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 6
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F Sharp, 1780 lbs. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace.
E, 380 lbs. And the spirit and the bride say come, and let him that heareth say come.
G Sharp, 1250 lbs. Young men and maidens, old men and children praise the name of the Lord.
E. 380 lbs. And the spirit and the bride say come, and let him that hear- eth say come.
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ST. JOHN'S CHURCH AFTER THE FIRE, DECEMBER 24, 1868.
THE NEW ERA.
G Sharp, 1250 lbs. Young men and maidens, old men and children praise the name of the Lord.
A, 1080 lbs. Hearest thou what these say?
B, 840 lbs. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
C Sharp, 620 lbs. O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our maker.
D, 514 lbs. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary.
D Sharp, 476 lbs. I was glad when they said unto me we will go into the house of the Lord.
F Sharp, 250 lbs. To tell of thy loving kindness early in the morning and of thy truth in the night season.
8820 Ebs.
THE CHIMES OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
From the Waterbury American, Feb. 15, 1872.
At a meeting of the wardens and vestry of St. John's parish, Waterbury, held in the chapel on the 31st day of December, A. D. 1871, the letters of Gordon W. Burnham, Esq., of New York, formerly a member of this parish, were presented and read. Upon motion it was:
Resolved, That the letters of Mr. Burnham be entered at length upon the records of the parish.
Resolved, that the thanks of the parish be tendered to Mr. Burnham, not only for his generous confidence in selecting us as the guardians of this valued memorial of our late revered Bishop, but also for the fitting and beau- tiful work he has caused to be prepared to receive and protect it: The whole constituting a worthy ornament to our church, an object of sacred interest to all who shall hereafter come within its walls, a monument to a much-loved Bishop, and a memorial of the giver which we shall hope ever gratefully to preserve.
Resolved, That the thanks of the parish are due to Mr. Burnham for the elegant and costly chime of ten bells which he has caused to be placed in the tower of our church, and that in this gift he is a benefactor not only to the parish, but to the entire community.
Resolved, That a copy of the record of this meeting, authenticated by the signatures of the Rector, the Associate Rector, the Wardens and Vestrymen of this parish, be engrossed upon parchment and placed in the hands of Mr. Burnham, and that copies be furnished to the papers of the city and to the Churchman for publication.
JACOB L. CLARK, Rector. FRANCIS T. RUSSELL, Associate Rector. SCOVILL M. BUCKINGHAM, ISAAC E. NEWTON, Wardens.
S. W. Hall, F. J. Kingsbury, R. E. Hitchcock, J. W. Smith, Geo. Pritchard, C. B. Merriman, T. I. Driggs, J. S. Elton., N. Dikeman, E. A. Pierpont, H. V. Welton, B. P. Chatfield, George F. Perry, J. H. Sandland, Vestrymen.
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
This chime of bells is from the factory of Meneely & Co., Troy, and is con- sidered one of the very best specimens of their workmanship. The clearness and richness of tone could scarcely be excelled,-crystalline and mellow in sound. The resonant quality of the bells ought to be satisfactory certainly, when we hear it reported that the aged watchman upon Zion's walls in Water- town has distinctly heard their melody like musical spirits singing up the valley.
It is a mistaken notion that silver adds to the richness of tone in church bells. It gives softness to be sure, but the best alloy is found to be of tin and copper, and sometimes zinc. Silver, lead, and other metals have not the resonant quality for the best effect. The bell on the church at East Haddam has something of a muffled sound from the element of silver, as it is supposed. It is a very ancient bell, and is well worth a climb into the tower to see. It was sent to this country a few years ago from Spain, and may be, in fact judging from the inscriptions, etc., must be, hundreds of years old. But to return to our bells. We say our, for we are all equal sharers in the enjoyment of them. They are all superior in workmanship and are hung with the latest mechanical improvements. Each bell is appropriately inscribed with mottoes, "Holiness to the Lord," "My mouth shall sound forth thy praise," etc., etc. The name of the donor is also upon each bell and in case the chime should ever be broken up and scattered abroad it could again be recovered. The ten bells are on the notes E, F, G, A, B, C, D, D, E, F,-four sharps and one flat. This gives great variety and a wide range of tunes. Gardner in his "Music of Nature," gives the number of changes for ten bells as three million six hundred twenty-eight thousand and eight hundred, so that it will be seen there is no danger of our being confined to a limited range of tunes. Especially as the same author states that the ringing of seven hundred and twenty changes on twelve bells (two more than ours) in an hour, would require an incessant ringing of seventy years to complete the entire number.
