all unlawful con- gresses and committees." In May 1775, he wrote, "I have been obliged to retire for a few days from the threatened vengeance of New England forces who lately broke into the Province."
But the treaty of peace having been signed in 1781 and the in- dependence of the United States established, and having been se- lected for the office, he sailed for England in 1784, seeking con- secration by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who however refused the request, chiefly because Seabury would not take the oath of allegiance to Great Britain. Mr. Seabury then went to Scotland, whose bishops had never sworn fealty to the British Crown, and was consecrated in 1784 and returned in the same year to this country, taking up his duties as the first American bishop.
DR. MANSFIELD'S SALARY
At a Parish Meeting held Aug. 8, 1785, the parish voted the Rev. Mr. Mansfield the sum of "thirty pounds lawful money to be collected on the list of 1784." At a "Vestry and Society Meet- ing", held May. 1, 1786, it was voted "to give the Rev. Mr. Mans- field our proportional part with the other two Societys of Eighty Pounds lawfull Money for the year past." One of the "two other Societys" was unquestionably that of Derby, but what the other was is uncertain.
OXFORD SUPPORTS BISHOP.
At a Meeting of St. Peter's Church, Oxford, held Apr. 21, 1788, it was voted that Mr. John Twichel be a delegate to "represent the society at a convention to be holden at Wallingford, May 7, 1788 for the purpose of making a provision or Stating a Salary for the support of the Reverend Bishop Seabury and for promot- ing an Academy."
Apparently by this time, fears of being "priest-ridden by a lordly bishop" seem to have subsided in Oxford.
The old record book of St. Peter's Church gives the following, - Aug. 1795 List of the Members belonging to the Episcopal Soci- ety in Oxford.
Mr. John Twichel
Ebenezer Osborn
Mr. Arthur Wooster John Wooster, Esq.
Edward Hinman
Benjamin Twichel
Mr. Joseph Twichel Thomas Wooster
David Twichel Junr
John Wooster Junr
Thomas Osborn Josiah Washband John Churchell
Sherman Hatch
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(continued) John Davis Daniel Fabrigue
Nathaniel Wooster Silas Hawkins
Bowars Washborn
Ebenezer Wooster
Thomas Riggs
Samuel Basset Junr
Jesse Scott Ebenezer Twichell
David Twichel Abijah Twichel Enos Cande
John Dillivan Wooster
John Basset : Note. These names
Charles Munson
John Chatfield .. are added in a differ-
Abijah Wooster
Gideon Chatfield : ent handwriting, with-
William Church
Andrew Smith : out date.
Abel Church Camron Perry
Josiah Washborn Jr. Clark Bunnell :
Reuben Bunnell
Isaac Riggs
Benjamin Bunnell
Samuel Heaton :
QUAKER'S FARM INHABITANTS IN 1790 From Seymour "Record" April 12, 1894.
"The following document is without date. It was probably made out in 1789 or 1790 as Josiah Perry, whose name appears on the list died Dec. 3, 1790.
"Names of Inhabitants list in Quakers Farm school district."
Benjn Beardslee
Nathan Hyde
Jabes Brown
Hiram Johnson
Eliphaz Bradley
Nehemiah & Sara Lewis
William Bunnell
William Lewis
Geo. & Isaac Cable
William Lewis, Jr.
Benajah Chatfield
Benjn Loveland
Elijah Hawkins
Adam Lum
Isaac Hawkins
David Mallory
Silas Hawkins
Elisha Oatman
Zachariah Hawkins
Nath1 Pangmon
Zachariah Hawkins, Jr.
Cyrus Perry
Jonah Hine
Gideon Perry
Philo Hinman
Josiah Perry
Abel Hull
David Smith 3d
Ezra Hull
John Smith David Tomlinson
Abijah Hyde
Asahil Hyde
Phineas Trussel
Daniel Hyde
Abel Waters
John S. Hyde
Joseph Hyde
Andrew Wirerd David Woodin
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Isaac Nichols
(continued) William Woodin Joseph Wooster Joseph Wooster, Jr.
Nathan Wooster Nathaniel Wooster
1792 - 1807
While we have little or no record of happenings in St. Peters Church during the period from 1792 to 1807, yet there are ref- erences in the Journals of the Annual Convention of the Diocese which are of some interest.
At the 10th Annual Convention held in 1792 there were present several ministers who at one time or another in their lives had something to do with the Church in Oxford. These were the Rev. Richard Mansfield, the Rev. Ashbel Baldwin, the Rev. Chauncey Prindle and the Rev. Tillotson Bronson, - although the latter's connection with Oxford is not clearly established.
Two lay deputies who were present at this convention listed as from Derby were Abijah Hull and John Wooster.
