USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > A narrative and documentary history of St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church (formerly St. James) of Waterbury, Connecticut > Part 14
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It was the last ordination performed by that prelate, and for some years Dr. Holcomb was not only the last presbyter ordained by him, but the only survivor of those admitted by him to holy orders. He soon after received a call to Christ Church, Watertown, and removed his family there Dec. 14, 1814. He remained as rector of that parish until 1838, when he resigned its care, but was recalled in 1845, and continued as rector until 1850, when the infirmities of old age prompted him to surrender the cares of a parish forever. Nevertheless, he preached for feeble and destitute parishes, whenever his health would allow it, during the remainder of life. He died May 26, 1872.
His first wife, Mary Pinney, died Nov. 15, 1825, leaving two daughters, Mary E., wife of Leman W. Cutler, and Martha M., wife of Orrin Starr. These last both died before his demise. His second wife, Nancy Merriman, widow of Ed. E. Porter, survives him.
Dr. Holcomb was a man of fine personal appearance, of great physical strength, and until the decay of nature, in old age, always favorcd with robust health. He was a man of great prudence, never stirring up strife by word or deed of his own, truly a peacemaker. He was firm in his churchmanship, and yet courteous and kind to those of other religious names, so as always to have been on terms of kindly Christian intercourse with themn.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
OFFICERS OF CHRIST CHURCH PARISH. WATERTOWN, CONN.
REV. HERBERT N. CUNNINGHAM,
Rector.
REV. JOHN A. CROCKETT,
Asst. Rector.
ALFRED H. SCOVILL,
Senior Warden.
GEORGE F. PRITCHARD, ·
Junior Warden.
Vestrymen.
A. H. SCOVILL,
G. F. PRITCHARD,
H. H. HEMINWAY,
F. B. NOBLE,
WALLACE ATWOOD,
H. H. BARTLETT,
S. McL. BUCKINGHAM
B. H. HEMINWAY,
MERRITT HEMINWAY
B. S. JOHNSON,
PAUL KLIMPKE,
W. J. MUNSON,
CHARLES SMITH.
HARRY H. HEMINWAY, Clerk.
FRANK B. NOBLE, Treas.
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CHAPTER XIV.
ST. MICHAEL'S, NAUGATUCK.
I N 1784, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Beers and Mr. and Mrs. David Booth conveyed to the church, land valued at £100, the same having been given by verbal will of Abel Gunn toward the building of a church, it being a condition that the poor people of the parish should be relieved of their rates by this gift.
The parish was formally organized February 16, 1786, at the house of Jobamah Gunn and fourteen persons enrolled themselves as members. They mostly resided in the western part of Salem society, which was then known as Gunntown, the Gunns being the prominent family there. Services were conducted at some private house, usually by the minister officiating in Waterbury, one Sunday in a month, sometimes every third Sunday; the ser- vices of the intervening Sunday being conducted by a lay-reader.
After the removal of Rev. Mr. Scovil in 1786, preaching was intermittent, until, in 1792, Rev. Seth Hart was settled in Water- bury, officiating half the time in Salem and Woodbury.
In 1795 the society committee had discretionary orders to hire such Episcopal clergymen as they can obtain to do divine service during the year.
Soon after, they entered into negotiation with Rev. Alexander Viets Griswold, but did not succeed in obtaining his services, and then Mr. Joseph B. Candee was appointed to assist in reading the sermons, and Mr. Thomas Osborn to read prayers. But before long, in this same year, the Rev. Tillottson Bronson became rector of St. John's, Waterbury, and gave one-quarter of his time to Salem, and this continued until 1805.
In 1806, Rev. Chauncey Prindle became rector, dividing his time between Salem and Oxford, and so remained until 1814.