In the descriptive catalogue of Meneely we find the following statement :
"A chime is set a of bells so attuned that the notes follow each other at diatonic intervals; a peal is a set attuned to harmonic intervals. Thus a set of bells upon the eight notes of the scale is a chime; a set upon the first, third, fifth, and eighth is a peal.
The smallest number of bells that may be said to compose a chime is five, while what might be called the natural number is eight,-representing the eight notes of the scale; but as the addition of an extra bell giving the note of the flat seventh creates a new series of diatonic tones in the key of the fourth, thus allowing music of two different keys to be played, this bell is usually added to the octave, so that a full chime is now understood to consist of at least nine bells.
The usual manner of mounting chimes in this country is to swing the tenor (or largest) bell after the manner of an ordinary church bell, the others
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THE NEW ERA.
being suspended stationarily from trusses and placed in such relative positions as the construction of the belfry will admit. Attached to the clappers are leather cords which are led by pulleys and rods to the ringer's room below and there connected with levers which may be easily manipulated by one person. This differs from the old English mode in that the latter requires that each bell be swung, thus requiring a ringer to each as also a tower of great capacity and strength."
We observe that out of the seventy-two different chimes manufactured by the Meneelys in this country and Canada, that there are only two exceeding, and but five equalling ours in number. We state these facts that our citizens may realize our indebtedness to Mr. Burnham, and we have only to regret that his heart cannot be cheered as often as ours by the sweet music of the bells of St. John's church. We trust that this munificent gift may be the means of provoking moneyed men elsewhere to the same good work.
A brass tablet on a background of Spanish griotte marble (the work of Giessler of New York) was the gift of the Sunday schools of St. John's and Trinity parishes. It bears this inscrip- tion :
In grateful remembrance of the Reverend Jacob Lyman Clark, D. D. Born at Westhampton, Mass., Sept. 19, 1807, graduated at Trinity College, 1831, ordained deacon June 29, 1835, and priest July 5, 1836. Instituted rector of this parish, Easter, 1837, where for forty years he faithfully served God and ministered to His people, until he entered into rest, January 26, 1877. "For he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and much people were added unto the Lord."
" Blessed is he that considereth the poor."
A small brass tablet upon a background of carved oak, on the side wall of the chancel, is inscribed as follows:
In memoriam rei. The Rev'd John Williams, D. D., LL. D., was elected fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut at a Convention held in St. John's Church, Waterbury, June 11, 1851.
"That thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting."
The memorial windows are sixteen in number, and are in memory of the following persons:
In memory of James Mitchell Lamson Scovill. Died May 16, 1857, aged 68 years. " A certain Samaritan when he saw him had compassion on him."
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
In memory of John Prince Elton. Died November 10, 1864, aged 55 years. "Thy will be done."
In memory of Edward S. Clark. Died June 20, 1862, aged 51 years.
"Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life."
Minnie Adelaide, daughter of Orrin and Eunice A. Scott. fre. devis! Died May 25, 1871, aged 6 years and 7 months "He giveth his beloved sleep."
William Henry Scovill-July 27, 1796-March 27, 1854. "Ye clothed me-Ye gave me drink.",
Eunice Ruth Davies, wife of William Henry Scovill. Born at Ogdensburg, N. Y., Mar. 5, 1807-Died at Waterbury Nov. 25, 1839. "Ye gave me to eat, Ye visited me."