In the Journal of the 1796 Convention appears the first men- tion of Oxford, -Lay Deputy Isaac Nichols. At this convention the following interesting motion was passed,-
" A church whose grand list shall exceed the sum of $15,000 shall be allowed two delegates, - less than $15,000 one delegate." Fifteen thousand dollars remained the dividing sum for many years in fact until 1816 when it was changed to Ten Thousand dollars. In 1825, the basis was changed to the number of fami- lies.
At the adjourned convention of Oct. 1796, the lay delegates from Oxford were Capt. A (Abijah) Hull, Samuel Curtiss, B. Marvin, J. Nichols. Their presence at the Diocesan Convention would seem to reflect the renewal of interest in the church al- ready spoken of.
At the 17th annual convention in 1799, Oxford's Lay Delegate was Isaac Nichols.
An item of somewhat peculiar interest appears in the 1802 Journal, wherein Joel Chatfield is listed as Lay Delegate from "Great Hill". As there apparently was no Episcopal parish of Great Hill, he may have listed himself as from Great Hill be- cause that was his place of residence, but it may bear out the statement quoted herein before, (in the account of the Derby- Woodbury Road), that the Benham brothers had in their keeping (in 1902) the old communion service used by the Episcopal people on Great Hill in early times, in the Congregational church build- ing, in which it is said that other denominations worshipped.
In the 1806 Convention Journal, S. Bassett is listed as the Lay Delegate from Oxford. The Grand Levy is given as $6765.
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BUSINESS CONDITIONS IN 1800-1810
Throughout its early history, Quaker Farms looked to Derby for an outlet and market for its produce. Derby had become a port of delivery in 1797. The History of Derby quotes Dr. Beardsley as writing "A few years ago, prior to 1800, Derby for a long time carried on an extensive commercial trade with New York, Boston, and the West Indies. At one time, Derby Narrows was nearly blocked with carts and wagons loaded with all sorts of produce from Waterbury, Woodbury and other towns. Some- times a string half a mile long would throng our highways, and teamsters would have to wait half a day or over night for their turn to unload for shipping. Importation was also large."
"Long before, Derby had an indirect trade with Europe through the Colonies and the West Indies, in which Derby sloops of eighty to one hundred tons, carried live stock and provisions to the leeward and windward islands of the Caribbean sea. In return they brought the products of these islands, also wines, fruits and manufactured goods of France, Spain and Holland to whom these islands had belonged. This prosperity reached its culminating point about the year 1800 and began to decline in 1807."
" Accompanying this seaborne trade Derby had had consider- able profit from shipbuilding, for "at one time few if any towns in Connecticut built more sailing craft than Derby, and this in earlier years gave it the name of "Shipbuilding Town".
The decline in trade was partly due to the French privateers who preyed upon our commerce, and partly perhaps because of poor soil conservation methods, and perhaps still more because of the building of the Derby-New Haven Turnpike, which drew business away from Derby to New Haven, because the latter was a port unobstructed by ice in winter. Then the embargo of the government in the War of 1812 put the finishing touches to Derby commerce, and it was practically wiped out.
It is known that Squire David Tomlinson suffered heavily in the decline of this commerce and the "French Spoiliation" .
THE FIRST SETTLED RECTOR IN OXFORD THE REV. CHAUNCEY PRINDLE, M. A. 1807-1811.
In 1807, the Rev. Chauncey Prindle became rector of St. Peter's Church, Oxford and held that office for four years, re- signing, (according to the old record book of St. Peter's) Dec. 23, 1811. During this period he was also rector of St. Michael's Church, Salem, (now Naugatuck). The Convention Journal of 1812 lists him as still rector of St. Peter's Oxford, but his services
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to that church after his resignation in December 1811, were probably as supply until a new rector could be obtained. This seems likely because he continued to live in Gunntown, (in North Oxford) until his death in 1833. He continued as rector of St. Michael's until 1814, when he resigned at the age of sixty- one.
In 1807 the Lay Delegate to the Diocesan Convention was Maj. J. Davis and the Grand Levy $6765.32.
In 1808, Mr. Prindle was named by the Convention as a Com- mittee to "ascertain the bounds between the parishes of Oxford and Salem", now Naugatuck.
The following sketch of Mr. Prindle is given in "Records of Convocation, 1790-1848, Diocese of Connecticut, -
"He was born July 13, 1733 in that part of Waterbury, Conn., then called Westbury, now Watertown. He en- tered Yale College in his nineteenth year and graduated with honor in 1776. During the years of the Revolution he remained at home, and like other young men who could not serve in the Continental Army, cultivated his father's farm to supply a portion of the food needed by the troops in the field. He studied theology with his uncle, the Rev. James Scovill, Rector of St. John's, Waterbury, and was made deacon June 1, 1787; ordained priest Feb. 24, 1788 in St. James Church, New London by Bishop Seabury. 1788-1806, minister of St. Peter's, Northbury, now Ply- mouth, and also Christ Church, Watertown, 1788-1804. 1806-1814, rector of St. Michael's Church, Salem (now Naugatuck) and also St. Peter's, Oxford from 1806 to his death in North Oxford, Aug. 25, 1833, in the eighty-first year of his age, and was buried in the old cemetery at Gunntown".
