USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartford > Christ church, Hartford, Volume I > Part 2
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 | Part 61 | Part 62
In the year 1819 the duties of the rectorship were assumed by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Church Brownell, who, in the same year, was made Bishop of Connecticut. Continuing to discharge the office of rector until 1821, he afterwards settled down as a stated worshiper here, and, when not otherwise engaged, occupied his pew on the right of the chancel, until the end of his days. I cannot undertake, within the brief limits assigned me, to pronounce his eulogy. There is no place where it is less needed. But still again I must ask permission to repeat a few words, copied from my farewell sermon: "Thank God, there also yet abides with us, going in and out as one of the congregation, the revered and beloved presiding bishop of the church, who for a season ministered to you in holy things. I cannot express in this place and at this time all that is in my heart of pleasure, gratitude, and filial affection toward him. Neither can I hope to utter all that I know you would have me say in your own behalf. I can only pray to God that the church may long continue to be blessed with his wise counsels, and with the example of his blameless life; and that he may pass by gentle stages up to that seat which is reserved for him in the mansions of eternal rest."
20
CHRIST CHURCH, HARTFORD.
The Rev. Nathaniel Sheldon Wheaton, who had acted as his assistant, became the rector of Christ Church in 1821, and continued to serve the parish in that capacity for the ensuing ten years. I have already alluded to the fact that the church whose consecration we commemorate was de- signed and erected under his supervision - a work for which he prepared himself by a careful study of ecclesiastical archi- tecture in foreign lands. Every detail of the work came under his personal supervision, and it must have been a joyful day to him when "the top-stone was laid with shout- ings." His devotion to this good work did not, however, cause him at all to neglect the other duties of his ministry. One who knew him well has borne witness " to the earnest- ness, the uniform devotion to duty, and the singleness of pur- pose which distinguished Dr. Wheaton's life. His preaching was plain, logical, and practical; aiming rather to convince the heart and judgment than to captivate the imagination. In all his intercourse with his parishioners he showed himself a most unselfish man. The poor, especially, ever found his sympathy alike to their sufferings and their relief; if the alms of the parish failed to furnish the means, his private resources were ready and prompt to supply the deficiency." In 1831 Dr. Wheaton resigned the rectorship, having been elected to the presidency of Trinity College, an institution for which he had done much in helping to place it on a sure and substantial basis. The beautiful grounds around the college, which he did so much to adorn, have passed into other hands, and the trees which he planted are leveled to the earth; but, in the new and grander structure and more magnificent surroundings of which the college now has possession, Dr. Wheaton's name will be always remembered as one of its earliest presidents and most effective bene- factors. I give the following extract from the record of this church, entered on the 13th of October, 1831, in accepting Dr. Wheaton's resignation: "When we look back for a series of more than twelve years, when we bring to mind how great has been the accession of parish members, how many have been added to our communion, what harmony has prevailed
21
COMMEMORATIVE SERMON.
and prosperity attended our parish in all respects, by the blessing of God, through the unceasing labors and pious administration of him who, during that period, has served at our altar, mingled in our affections, and secured our appro- bation and esteem, his loss to us collectively and individually can be duly appreciated only by a just estimate of the bless- ings we have thus enjoyed."
Of the brief rectorship of the Rev. Hugh Smith, which next ensued, I find but little mention. The resolutions passed by the parish, when he resigned, indicate a grateful appreciation of his services and high respect for his Chris- tian character. After a brief interregnum, during which the church was supplied by Bishop Brownell and Dr. Wheaton, the Rev. George Burgess was elected rector, on the 27th of October, 1834. During the period of his ministry, the tower of the church was completed, and the brick chapel in the rear was built. It was my lot to deliver the address at his burial, and perhaps I could not express my appreciation of the work that he did here more appropriately than in the words which were used on that sad occasion: "While he was the rector of Christ Church, Hartford, his time was divided between his study, his church, and the houses of his parish- ioners, and no one knew that he ever passed an idle hour. There are few clergymen who study as much and write as inuch as he did, and there are few who visit their flock as frequently. He sympathized with them in every joy and in every sorrow. He came as an angel of counsel to the bed- side of the sick, and as a messenger of comfort to the house- hold of the bereaved. After he left Hartford, when the hand of affliction fell upon the people, they wanted Bishop Burgess to come to them in their grief and minister to them. He was one of the most indefatigable sermon-writers in the land; a certain portion of every day was devoted to this work, and the close of the week never found him hurried or unprepared for the duties of the pulpit. His discourses, ever fresh and new, were well digested, varied in form and subject, instruct- ive, and full of the truth and unction of the Gospel. His manner was not especially graceful and his elocution not
22
CHRIST CHURCH, HARTFORD.