Nancy Maria Austin Hall. Died February 8, 1868, aged 53 years. "I know thy works and thy patience. The Lord will receive my prayer."
Daniel Scott-Died Oct. 6, 1874, aged 92 years. "Bring forth the best robe and put it on him and let us eat and be merry."
On the same window:
In memory of Roxy Scott-Died Nov. 4, 1870, aged 77 years.
In memory of Mary B. Ives-Died Jan. 30, 1870, aged 55 years. From Sarah Ives Plumb.
In the memory of Abram Ives-Died July 18, 1819, aged 51 years. By J. Neale Plumb.
In memory of John Buckingham-Died May 3, 1867, aged 81 years. An excellent spirit was found in him. " As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."
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·
THE NEW ERA.
In memory of Charles Buckingham Merriman, 1809-1899. "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word."
In grateful remembrance. George Lyman Welton. May 27, 1867-March 7, 1900.
In loving memory of Ruth A. Farrell. Born Jan. 31, 1808. Died Nov. 23, 1883.
In memory of Theodore Ives Driggs. October 25, 1829-June 28, 1893. " We praise thee O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord."
In the chancel: A book rest.
In loving memory of Morton Campbell Driggs. March 5, 1884-March 3, 1900. From Kingsley R. MacGuffie, a school friend.
The Arch under the Chancel Organ was the gift of Robert W. Hill.
The Reredos was the gift of James S. Elton in memory of his father, John Prince Elton, April 24, 1809-Nov. 10, 1864; and of his mother, Olive Margaret Hall Elton, June 25, 1816-Nov. 12, 1892.
The chancel tiling was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Burrall in mem- ory of her father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. John C. Booth.
The tiling of the vestibule, the rood railing and the arch over the Bap- tistry were the gift of Frederick J. Kingsbury in memory of his wife, Alathea Ruth Scovill, March 21, 1828-Dec. 7, 1899.
The Chancel Organ and the electric connection of the two organs were the gift of Henry H. Peck.
A pair of chalices adorned with jewels bearing the inscription:
"To the Glory of God" and in loving memory of Frances Rosalla Phillips Welton. 1832-1900. Made from her own jewels and silver and presented to St. John's Church, Waterbury, Conn., by her husband, Nelson J. Welton.
"I believe in the communion of the Saints."
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
Alms basin, by Miss Merriman's S. S. Class.
Spoon, by Mary Sigourney, wife of Rev. F. T. Russell.
Two Brass Vases, in memory of Alathea Scovil Kingsbury.
Bishop Williams' Act of Consecration June 24, 1873, is framed and hung in the vestry .*
The following sentences are cut in the limestone belt course along the outside of the church:
"Ye shall reverence my Sanctuary, I am the Lord."
"I was glad when they said unto me we will go into the house of the Lord."
"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his Courts with praise."
"Be thankful unto him and speak good of his name. For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth from generation to generation."
On the tower;
St. John's Church erected 1846. Burned Dec. 24, 1868. Rebuilt 1870.
The baptismal font, of carved Ohio stone and marble, is a memorial to the Rev. Joseph D. Welton, who died January 16, 1825. It was given by Hobart V. Welton, his son. The font cover is in loving memory of Hobart V. Welton, 1811-1895, by his son, Edwin D. Welton. The lectern, an eagle carved in oak, is a memorial of William H. White, who died in 1873. The Bible, Prayer-Book and Hymnal were presented by Mrs. Betsey Elton, in 1872; the alms basin and communion service by classes in the Sunday school. The gilt cross was the gift of Mrs. John Bucking- ham. Spoon by Miss Pierpont's Sunday School class, Trinity Sunday, 1890.
The window to William H. Scovill, which would have been hidden by the Church organ had it remained in its original place, was divided and occupies two windows under the gallery.
In 1875, owing to the crowded condition of the church, it was voted to rent the front seats in the gallery.