The dates are somewhat incorrect, for Mr. Humphrey took charge of St. Peter's in 1814, but probably Mr. Prindle helped out from time to time.
The biography continues, -
" An incident of his pastoral work was long told in Watertown as showing his determination to overcome obstacles. He had promised to preach at St. John's Church and to baptize some children in Waterbury whose parents were about to remove to the West. It was the mid-summer of 1795 and there was no clergyman in Waterbury. Between Watertown and Waterbury flows the Naugatuck River, which is about a third of a mile wide. It was usually crossed in a canoe or forded by
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travellers on horseback. Some distance beyond the village was a bridge. Mr. Prindle expected to cross in the canoe, but upon reaching the place where it was kept he found that the summer rains had so swollen the river that the canoe had disappeared. To retrace his steps and cross by the bridge would make him late for his appointment. He plunged boldly into the rapid stream and swam across in time to meet his friends, baptize their children and send them to their new home rejoicing."
Judge Willcoxson in an address in 1876 said - "He was justly noted for sound and forcible intellect, for stern integrity, and as orthodox and firm in principle".
At the 1809 Convention, N. (Nathaniel) Wooster was the Lay Delegate from Oxford and the Grand Levy is given as $6975.00.
Under the heading, "Notitiae Parochiales" (Parish Notes) un- der " ---- Church, Oxford" the Rev. Chauncey Prindle is given as Rector, with a total of 52 families in the parish and 25 com- municants; this would include of course, both Oxford and Quaker Farms.
Mr. Prindle is also listed as Rector of ". -Church, Salem, with 20 communicants.
In 1810 Edward Riggs was Lay Delegate from Oxford and the Grand Levy was $6325.00.
It was reported that St. Peters Church in Plymouth was va- cant because of the removal therefrom of Rev. Mr. Prindle to the churches in Oxford and Salem.
Mr. Prindle reported fifty families in Oxford and twenty-five communicants. In 1812 the number of families increased to fifty- five, but still only twenty-five communicants.
In 1813 the Lay Delegate was Enoch Perkins and the Grand Levy is given as $5000.00, a reduction of $1975.00 from the $6795.00 listed in 1809, - nearly 30 percent less. This may have been caused by many families leaving town to take up their abode in Western New York State which was then opening up. It seems more likely, however, that the $5000. reported as the Grand Levy for the Oxford church in 1813 was for St. Peter's alone, as the year before, 1812, the figure was $8160. and by 1816, for "the associated churches in Oxford" was $9000.
CHANGES AFTER THE CLOSE OF THE WAR OF 1812
Dr. Seabury, the first bishop, had died in 1796 and was fol- lowed as Bishop of Connecticut by Dr. Abraham Jarvis. The lat- ter died in 1813, and then there came a gap of six years when there was no bishop of Connecticut, the episcopal duties being
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taken over by the Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart of New York. He had been consecrated Bishop of New York in 1811, and at the re- quest of the Connecticut Convention agreed to act for the Connec- ticut diocese temporarily.
Bishop Hobart was a high churchman and a man of great abil- ity and energy, and he put a new breath of life into the church in the East.
By this time the political feeling that had prevailed against the Episcopalians during the Revolution had pretty well died out. 1182922
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CHAPTER VI. THE STARTING OF CHRIST CHURCH; QUAKER'S FARM, IN 1812.
We have heretofore been dealing with St. Peter's Church in Oxford Center, it being the mother church of Christ Church, Quaker's Farm. When we consider that the western part of the town had been known as "The Quaker's Farm since 1683 or one hundred and twenty-nine years before the starting of Christ Church, we cannot but admire the early settlers, who for church life, had to travel either to Woodbury, Derby or Oxford Center, - a hard choice, what with bad roads, steep hills and slow plodding horses. It reminds us of the way the first people in Derby had for years travelled a Sunday all the way to Milford to attend church services.
By 1812 there were a substantial number of people living in The Quaker's Farm. The Rev. Mr. Prindle had resigned as Rector of St. Peter's Church, Oxford on Dec. 23, 1811, and the parish was without a rector. In his historical address, Mr. Douglas says,-"In the early years of the nineteenth century, there was a growing discontent on the part of the church mem- bers in the Quaker Farms Section as to the long distance they had to travel in order to attend church services. It was hard travelling in the winter months, especially for the women and children."
