USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Stratford > A history of the old town of Stratford and the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut > Part 58
USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Bridgeport > A history of the old town of Stratford and the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut > Part 58
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60
654
History of Stratford.
been largely drawn from the liberal portion of the community. It has a large and flourishing Sunday school, which has always been an important adjunct to its work and a source of strength. It has also a very active Ladies' Aid Society, which is constant in work of a charitable and helpful char- acter. Since the loss of the parish records no census has been taken of the membership, but the present rector, Mr. Warner, is engaged in compiling one. The church is the most centrally located Episcopal church in Bridgeport and the parish is a large and able one.
The church has suffered severely by death in the last fifteen years. Beside those marked above among its wardens as deceased, there have died of its prominent members, I. H. Whiting, Frederick Wood, Benjamin Ray, George Keeler, and Samuel Titus.
Horatio Nelson Powers, D.D., was born in Amenia, Duchess Co., N. Y., prepared for college at the Amenia Seminary, graduated at Union College, Schenectady, studied theology in the General Theological Seminary, New York, and was ordained in Trinity Church, New York, July 1, 1855. He served as assistant to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Bowman, St. James's, Lancaster, Pa., till the spring of 1857, when he mar- ried Clemence Emma, only daughter of Prof. Francis Fauvel Gouraud, of the University of France, and removed to Dav- enport, Iowa. He resided there as rector of St. Luke's Church, and afterwards as President of Griswold College, till the fall of 1868, when he accepted a call to St. John's Church, Chicago, where, in addition to his ministerial rela- tions, he was a Regent of the Chicago University, President of the Foundling's Home, Corresponding Secretary of the Chicago Literary Club, of which he was one of the founders, and a lecturer before the Athenæum. In November, 1875, he took charge of Christ Church, Bridgeport. His connection with this parish terminated October, 1885. In Bridgeport he was president and one of the founders of the Scientific Society. He is an honorary member of several learned bod- ies, and a Fellow of the Clarendon Historical Society, of Edinburgh, Scotland. Dr. Powers received the degree of
655
Bridgeport.
D.D. from his Alma Mater in 1867. He has contributed, either in prose or verse, to most of the prominent periodicals in the country, such as the "Century," "Harper's Magazine," " Lippincott's," " International Review," "Literary World," New York "Evening Post," "The Independent," "Round Table," "The Critic," "The Chicago Dial." He has also been the American contributor to "L'Art," the great art journal of France. His books are " Through the Year," pub- lished by Roberts Brothers ; poems "Early and Late," Jan- sen, McClurg & Co .; and "A Brief Biography of William Cullen Bryant," Appleton & Co. He has been fortunate in his friendships; Philip Gilbert Hamerton dedicated to him his beautiful work, "The Unknown River," and presented him with two of his admirable oil paintings-the only ones by this artist and critic in America. He was on intimate terms with Bryant and Bayard Taylor. Specimens of Dr. Powers' poetry are found in nearly all the important collec- tions of the American poets-Bryant's, Longfellow's, Epes Sargent's, Stoddard's, Piatt's, F. F. Brown's, etc.
C. W. deL. Nichols. candidate for Holy Orders from Christ Church parish, is connected, through his father's fam- ily, with some of the most distinguished Episcopal clergymen of the diocese, including the last one who went to Scotland for Orders and the first one who was ordained in the United States. Mr. Nichols has had an unusually advantageous preparation for the study of divinity. He graduated from the classical department of Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Mass., in 1874, with high honors. Mr. Nichols was afterwards bred at the Johns Hopkins University, besides having spent many years elsewhere in general culture. For two years he was instructor in metaphysics and English literature in the preparatory department of Seabury Divinity School, under Bishop Whipple, at Faribault, Minnesota, until in the year 1884 he entered the General Theological Seminary at New York, where he is at present studying. Mr. Nichols is also familiar with philosophical circles in various parts of the country, and has written articles on philosophic, historic and literary themes.
656
History of Stratford.