*The Rev. Chauncey Brewster, D.D., LL.D., was elected the fifth Bishop of the Diocese at a Convention held in this church, June 11, 1897.]
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Econund Rowland.
THE NEW ERA.
At the annual parish meeting April 2, 1877, the Rev. J. Foote Bingham, D. D., who had been associate rector with Dr. Clark during the year previous to his death, was made rector of the parish. He is a native of Andover (Conn.), graduated from Yale College, in the class of 1852, and received the degree of S. T. D. from Western Reserve in 1869. He remained rector of the parish until the spring of 1880, when he resigned and removed to Hart- ford. He has since resided there without permanent charge.
Samuel W. Hall, whose wise and generous gifts to St. John's parish and for other public uses deserves special notice, died March 5, 1877. He left to the parish in trust (the income only to be used) $10,000 for the poor of the parish, $5,000 for church repairs and $3,000 for the parish library. He also left $10,000 to trustees to be used for a widows' home, provided that an equal sum should be raised by the parish for the same purpose within three years. As it seemed desirable that the form of this trust should be somewhat modified, the bequest was allowed to lapse, and the sum named was then given by the heirs of Mr. Hall to the parish, under a trust, in the modified form. For the clear and judicious arrangement of this trust the parish is indebted to Dr. Bingham.
After Dr. Bingham's resignation the Rev. Rob Roy McGregor McNulty, who had been assistant minister during the previous year, became rector, and remained with the parish until Septem- ber 20, 1883. He was of Scotch descent, a native of western Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Washington and Jefferson college in the class of 1867. While here, for family reasons, he took the name of Converse and dropped that of McNulty. Both names appear on the parish record. On leaving here he went to Corning, N. Y., was afterwards connected with Hobart College at Geneva, and is now rector of St. Luke's at Rochester, N. Y.
The Rev. Edmund Rowland, D.D., succeeded Mr. Converse as rector in the spring of 1884. He is a native of Springfield, Mass., and a graduate of Trinity College in the class of 1857, and the Berkeley Divinity School in 1859. He has been rector at Saratoga and at Goshen, N. Y., twice at New Bedford, Mass., and at Cincinnati, and officiated for a while at the American Church
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
in Rome. He resigned the rectorship of St. John's in April, 1891, and was made rector emeritus, which position he still holds.
Rev. John N. Lewis, Jr., was born at Annandale, Dutchess County, New York, on June 18th, 1869; fitted for College in public school, graduated at Williams College, June, 1899, Berkeley Divin- ity School, June, 1892, and was ordained deacon, June 8th, 1892, and priest, June, 1893. Both ordinations by Bishop Williams.
During Seminary course acted as assistant to the Rev. W. W. Newton, D.D., of St. Stephen's Church, Pittsfield, Mass., also as lay reader in charge of St. George's Church, Lee, Mass., and St. John's Church, Pine Meadow, Conn.
From June, 1892, to June, 1894, was assistant minister at St. George's, New York, Dr. Rainsford.
From June, 1894, to May, 1897, was rector of Grace Church, Honesdale, Penn.
From May, 1897, to September, 1900, was Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington, Kentucky.
From September, 1900, to August, 1901, was associate rector of St. John's Church, Waterbury, Conn.
From August, 1901, up to the present has been rector of St. John's.
In 1884 John C. Booth and Mrs. Olive M. Elton presented to the parish the lot at the corner of Church and West Main streets, and a rectory was erected thereon, which was completed in the spring of 1886 at a cost of about $16,000. The rectory on Leaven- worth street (which had been purchased at the time of Dr. Clark's second marriage) was sold. In 1890-91 the managers of the Hall fund erected for the use of the parish, at a cost of about $16,000, a commodious building of brick and granite, known as the "Par- ish house."
Since the middle of the last century St. John's parish has had an assistant minister during a large part of the time. In several instances the assistant was elected rector; in other cases assistants have become rectors of other important parishes. The following list gives the names of most of them, with biographical memo- randa.