*This sketch, prepared for the History of the Town and City of Waterbury, was mostly taken from a manuscript history of the parish, by the Rev. E. C. Gardner, and loaned me by the Rev. J. W. Ellsworth; since Mr. Ellsworth's death this sketch has disap- peared. It is hoped that it may be found and preserved.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
In 1801, December 21, a vote was passed to build a church on Sawmill hill, but February 16, 1803, this vote was rescinded.
In 1803, after several unsuccessful efforts, a small church building (the vote says 44 by 34 feet) was sufficiently finished for use. This stood according to the record, "on the hill, about fifty rods west of Jobamah Gunn's dwelling house," which still retains the local name, Church hill.
May 17, 1809, a vote was passed "to make the Episcopal Church in Salem a society house for the public worship of Almighty God according to the rites and ceremonies of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and that the committee see that the church be painted, glass windows put in and gallery floors laid.
It was in this gallery that the chorister, zealous and engrossed with his duties, hearing the wrong note taken from the pitch pipe, brought down his fist like a sledge on the breastwork and shouted, "Stop! you haven't got the pitch into forty rods." All who be- lieved in a prescribed form were much startled by this statement which was not to be found in the rubrics. In 1812 a bell was placed in the belfry.
In 1830 it was decided to remove the Church to the "Bridge." $1000 was raised by subscription, and the Church was taken down, removed and fitted up in good condition and ready for use in 1832, in which year it was consecrated by Bishop Brownell under the name of St. Michael. It appears to have had no name prior to the removal.
Meantime Mr. William C. DeForest, who was mainly instru- mental in effecting the removal, prepared a hall in his satinet factory in which services were held while the removal, recon- struction and repairs were in progress.
The lot on which the Church stands and the "Church Green" were deeded by Daniel Beecher for ecclesiastical purposes in March, 1832.
During these years Rev. William A. Curtis and Rev. T. J. Davis successively ministered here, dividing their time between this parish and Bethany.
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ST. MICHAEL'S, NAUGATUCK.
On July 21, 1833, the Rev. Oliver Hopson began his ministry. He was the first resident rector, as Mr. Prindle's house was in the edge of Oxford, and after the first year gave his whole time to the parish. His connection with it lasted nearly fourteen years and until after Naugatuck became a separate town.
The following are Mr. Hopson's successors:
Rev. James Mackay, 1847-1849.
Rev. Joseph Scott, 1849-1856.
Rev. Thomas G. Carver, 1857-1859.
Rev. C. T. Woodruff, 1860-1861.
Rev. E. E. Johnson, 1861-1865.
Rev. William L. Fitch. 1865-1867.
Rev. James S. Scott, 1867-1878.
Rev. Edward R. Brown, 1878-1880.
Rev. Charles R. Talbot, 1880-1881.
Rev. E. C. Gardner, 1881-1888.
Rev. J. W. Ellsworth, 1888-1901.
Rev. William H. Garth, 1902.
Since Mr. Hopson left, Naugatuck has grown from a village of 1500 to a town of 15,000.
During this time the parish has made steady progress and was not without two or three special features to make its history.
First came the building of the present brick church and chapel during the pastorate of the Rev. James S. Scott. The corner stone was laid on St. Michael's Day, 1875, and the first service in the completed church was held a year later.
On February 16, 1886, the Centenary of the parish was cele- brated. While the Rev. Mr. Ellsworth was in charge, the rectory, so attractively situated on the Green, and now in use, was built- the old rectory being moved from Church Street to Meadow Street in order to make room for the block which was erected by the parish as an investment. This block is known as the Hopson Block and is called after the former rector of that name.
The present rector, the Rev. William Henry Garth, formerly assistant minister of St. George's Church, New York, began his ministry in St. Michael's on March 1, 1902.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
The parish has just succeeded (April, 1906) in raising the neces- sary fund for a parish house, which will be built during the coming season.
OFFICERS OF ST. MICHAEL'S PARISH,
NAUGATUCK, CONN.
REV. WILLIAM HENRY GARTH,.
Rector.
Wardens.