Trinity Church, Bridgeport .- This parish was organ- ized June 1, 1863, and was admitted into union with the Con- vention of the Diocese of Connecticut, June 10, 1863. A hall on the second floor of the New York and New Haven Railroad depot was quickly and tastefully prepared for tem- ·porary occupancy by the parish, and in it the first service was held on Sunday, June 14, 1863. The corner-stone of the church, on the corner of Fairfield avenue and Broad street, was laid on the 2d of November in the same year. The edifice was finished in the following spring and early sum- mer, services began to be held in it Sunday, July 3, 1864, and it was consecrated by the Right Reverend John Williams, D.D., Assistant Bishop of Connecticut, on Wednesday, Nov- ember 2, 1864. It is a substantial building of brown stone from the Portland quarries, Gothic-of the early English period-in its style of architecture, and has a seating capacity of six hundred.
The parish was formed by members from St. John's Church, Bridgeport. Sixty families took part in its organi- zation. Its motive was this, viz: a desire to work for the Saviour's glory and to advance His Kingdom-a Kingdom of righteousness, mercy, truth, honor and charity. It has en- joyed nearly a quarter of a century of unbroken harmony and of quiet and steady growth, and is now one of the first par- ishes in the Diocese. It has had thus far but one rector, the Rev. Sylvester Clarke, who was born at Newtown, in this county, was ordained to the ministry in 1858, and became rector of the church in Oxford, Conn., coming from that par- ish to Bridgeport in March, 1861. Hon. Jarratt Morford has been the Senior Warden of this parish since its organization. Its Junior Wardens have been as follows : Ira Gregory, Esq.,* 1863-1883, Hon. E. B. Goodsell,* 1883-1884, Hon. D. N. Morgan, 1885, now serving.
Trinity Memorial Church, West Stratford, is a mission of Trinity Church, Bridgeport. On the 20th of September, 1871, the first of a series of Wednesday evening services was held at the residence of Silas Scofield, Esq., Newfield district. On the following Sunday, September 24, in the common school house of the same district, a Sunday
657
Bridgeport.
school was begun. The corner-stone of a chapel was laid by Bishop Williams, November 29, 1871. This building was fin- ished in the May succeeding. It is of wood, cost about $6,000, and will seat nearly 300 persons. The first service in it was that of the holy communion on Sunday morning (Whit Sun- day), May 19, 1872. It is a memorial of the Rev. Gurdon Saltonstall Coit, D.D., twenty-eight years rector of St. John's Church, Bridgeport. At the present time about 40 families are connected with this mission, and it has an interesting Sunday school of 85 members.
The Church of the Nativity (Episcopal), a very pic- turesque stone building located on Sylvan avenue and Carson street, was erected mainly at the expense of the Rev. E. F. Bishop, of Bridgeport, with some assistance from Joseph Richardson, of North Bridgeport. Previous to this a mis- sion school had been maintained by members of St. John's Church, Bridgeport, in a small building belonging to the woolen mills, then under the proprietorship of Nathaniel Green. E. F. Bishop officiated as lay reader, under the direction of the rector of St. John's Church, the Rev. Gurdon S. Coit, from the time he was licensed to that office by the Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Brownell, Bishop of Connecticut, Nov- ember 21, 1856.
This church was organized June 4, 1856, the persons present being Mr. Bishop, Joseph Richardson, Eli Thompson, Ira Gregory, John Hurd, William M. Hubbell, and Henry M. Sherman, all laymen of St. John's Church. The sittings have always been free, and the service choral. The services have been conducted much of the time by Mr. Bishop himself. Rev. Gurdon S. Coit, D.D., held the rectorship until 1863 or 4. Mr. Bishop, having been ordained deacon May 21, 1860, and priest September 22, 1863, by the Rt. Rev. John Wil- liams, assistant bishop of the diocese, was elected to the rec- torship, being assisted at various times by the Rev. H. C. Stowell, the Rev. Charles H. W. Stocking, D.D., the Rev. O. L. Prescott, the Rev. Joseph W. Hill, until 1872, when the Rev. Henry Darby was elected rector and held it, nominally, until 1884, though much of the time he was absent from the charge. The services were carried on during this time partly
658
History of Stratford.
by the priests of St. John the Evangelist, with which society he was at first connected ; then by the Rev. D. Lounsbury, and Lewis W. Wells, D.D. Mr. Bishop frequently officiated here until near the time of his decease, December 7, 1883.