In October, 1849, the Rev. John A. Paddock, afterwards
58
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REV. JOIN N. LEWIS, JR.
THE NEW ERA.
Bishop of Washington, preached here a few times and was invited to become an assistant, but, having meanwhile received a call to the parish of Stratford, he accepted that. The Rev. George W. Horne was then employed. He resigned December 9, 1850, to take a parish at Oswego, N. Y. Not very long afterward he became a missionary to Africa and died at Rocktown, in Africa, October 2, 1854. He was born at Kingston, Jamaica, W. I., May 5, 1821, was educated in part at a Wesleyan institution in England and studied theology with Dr. Samuel F. Jarvis, of Middletown. He was succeeded by the Rev. Edward Jessup, who remained here until the spring of 1852, when he took a parish in Chicopee, Mass. He was afterwards in Bath, Me., and Brook- lyn, N. Y. He was a native of Westfield, Mass., graduated at Yale College in Class of 1847, and died in Switzerland, whither he had gone for his health in 1872.
The Rev. Charles G. Acly came next, beginning his ministry here in March, 1852. He resided at Waterville, as the amount of work he found to do there seemed to make it desirable. A chapel had been built there, and consecrated June, 1851. He resigned at Easter, 1856, and soon after became rector at New Milford, where he died in 1880.
The Rev. Samuel G. Appleton succeeded from 1856 to 1858. He was born in Gloucester, Mass., in 1808, graduated from Am- herst College in 1832, studied theology at Andover, Mass., and was ordained deacon in 1834 and priest in 1835. He went from here to Morrisania, N. Y., and died there November 29, 1873.
The Rev. Junius M. Willey became associate rector in April, 1858. He resigned in December, 1861, to take the chaplaincy of the Third Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers, commanded by Colonel John L. Chatfield, who was a member of the parish. Mr. Willey resigned after some months' service and became rector of St. John's, Bridgeport, where he died.
The Rev. John Eaton Smith was assistant from early in 1862 to October, 1864. Not long after this he became rector of the Memorial church at Westport and died there. He was succeeded for a short time by the Rev. C. W. Chandler.
The Rev. A. Floridus Steele was assistant from Easter, 1865,
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
to January, 1868. He was a son of the Rev. Ashbel Steele, a native of Waterbury, and Clara Brewster, his wife, who was a descendant of Elder Brewster, one of the Plymouth "pilgrims." He was ordained deacon by Bishop Johns of Maryland in May, 1861, and became assistant to the Rev. B. Leacock, Harrisburg, Penn., in September following. He was ordained priest by Bishop Stevens, of Pennsylvania, in May, 1863. He went from Water- bury to Albany, N. Y., where he was assistant at St. Paul's. From there, in 1869, he went as rector to St. Mark's, Washington, D. C., where he died, August 28, 1893.
The Rev. Francis T. Russell, D.D. (Hobart, 1894), became assistant rector in March, 1868, and resigned in August, 1876, to become rector of St. Margaret's school. He continued to render frequent assistance both in St. John's and Trinity parishes and frequently conducted the service at St. Paul's, Waterville. He was born in Boston, June 10, 1828, has been professor of Rhetoric at Hobart, Berkeley and General Theological Seminary. He is at present living with his son Huntley Russell at Grand Rapids, Mich., but still retains the office of rector of St. Margaret's.
The Rev. Joel Foote Bingham, D.D., became assistant rector in February, 1876. When he succeeded Dr. Clark as rector the Rev. Victor C. Smith became assistant, and held that posi- tion until May, 1878. The Rev. John H. White was assistant from that time until November 1, 1878, when he became rector of Grace church, Saybrook. From there he went to Saint Paul, Minn., and later became dean of the Theological school at Fari- bault, and in 1895 was elected bishop of Indiana. Mr. White was succeeded by the Rev. Rob Roy McGregor McNulty, who, as already stated, was elected rector on Dr. Bingham's resignation.