JOHN M. PAGE,
Vestrymen.
A. C. TUTTLE, 1882,
G. W. ANDREW, 1885,
G. D. BUCK, 1888,
H. E. BALDWIN, 1888,
JACOB KEELING, 1891,
A. H. DAYTON, 1893,
C. E. PEARSON, 1899,
J. W. ROGERS, 1902,
H. H. SCHOFIELD, 1904,
LEON M. WOODFORD, 1904, FRANK H. JUDD, 1905.
Clerk of the Parish. EDWARD E. HOTCHKISS.
Treasurer. GEORGE D. BUCK.
Parish Agent. HORACE E. BALDWIN.
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F. F. SCHAFFER.
JOHN WOOD, 1880,
CHAPTER XV.
THE CHURCH IN MIDDLEBURY.
I N 1804 a vote was passed by the Salem Society that the Middle- bury Society have the liberty of the Church for the purpose of hiring a clergyman to officiate therein, on Rev. Tillotson Bronson's absence, with his permission. This is supposed to have been done for the purpose of allowing the Middlebury people to hear a candidate, but it shows that they apparently had an organized society there as early as 1804.
A considerable number of the members of the Gunntown parish were apparently residents of Middlebury. At the time of the removal of the building to Naugatuck Center, one of the reasons given in favor of it, was that a new parish had been formed in Middlebury. We learn from the journals of the annual Protestant Episcopal Convention, that a parish at Middlebury, without name, was admitted in 1830. It appeared to have been mostly under the care of the Rev. Oliver Hopson, then rector at Naugatuck. In 1835 the Bishop reports twelve persons confirmed there. In 1841 Mr. Hopson reports that "his engagement termi- nated at Easter, since which no stated services are held there." In 1843 he reports at Naugatuck "nine communicants formerly numbered in the Middlebury parish." No further reports appear, and in 1851 the parish was dropped from the list. It is supposed to have owed its existence mainly to the efforts of Larmon Town- send, a merchant at Gunntown, near the church, who afterward removed his business and residence to Middlebury. He was an ardent churchman and frequently officiated as a lay-reader. He died May 11, 1858, aged eighty-one years.
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CHAPTER XVI.
ALL SAINTS PARISH, WOLCOTT.
Taken mainly from Rev. Samuel Orcutt's History of Wolcott.
N 1779 an application was made to the Legislature by persons living in Farmingbury, an Ecclesiastical Society formed from portions of Farmington and Waterbury, for permission to form an (Episcopal) Ecclesiastical Society. This was opposed by the Congregational Society and was not granted. I
About 1805 services were held at the house of Daniel Byington and continued to be held there for several years.
The Episcopal Society was organized January 26, 1811, under the following call:
CALL FOR THE FIRST SOCIETY MEETING. .
We, the subscribers, inhabitants of the town of Wolcott, being of the order of Christians denominated Episcopalians, and being desirous to form ourselves into a society for the purpose of exercising all the privileges which by law are granted to the several Societies, being of the aforesaid order of Christians, do hereby agree to meet on the 26th day of instant November, at the dwelling house of Mr. Titus Hotchkiss, in said Wolcott, at one o'clock in the afternoon of said day, for the purpose of choosing a moderator and clerk of said meeting, which clerk, when chosen, shall be sworn as the law directs; and also to choose all other officers which shall then be thought necessary and proper for the good of said Society, and also to tax ourselves for the purpose of procuring such proportion of preaching as shall by the Society be thought best, being at all times governed and directed by a majority of said meeting, in the doing and performing of all which, as above written, will ever hereafter consider ourselves a Society; and to be guided by the same laws and in the same manner as other Societies of the same denomination, belonging to this State, are.
WOLCOTT, November 31, 1811.