A choral service in this part of the country, at the time it was started in this place, was a new thing and called forth much comment.
On the day of the consecration of this church the bishop and clergy having returned to dine with Mr. Bishop at his home, were listening to the amusing incident which was being related by some one at the table, that an owl had obtained an entrance into the church in some way and lodged itself among the beams so securely that it required much trouble to eject it before the service began. Much merri- ment was excited by Mr. Bishop's mother (who was a Presby- terian) pithily remarking that " Perhaps it came in to make the responses."
The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Bridge- port .- In 1784 William Black, a preacher of the Methodist church in Nova Scotia, visited the United States for the purpose of consulting Dr. Coke and procuring assistance. He traveled by way of Boston, Mass., where he preached twice. He met Dr. Coke in Maryland and, either on his way thither or when returning, he preached several times in the Congregational Church in Stratfield, then standing at what is the corner of North and Park avenues. The impression made by his preaching was at first favorable, but upon a discovery of his Arminian theology he was pronounced a wolf in sheep's clothing. In one sermon, while preaching, he was interrupted by the pastor of the church, who stamped upon the floor and declared his doctrine to be damnable.13 He was the first Methodist preacher known to have visited the State of Connecticut or New England. There is evidence that his preaching had good results, for, according to Rev. Jesse Lee (memoirs, page 110), a desire was thereby awakened for the ministrations of Methodismn. About the same time, or soon after a number of persons began to assemble for the purpose
13 Rev. Robert Ross.
659
Bridgeport.
of social religious exercises. Among those who thus assem- bled were a Mrs. Wells and a Mrs. Wheeler, both living at the south end of Park avenue,14 then called Mutton Lane.
In May, 1789, a Methodist conference was held in the city of New York, where Jesse Lee, the pioneer of New England Methodism, was appointed to the Stamford circuit, which appears to have included the greater part of the State lying west of the Connecticut river. On the 17th of June, 1789, he preached his first sermon in the State under a tree at Norwalk.15 June 18th he rode to Fairfield and preached in the Court House at 6 o'clock in the evening to about forty persons. He stopped over night at a public house kept by a Mr. Penfield. The next morning Mrs. Penfield, who heard him preach, gave him a note of introduction to her sister, Mrs. Wheeler of Park avenue, representing her as interested in the subject of religion, and desiring him to call on her.
While Mr. Lee was approaching the place Mrs. Wells was at the house of Mrs. Wheeler on a visit, and the two were in conversation upon the religious interests of the neighborhood. Just at the moment of his arrival that conversation became a point of extraordinary interest. Mrs. Wells told Mrs. Wheeler that on the preceding night she had dreamed that a man rode up to a house where she was, got off his horse, took his saddle-bags on his arm, and, walking directly into the house, said : "I am a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and am come to preach to the people of this place. If you will call your neighbors together I will preach to them to-night." Then Mrs. Wells said she retained so per- fect a recollection of the man's face and general appearance that she would certainly know him if she should ever see him. While she was yet speaking she looked out the window and exclaimed, " Why, there is the man now !" Mr. Lee rode up, dismounted, took his saddle-bags on his arm, entered the house, and addressing the women, said : " I am a minister of
14 No. 3, on page 505.
15 " The Rev. Cornelius Cook preached the first Methodist sermon in Norwalk, near the New Canaan parish line, in 1787 ; the Rev. Jesse Lee preached the next sermon on the 17th of June, 1789, in the highway, near the centre of the town."- Hall's History of Norwalk, 170.
660
History of Stratford.
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and have come to preach to the people of this place. If you will call your neighbors together I will preach to them to-night." Mrs. Wells was so deeply affected as to be scarcely able to stand. Mr. Lee was wel- comed, the neighbors were called together, Mr. Lee preached to them, and tradition says three conversions was the result, and that two of them were Mrs. Wells and Mrs. Wheeler. This service was held in the old yellow house on the south end and east side of Park avenue, on the 19th of June, 1789.