It will be remembered that St. Peter's had been established in 1764 by Dr. Mansfield as a mission from his church of St. James in Derby. This was twenty years before Bishop Seabury's con- secration in 1784, and since the starting of St. Peter's the war of the Revolution had been fought and the independence of the United States achieved.
All this time, it must have been considerable hardship for the Quaker Farms people to get to church, whether Episcopal or Congregational. And hence the thought of a neighborhood church must have seemed very attractive to them, as is evidenced by the subscriptions made to the building fund by people who were not Episcopalians.
Mr. Douglas continues, - "These people, (that is to say, the Episcopalians of Quaker Farms) all contributed generously to the support of the Church in Oxford, but during the severe storms of winter were many times deprived of the comfort af- forded by the Church's worship and sacraments. And so we find this entry in the old record book, -
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Oxford, February the tenth, 1812
Reuben Bunnel, clerk, Daniel French, Moderator. "That this parish approve the erection of a chapel in Quakers Farm for the benefit of the members of the Episcopalian Society in said district, provided said members continue united with the first Society in Ox- ford, and that the real members of the said district shall when any rector or curate is settled in said Oxford as rector or curate of said Society, be entitled to have such minister preach in said chapel in such proportion as the number of real Episcopalians resident in said district shall entitle them to. But especial provision is to be made that the said members in said district be ever so many they shall never demand, have or receive more than one half of the Sundays and other holidays of the of- fice of said rector or curate and that the Society shall never be taxed for the erection of said chapel".
So apparently the plan was to have the minister preach some Sundays at Oxford and other Sundays at Quaker's Farm, and the good people of Oxford Center wished to make it clear that if the residents of Quakers Farm wanted to build a chapel of their own, then they would have to raise the money for so doing, themselves.
David Tomlinson, Nathaniel Wooster, Wells Judson and Rus- sel Nichols were appointed a building committee. The greater part of the money was raised in Quakers Farm by popular sub- scription and the members of the building committee were a- mong the heaviest contributors.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENT-SUBSCRIPTION LIST FOR BUILDING QUAKER'S FARM CHAPEL, OXFORD, FEB. 12, 1812
The original document of this historic happening was pre- served by Mr. Samuel Meigs, (son in law of David and Lorena Tomlinson) and his grand-daughter, Miss Mary Lorena Meigs, now living in Waterbury, Conn. Through the writer of this his- tory, she has given this document to the Connecticut Diocesan Archives which are now housed in the library of Trinity College, Hartford, Conn. A copy of it follows,-
Subscription form and list for Quaker Farms Chapel (Copied from the Original) Oxford 12 February 1812
Know all men by these presents, that we the subscribers are firmly bound unto Messrs Wells Judson, David Tom- linson Esqr and Nathaniel Wooster in the several sums
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-
Subscription Form and List For Quaker Farms Chapel Feb. 12, 1812
Offeret 12 bruary 1812 -
Know, call me by these presents, that we the subscribers are firmlylourds unto", Ness" Well Surson, Davide Tomlinson (2), It Nach amide Arooster,- in the several: Jums ands species we horeunity arney to our respective numes. which several Jums unde spaces, we bind ourdues, our there, Executors, am Administrations, to troy unts this saidto Judson Fon tinsont Wooster; on according to their binder, on an before the first day of January 1813 as witness our hands. The conditions of this obligation are such! that the stedt Judson Tomlinson f Worstos, shall collect All subscribed money Pespecies, and should fray, or deliver the server to a Committee of, Y, to be charin by the sachseribers: at dieser final acting which committee, Shall inet a chapels. for the celebration of public northit that part of Oxford called Duatesformes to stands on the moon roads of n, Ito be created on that part of 20 roads, which lies between this house of Wells Surson, and the newbridge or Southbury road. the fear. lindlar afet to be appointed for a majority of the Suburities. Provided that Sando subscribers to not agree lap to the plate. Pit shall be decided by a disentio- stede Committee, chances of the subscribers.
The wire ande decoration of st houses and the manner of building the same. to be determined by the committe storepacco.
The chapel shall be the sole property of the church called the firstistant epigrafiche church, anche its present bih che ande los dosere to be upindy them what Molestation. or interruption whenever they shall not for the poformana of divine worship Horain. .. 37; however the understanding of the cubiertas. that is? Chafeel is to be used, and infureur dofor a letter of public nonthis bo vary denomination of Christians, komun and allowed on this state, at any, and at all Thomas, where sies chapale shall not be occupied by the min. istors of the price ofat church aforwack: anche shall be allowed thetebrates Divines deneveu, case de reach Humaine, without londrana, un matulations. Provided that in case of interferment ministers, the officiating one shall be deficits by lock, unless said Ministers, being present, agres other- wise. It is houver calculateds by the subscribers, that the membersof the aforedition episcopal church, are brot to be antilled to the use of cards oh afeel. more than one equate half of the line .....
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