John Welton, Moses Welton, Levi Hall, William Parker, William Hotch- kiss, Ambrose Ives, Eliakim Welton, Timothy Hotchkiss, Streat Todd, Phineas Deming, Joseph Minor, John Norton, Zephana Parker, Bildad Hotchkiss, John J. Kenea, Asaph Finch, Levi Brown, Erastus Welton, Joseph Welton, Eliakim Welton, 2d, Titus Hotchkiss, Thomas Welton, Daniel Langdon, Heze- kiah Bradley, Daniel Byington, David Wakelee, Joseph C. Alcox, Eleazer Finch.
*Farmingbury was incorporated a town by the name of Wolcott in 1796
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ALL SAINTS PARISH, WOLCOTT.
MINUTES OF THE FIRST SOCIETY MEETING.
WOLCOTT, November 26, 1811.
At a legal meeting this day holden at the dwelling house of Mr. Titus Hotchkiss, by the members of the Episcopal Society, the following votes were passed by the members of said meeting: "That Daniel Langdon be moderator of said meeting, and that Erastus Welton be clerk for the year ensuing; that Moses Welton be treasurer; that Moses Welton, Bildad Hotchkiss and Irad Wakelee be Society's Committee for the year; Daniel Langdon and Thomas Welton, Wardens. Voted that a tax of one cent on a dollar be laid on the list 1811, and made payable to the Treasurer the first day of March, 1812, and that Irad Wakelee be Collector of said Tax. Voted that the annual society meeting be hereafter holden the last Monday in November, annually. That the society committee receive the money at the hands of the Treasurer, and at their discretion apply it for preaching the ensuing year."
For two years after the formation of the Society, the Rev. Mr. Prindle, then of Naugatuck, supplied the Society with preaching once a month during the summer season, six or seven months, at $6. per Sabbath, as the Treasurer's book shows. In 1815 Rev. Tillotson Bronson preached for them. After this, names of ministers are not mentioned for some years, yet the amount spent for preaching seems to have been most of the time nearly fifty dollars a year.
Services were conducted by laymen regularly in the absence of a minister, and committees were appointed from year to year to "read the prayers of the church," and also to read sermons. Three or four persons were named for each purpose. These appointments are continued yearly for eleven years. Clergymen of the adjoining parishes officiated occasionally as will be seen by votes of St. John's, Waterbury, giving permission for the rector to officiate in Wolcott for a Sunday occasionally. The services were held in a private house, usually that of Daniel Byington.
An April 10, 1820, the Society, at an adjourned meeting, took into consideration the subject of building a house of worship, and "voted that we appoint an agent to consult the minds of gentle-
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
men on the expediency of petitioning the Legislature for a grant of a lottery for the purpose of building a house of worship."* At an adjourned meeting held in the same month, April 24th, they "voted that we will build a house of public worship, provided we can agree upon a spot for that purpose." Also "voted that we will build a house in the Centre, provided we can be accommodated with a place to set it, and that Levi Hall, Ambrose Ives, and Erastus Welton, be a committee to look out a spot to build a house."
At an adjourned meeting, held December 31st, 1821, they "voted that we will build a church in case we can get money enough subscribed, and that we will build it in the centre of the town, near the Meeting house, and that Archibald Minor, Levi Hall, Moses Welton, Eben Welton, Willard Plumb, and Ambrose Ives, be a committee to circulate subscription papers for the purpose of building a house."
On January 21st, three weeks later, they "voted to ascertain the probable expense of a house from 40 by 30 to 46 by 36 feet, and also to get a plan of the frame." One week later they " voted to build a church 30 by 40 feet, that it be two stories high, with 20 feet posts and a cupola suitable for hanging a bell." At the same meeting they directed the Society Committee to "agree with Moses Pond for a room in his chamber to meet in for one year, if in their opinion they can get it reasonable." Moses Pond's house at this time was the public house at the Centre. In the autumn of the same year they circulated subscriptions to raise money to defray expenses for hiring a house in which to hold public worship the year ensuing and it is probable it was this chamber in Mr. Pond's hotel.