After visiting other places in the State Mr. Lee preached on the 3d of July at the house of Deacon Elijah Hawley, at Stratfield, and on the 5th of August preached again at the same house, though in the latter entry in his journal it is said to have been at Newfield. The house is still standing on the northwest corner of Thomas and Water streets. On the 14th of August Mr. Lee was again in this vicinity and preached at the house of Mr. Wells. The nucleus of the first Methodist society in this neighborhood, and, it is believed, the first in New England, consisted of a class organized by Mr. Lee September 26, 1789, in a house which stood on Toilsome Hill, on the west side of the highway, and hence in Fairfield. The three persons composing the class were Mrs. Wells, Miss Ruth Hall her sister, and a Mrs. Risley. These all died in great peace, within the memory of persons now connected with this church.
In 1790 Mr. Lee was made Presiding Elder of the New England work, but at that time the districts had no name, and scarcely any limits. The name of the circuit including this region of country was called Fairfield, and it extended to several townships, Redding being one of them. In this neighborhood preaching was held on week-day evenings, somewhat regularly, at the four following places: at Stephen Wells', on Division street, at widow Nichols', on Pequonnock Green, Ebenezer Brown's, on Toilsome Hill, at Father Pen- field's, on Holland Hill, the house being occupied now, or recently, by Lewis Penfield. In 1797 a Methodist Church was built on Division street road north of Toilsome Hill at the corners of the roads about three miles north of the pres- ent North avenue. The late Dea. David Sherwood, who died January 24, 1873, aged 94 years, was at the raising of this
Bridgeport. 661
church, being then eighteen years of age. This statement was made by Dea. Sherwood to Dea. R. B. Lacey and others, and written down at the time for permanent record. After 1797 preaching was held, probably, most regularly at the new meeting house on Toilsome Hill, until 1815. During this early stage of this church the Conference, Circuit, Presiding Elders, and Preachers were :
1790. Jesse Lee, Presiding Elder, Fairfield circuit; John Bloodgood, preacher.
1791. Nathaniel B. Mills and Aaron Hunt, preachers.
1792. Jacob Brush, P. E .; Joshua Taylor and Smith Weeks, preachers.
1793. Thomas Ware, P. E .; Aaron Hunt and James Coleman, preachers.
1794. George Roberts, P. E .; Zebulon Kankey and Nicholas Sneathan, preachers.
1795. The name of the circuit was changed to Redding ; George Roberts was P. E., and Daniel Dennison and Timothy Dewey, preachers.
1796. There were two P. E's, Freeborn Garretson and Syl- vester Hutchinson, dividing all New England between them. The preachers for Redding circuit were Elijah Woblsey and Robert Leeds.
1797 to 1800. S. Hutchinson, P. E .; preachers: 1797, David Buck, Augustus Jocelyn ; 1798, William Thatcher; 1799, David Brown.
1800. F. Garretson, P. E .; Augustus Jocelyn, preacher.
1801. The ministers began to give names to the districts ; this circuit was in the New York district; F. Garretson, P. E .; S. Marvin, Isaac Candee, preachers.
1802. The same P. E .; J. Coleman and I. Candee, preachers. 1803. The same P. E .; James Campbell and N. W. Tompkins, preachers.
1804 to 1807. Wm. Thatcher, P. E .; preachers: 1804, P. Mo- riarty and Sylvester Foster; 1805, P. Moriarty and S. Merwin ; 1806, Nathan Felch and Oliver Sykes.
1807 to 1810. Joseph Crawford, P. E .; preachers : 1807, J. M. Smith and Zalmon Lyon; 1808, Noble W. Thomas, J.
43
662
History of Stratford.
Lyon ; 1809, Billy Hibbard and I. Candee; 1810, Nathan Emory and John Russell.
18II. Redding circuit was included in the Rhinebeck district. Wm. Anson, P. E., two years; preachers : A. Hunt, O). Sykes, J. Reynolds ; 1812, S. Rowell, G. Lyon, S. Beach. 1813 to 1817. Nathan Bangs, P. E .; preachers : A. Hunt and Henry Eames; 1814, E. Washburn and Reuben Harris ; 1815, E. Woolsey and R. Harris; 1816, S. Bushnell and John Boyd.