The Rev. Melville K. Bailey, an assistant at St. Margaret's school, who had served as lay-reader before his ordination, be- came assistant in the spring of 1883, and resigned at Easter, 1885, to take charge of Trinity church, Branford. He went from there to Torrington, but is now one of the missionary assistants of Grace church, in New York city.
The Rev. S. R. Holden became assistant in 1885, and resigned to take a school in Colorado, in the summer of 1887.
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REV. FRANCIS T. RUSSELL, D.D.
THE NEW ERA.
The Rev. John H. McCrackan became assistant in September, 1891. The assistant has usually had charge of the Waterville chapel, which under Mr. McCrackan's management became quite prosperous. He resigned in November, 1894, since which time he has been mostly in Europe, serving as Chaplain of the American Chapel at Rome and several other points. He died in Germany in 1906.
The Rev. J. N. Lewis, Jr., as has been said, became rector in 1901. His first assistant was the Rev. Martin A. Barnes, who was born in Plymouth, Dec. 20, 1875, educated at Hillhouse School, New Haven, and St. Stephens College, Annandale, N. Y., and graduated at the Virginia Theological Seminary at Alexandria in 1902 and came directly to St. John's, which he left in March, 1905, to accept a call at Fairmount, W. Va.
His successor, Rev. Jacob Albert Biddle was born Dec. 24, 1845, at Rochester, Stark Co., Ohio, graduated at Oberlin College 1870, President of Philomath College, Oregon, 1871-2. B. D. Yale, 1875. Pastor First Congregational Church, Milford, Conn., 1875-80. Pastor First Congregational Church, Oswego, N. Y., 1880-83. Off duty from illness 1883-86. Chief Clerk, Connecti- cut Labor Bureau, 1886-88. Pastor Congregational Church, South Norwalk, 1888-1891. Confirmed in the Protestant Episco- pal Church by Bishop Barker at Grand Junction, Col., March 1893. Ordained deacon by Bishop Williams at Middletown, May, 1893, appointed rector of St. Mary's, South Manchester, August 24, 1893, served until June, 1903. Ordained priest by Bishop Williams, June, 1894. Rector Grace Church, New Haven, September, 1903, to June, 1904. In Europe some months and came to Waterbury, March, 1905. Took charge of Memorial Church, North Brookfield, Mass., June, 1905.
The Rev. Royal Ransom Miller came to St. John's July 5, 1905. He was born at Scottsville, N. Y., May 28, 1873, graduated at Harvard, 1899. Studied Theology at Cambridge and General Theological Seminary in New York. Ordained Deacon June 7, 1905. Left St. John's on account of his health February 2, 1906.
Rev. Charles Taber Hall became assistant July 1, 1906. He was born in Chelsea, Mass., July 18, 1880, prepared for college at
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一
1
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HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
Everett High School and graduated at Dartmouth College in 1903, and at Berkeley Divinity School in 1906; ordained at Trinity Church, Middletown, June 6, 1906.
The following persons, born or in part educated here, have become Episcopal clergymen elsewhere. The list is probably incomplete.
Rev. Alanson W. Welton, b. 1790 (son of Titus and Mary (Hickox) Welton, first resident Episcopal clergyman of Detroit, Mich., where he died September 28, 1822. There is a stained glass window to his memory in St. Paul's Church. He was educated at Cheshire Academy (Letter from Rev. X. A. Welton, May 27, 1873).
James Nichols, son of James Nichols, b. December, 1748, graduated Yale, 1771. Went to England for ordination. Settled awhile at Plymouth and Bristol, removed to Litchfield and Salis- bury, later to Vermont; died at Stafford, N. Y., June, 1829.
Elias Scovill, the third son of the Rev. James Scovil, was born in 1770. He succeeded his father as rector of Trinity Church, Kingston, N. B., and died there, February 10, 1841.
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