In December, 1823, they accepted the report of their commit- tee on a place to build a house, and fixed a site and appointed a committee to forward the enterprise. Between the years 1822 and 1830, the Society met frequently, discussed the whole subject
*This, although perhaps not the last, wasamong the last of the requests for the estab- lishment of a lottery for religious or charitable purposes. At an early date it had been considered a perfectly legitimate method of raising money, and the Bishop's Fund, Cheshire Academy and various other similar institutions were assisted by lotteries.
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ALL SAINTS PARISH, WOLCOTT.
of building and appointed committees to forward the same, but the house did not appear in its place as desired. The society was not able to build a church that would accommodate even its small congregation, and during the same time the Congregational Society was unable to "hire preaching." The "revival" in the Spring of 1828 in the Congregational Society under the Rev. Mr. Scranton had revived the religious energies of the whole commu- nity, and the Episocpal Society shared in its benefits. In February of 1830, they changed the size of the house to 24 by 36 feet, and proceeded to gather materials for the building.
A SITE GIVEN BY THE TOWN.
WOLCOTT, April 5, 1830.
Then met according to adjournment, and at said meeting, upon the petition of a number of the members of the Episcopal Society in said town in the form following:
Whereas, the Episcopal Society in the town of Wolcott are about to erect a house of public worship in said Wolcott, and being desirous to set the same somewhere near the Congregational Meeting house in said Wolcott, or as near as a suitable spot of ground can be obtained for that purpose, we, therefore, whose names are underwritten, petition the inhabitants of said Wolcott, in legal town meeting this day assembled, for leave to erect said house on the most eligible spot of ground belonging to said town of Wolcott on the south part of the public green.
Signed by JOHN J. KENEA and others, WOLCOTT, April 5, 1830. Voted to grant the prayer of the petition.
During the summer of 1830 the frame was raised, and in December the outside of the church was covered. The only record of expense of the Society is a paper covered book, found in possession of Mr. Orrin Hall, having been left by Mr. Levi Hall at his death, containing Mr. Erastus Welton's account with the Society as treasurer from 1811 to 1823, and containing Mr. Levi Hall's account with the same from 1835 to 1839. These items give us no account of the cost of the church, nor when it was com- pleted. It is probable that the church was not finished till some
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
time during the year 1832, from the fact that a meeting of the Society was held on the first Monday of April, 1833, and they "voted to discharge Levi Hall, Archibald Minor, Thomas H. Welton, and Orrin Plumb, building committee for the church, from any further services as committee aforesaid, and from all liabili- ties in said capacity," which indicates the work of building com- pleted at that time. The Church was consecrated by Bishop Brownell, October 2, 1833, and the parish was probably admitted to the Convention in 1834. Although the admission does not appear on the journal, the parish is recorded in the list.
In 1836 a stove was put into the church, as appears from a subscription paper for that purpose, still preserved.
The parish records are imperfect, portions of them having been destroyed, according to a minute made therein by Rev. Collis I. Potter, because "they contained matter inappropriate for a register of the church." This was done previous to Mr. Potter's rectorship and he probably got his information from members of the parish. The character of the inappropriate matter does not appear.
Mr. Orcutt gives the following list of clergymen who officiated there.
Rev. Mr. Prindle, of Naugatuck, two years once in six weeks, from 1811 to 1813.
Rev. Tillotson Bronson, of Cheshire, preached a short time.
From 1817 money was raised nearly or quite every year till 1835, to procure preaching, but the ministers' names are not mentioned in the records.
1836 and 1837, Rev. Peter G. Clark, of Cheshire.
1838 and 1839, Rev. Mr. Covell, of Bristol.
1840 and 1841, and perhaps longer, Rev. Servilius Stocking, resident minister.
1843, Rev. Mr. Gregor.
1844, Rev. William G. French.
1845 and 1846, Rev. David Sandford.
1847, Rev. John D. Smith, of Seymour, three years.