During this year the old Congregational meeting house at Pequonnock was purchased for use by the Methodists, and for about six years this was their gathering place for public worship, the services by the conference ministers being held on week-day evenings, unless some services were held on Sundays at the old meeting house at the corner of the roads on Toilsome Hill. During the year 1816 Benoni English and Elisha P. Jacobs, who were not members of the conference, preached on Sundays at the Pequonnock house.
1817. For the first time Bridgeport appears in the conference minutes, meaning the old Pequonnock church.
1817 to 1821. Ebenezer Washburn, P. E .; preacher, Aaron Hunt, who being ill, Cyrus Silliman, a. local preacher, supplied ; 1818, Bridgeport disappears from the minutes, being connected with Stratford circuit, Samuel Bushnell, preacher ; 1819, S. Merwin, P. E .; preachers : Bela Smith and J. Coleman.
1822. The same P. E .; the preachers being Laban Clark and Eli Barnett. The Rev. John N. Maffit, the revivalist, spent a portion of this year in this place, and from this time preaching was discontinued in the old meeting house.
1823. Bridgeport again appears on the minutes with Wm. I. Pease as preacher. His pastoral care did not extend beyond the township, and under his labors the first Meth- odist church within the city limits was erected.
1824. Samuel Luckey, P. E. for three years; the preacher being Humphrey Humphreys.
1825 and 6. Bridgeport was again connected with the Red- ding circuit, the preachers being Marvin Richardson, H. Humphreys and F. W. Sizer.
663
Bridgeport.
1827. Samuel Ostrander, P. E .; preachers, Henry Stead and John Lovejoy.
1828. Bridgeport was again connected with the Stratford circuit.
1829. Laban Clark, P. E .; the preachers were J. Lovejoy and James H. Romer.
1830 and 31. The preachers were H. Bartlett and Charles Sherman.
1832. Heman Bangs, P. E .; preachers : S. Martindale and Laban C. Cheney.
1833. Preachers : James Youngs and J. Tackerberry.
1834. Bridgeport becomes a permanent station on the min- utes of the conference ; S. Martindale, P. E., and Davis Stocking the preacher.
1835 and 6. Wm. Jewett, P. E., and Charles F. Pelton was the preacher.
1837. Harmon D. Goslin was the preacher, but becoming ill,
J. W. Lefevre supplied the remaining part of the year.
1838. Daniel Smith, pastor, and Mr. Goslin died and was buried here.
1839. Nicholas White, P. E .; pastor, Daniel Smith.
1840 to 1844. Charles W. Carpenter, P. E .; the pastor in 1840 was John M. Pease ; in 1841 and 2, Salmon C. Perry, and in 1843 and 4, John L. Gilder.
1844 to 1848. Laban Clark, P. E .; pastors : 1845 and 6, James H. Perry ; 1847, H. Bangs.
1848 to 1852. Heman Bangs, P. E .; pastor in 1848 and 9, George Brown. At the session of the general conference held in 1848 the New York conference was divided, and Bridgeport lay within the bounds of the New York East conference, and during the second year of Mr. Brown's pastorate the present church was erected. It is a very commodious and appropriate edifice. In 1850 John B. Stratton was pastor, and in 1851 and 2, Edwin L. Janes.
1852 and 3. William H. Norris, P. E .; pastor in 1853 and 4, Thomas G. Osborn.
1853 and 4. E. L. Janes, P. E .; pastor in 1855 and 6, Charles Fletcher. In 1856 Bridgeport gives name to a district in the New York east conference.
664
History of Stratford.
1856 to 1860. E. E. Griswold, P. E .; pastor in 1857, John M. Reid, and in 1859, William F. Collins.
1860 to 1863. William C. Hoyt, P. E .; pastor in 1860 and 61, Albert Nash. During the pastorate of Mr. Nash there was a reunion of the church, at which time the debt, amounting to $8,000, was paid.