1850 to 1855, Rev. Collis Ira Potter, four years.
1855 and 1856, Rev. Ximenes Alanson Welton.
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ALL SAINTS PARISH, WOLCOTT.
1858, Rev. Samuel G. Appleton, assistant to Rev. Dr. Clark, of Waterbury.
1859, Rev. James Morton, of Harwinton, preached most of a year as supply on Sabbath.
1860, Rev. J. M. Willey, assistant of Rev. Dr. Clark, of Water- bury. He is said to have been a "smart man," and enjoyed preaching at Wolcott very much.
Since Mr. Willey, Rev. Prof. Russell, of Waterbury, and others, had preached a few times.
From this time on by deaths and removals the Society gradu- ally diminished until at length, about 1865, they ceased to hold even occasional services. In 1882 the parish was stricken from the roll of the Convention. A few years later the Church was taken down and now nothing remains to mark its site, except a stone in the shape of a cross. The greater part of the pewter communion service of the church is in possession of the registrar of the Diocese.
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CHAPTER XVII.
ST. PAUL'S, WATERVILLE.
A S has been already stated this parish was established as a mission of St. John's, and a chapel was built in 1851. The chapel was consecrated June, 1851, by Bishop Brownell, the sermon on that occasion being preached by the Rev. Thomas M. Clark, late Presiding Bishop, at that time rector of Christ's Church, Hartford. In 1852 the Rev. C. G. Aely, assistant at St. John's, took residence in Waterville and gave almost all his time to its interests. He was the first clergyman to reside in Water- ville.
A few years after the establishment of the mission, business at Waterville declined and the mission languished, although Dr. Clark always took great interest in it and weekly services and a Sunday School were always sustained.
When Rev. Dr. Russell took charge of St. Margaret's School, he offered, November 7th, 1875, that if St. John's would furnish him a horse and carriage he would take charge of St. Paul's, which he did efficiently for two years or more, the funds for the horse and carriage having been raised by subscription.
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Again, in 1889, Dr. Russell took charge of St. Paul's for a year or more.
About the time that the Rev. John H. McCraekan became assistant at St. John's, there was a revival of business in the village and Mr. McCraeken took great interest in the mission. It flour- ished under his care and a parish hall was built and opened Sep- tember 17th, 1903. Mr. MeCracken started a movement to have the mission organized into a parish, but resigned before this was accomplished. His successor at St. John's, the Rev. H. N. Tragitt became the first rector of St. Paul's and the parish was organized and received into union with the . Diocesan Convention, June, 1895. The first wardens were Louis Gates and E. E. Bacon, Harry O. Miller being the first elected delegate to Convention. During Mr. Tragitt's rectorate the Parish Society and Young People's Association were organized, both of which societies have
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Sr. PAUL'S CHAPEL, WATERVILLE
ST. PAUL'S, WATERVILLE.
contributed in great measure to the development of the parish and are active in good works at the present time.
In 1898 Mr. Tragitt resigned and was succeeded by the Rev. W. A. Rafter. Mr. Rafter stayed only two years. His successor was the Rev. C. W. Bentham. For a few years the parish lan- guished, and in January, 1902, the Bishop sent Mr. J. Attwood Stansfield, a student from the General Theological Seminary, to assume direction of its affairs. The following Easter, the parish requested Mr. Stansfield to take charge and when he was ordained he was elected Minister-in-charge. In April, 1903, the mother parish, St. John's, gave a deed of the Church and lot to St. Paul's. The manufacturing interests of the village have prospered and the parish has kept pace with the growth of the village. A lot has been purchased, large enough for church, parish house and rectory. A rectory is assured. A building fund has been started for a new stone church. Three rooms have been added to the Parish House, the interiors of both church and parish house have been remodelled and renovated; a cellar has been made and fur- nace installed besides other improvements. The parish reports 100 families, 162 communicants, and 150 scholars in the Sunday School.
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