The following items of history are compiled from a sketch prepared, and read on that occasion, by Mr. Nash :
"After the organization of the first class in 1789, I am unable to give any satisfactory account of the members of the society for thirty-four years. It is probable that there was no register kept for a number of years, and that for several years succeeding, it was found in connection with Redding circuit. Under the labors of Mr. Maffit, in 1822, a class was formed in the city proper. In 1823, about the time the first church was erected here, we have a register of the persons then connected with the society.16
16 " Nathaniel Ruggles, local preacher,
Griswold Odell,
Ann Cables,
Elias A. Hall,
Mary Ann Patchin,
Burr Penfield,
Chauncy Ward,
William Daggett,
Stephen Wells,
William Bardsley,
Ruth Edwards,
Mary Wells,
Ezra Morris,
John Beardsley,
Mary Edwards,
Stephen Durand,
Marietta Wells,
Julia Ruggles,
Esther Durand,
Hannah Blackman,
Silas Turney,
Phoebe Hawkins,
Catharine Witherill,
Polly Turney,
Mary Hildroup,
Ruth Hall, Alice Hall, Sylvina Booth,
Harriet McEwen,
Mary Ann Hopkins,
Sally Brown,
Mary Penfield,
Samantha Mosure,
Patience Mitchell,
Anna Turney,
Sally S. Curtis,
Ruth Turney,
Anna Wheeler,
Charles G. Brisco,
Susannah Tupler,
Phoebe Nichols,
Charles H. Wakelee,
Catharine Nichols,
Susan Wakelee,
William L. Peet, Seth Turney, Maria Nichols,
Hannah Penfield,
Stiles Nichols,
John W. Beardsley,
Ebenezer Brown,
Betsey Porter, Sarah Burritt,
Sally Green, Harpin Blake,
Sally Hubbell, John Feeley, Zilpha Feeley,
Sophia Plumb,
Harriet Hubbell,
Tracy Freeman,
Eliza Cable,
Hannah Morris,
Diana Lewis,
Harriet Gould,
Mary Baldwin,
Effa Freeman."
Fanny Middlebrook,
Eliza Evitts,
John P. McEwen,
Betsey Downs,
Catharine Ufford,
James Penfield,
665
Bridgeport.
" The following is a review of church enterprises :
" Before the church at Pequonnock was abandoned in 1821, a room was procured for holding Methodist meetings in the borough in what was then called the New Block, at the corner of Main and State streets, over the drug store. This place appears to have been procured mainly by the efforts of Nathaniel Ruggles, who had been converted a few years previous under the labors of the Rev. Benoni English, at the Pequonnock Church. From my best information I conclude this hall was first occupied by our people in the winter of 1821 and 2, and that John N. Maffit then held a series of meetings in it.
" In the year 1822 measures were taken for the erection of our first house of worship in this city. The members of the society were first organized into an ecclesiastical body according to law, June 30, 1821, and the principal members are stated in the warrant to have been Nathaniel Ruggles, Burr Penfield, Agur Bassett, Richard Fuller and Stephen Durand.
"At the first meeting, held for the purpose of organiza- tion, Stiles Nichols, long and favorably known as the editor of the Republican Farmer, acted as chairman ; N. Ruggles was chosen clerk; and A. Bassett, John P. McEwen, and R. Fuller were chosen the trustees.
"On the 11th of February, 1822, the meeting voted to proceed in the erection of a house of worship, and N. Ruggles was entrusted with all the business necessary to be done in the matter. The site of the church was located at a meeting held May 13, 1823, and the house, though for some years remaining unfinished, was occupied for worship the latter part of that year, Mr. Maffit preaching the first sermon in it. The trustees at the time of its erection were Charles H. Wakeley, J. P. McEwen, B. Penfield, Abram S. Smith, and Elias A. Hall. That church stood on the site of the present one. It was forty by sixty feet, and its cost, with the lot, was about three thousand dollars. That house stood about twenty- six years, and in 1849 it was burned. Measures were imme- diately taken to erect the present church edifice, and while it was being built the society worshiped in Wordin's Hall, at
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.