particularly impressive ; but there was an earnestness in his utterance, a thoughtfulness and research in his composition, oftentimes a beauty and richness in his style, which made the hearers oblivious of all defects. It was evident that he had carefully explored and mastered the subject which he handled, and that he felt the solemnity and truth of what he uttered. As a preacher he kept on growing from the beginning, and was more popular in the pulpit during the closing year of his life than ever before. His whole public and private character was both subdued and intensified by the spirit of habitual and sincere devotion. He lived in daily and hourly communion with God ; he did nothing without seeking divine direction, and prayer came spontaneously from his heart. He was a godly man, inasmuch as he made his own life subservient to that of God, and was ready to do whatever his Master demanded of him. In the days of mar- tyrdom he would not have shrunk from the stake, for he sometimes took up what was to him a heavier cross than death." Here he continued, thus discharging his ministry for the space of thirteen years, when this church was again called to give up its rector to meet a call to the Episcopate. In his letter of resignation he says : "I came amongst you young and a stranger. I have passed amongst you the flower of my life, and every house has become to me a kind of home. So happy in all social and pastoral relations I cannot hope to be again. The sphere to which I go is one in which the church during my lifetime will probably furnish no post like that which I relinquish. But I know that you will appreciate the only motives which can impel me, and I trust that you will dismiss me with the same acquiescence which I feel in what seems to me to be the will of our Lord and Saviour." This letter was referred by the wardens and vestry to the parish, and at a meeting held in the chapel, it was
Resolved, That we accept this resignation with the profoundest sorrow and regret ; sorrow, that he is so soon to be removed from us, and the tie to be severed which has united us in the most sacred relation for the full period of thirteen years; regret, that this parish is to be de-
23
COMMEMORATIVE SERMON.
prived of his prudent counsels, his invaluable services, his holy ministra- tions, and of those patient, faithful, and most abundant labors of love, by which this church has been so long edified and strengthened, its bor- ders enlarged, and its prosperity under God permanently insured.
The Rev. Peter S. Chauncey was elected rector in 1848, and resigned in 1850, when the following action was taken at a parish meeting :
Resolved, That in accepting said resignation, a connection is severed that has been distinguished on the part of our rector by an amenity of deportment in his daily intercourse with his people that has won our sincerest esteem, by a sacredness of principle and integrity of character which commands our unfeigned respect, and by a most laborious fidelity in the discharge of his parochial duties which entitles him to our most affectionate gratitude.
This closes the list of rectors who preceded me in this parish, all of whom are now numbered with the dead. For one year the church was most acceptably supplied by the Rev. Drs. Wheaton, Coit, and Williams, due acknowledgment of which was made in a resolution of the parish, passed at a meeting held on the 21st of April, 1851. My own rector- ship, which began at this time, continued until the Ist of April, 1855, and was unexpectedly terminated by my election to the Episcopate of Rhode Island, the same strange fatality in a given direction continuing, one after another, to deprive this parish of its pastors. During the second year of my ministry here the sum of $18,000 was raised by subscription for the purpose of liquidating the debt and putting the church building and premises in order. During the same year $4,300 was contributed towards the erection of a chapel for the Episcopal city mission. These were the leading events which attended my stay in the parish ; everything outwardly was peaceful and prosperous, our congregation uniformly large and most intelligent and respectable in quality. The music was probably to many more attractive than the pulpit, and a more harmonious, charitably-disposed, and affectionate people could hardly be found anywhere within the pale of Christendom. I miss almost all the old familiar faces to-day; it would take some time to call over
24
CHRIST CHURCH, HARTFORD.
the roll of the departed. I can recall just how they used to enter the church, and where they sat, and how the different voices sounded in the response. It was rather a venerable company of worshipers that gathered here in those times - at least, it seemed so then. In certain respects it was certainly somewhat unique. The long row of students that lined the gallery, the sprinkling of college professors and clergymen of various grades, the eminent physicians and lawyers, the thriving and enterprising men of affairs, the cultivated women whose names were a household word throughout the land, combined to give reputation to this parish, and made it no easy thing for a modest man to stand in his place as their instructor and spiritual guide.
Since I resigned the rectorship the place has been filled in succession by the Rev. R. M. Abercrombie, the Rev. George H. Clark, and the Rev. Robert Meech, the Rev. Prof. John T. Huntington officiating from 1874 to 1877. As they are all still living, it might not be proper for me to utter those words of commendation which they deserve, and which might be appropriately said if they were not alive to hear them. The records of the parish show that their services were well appreciated by a loving and grateful people. Of the present rector, the Rev. William F. Nichols, who, I trust, may be
long spared to serve you, it is not necessary for me to speak in commendation. This enlarged and beautiful church will always commemorate his ministry here, as these solid walls continue to speak of the energetic Wheaton, and the graceful tower, pointing heavenward, of the saintly Burgess.
There are few parish churches in the United States in which, during the period of fifty years, so many have been ordained to the diaconate and to the priesthood-not less than ninety-one in all, sixty-four deacons and twenty-seven priests. It is an interesting fact that among the first in the list were two men of color, who were set apart as missionaries to Africa in 1831. Bishop Burgess was ordained priest in this church in 1834; James R. Bayley, afterward the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore, was here ordained deacon in 1839; Alfred Lee, the present Bishop of Delaware, was
25
COMMEMORATIVE SERMON.
1
ordained priest in 1838 ; and Abram N. Littlejohn, Bishop of Long Island, was also ordained priest in 1849. The Bishop of Connecticut and the Bishop of Kansas were confirmed in this church. Bishop Burgess was consecrated here on Sun- day, October 31, 1847.
The statistics show that since this church was opened in 1829, there have been 1,755 baptisms- 336 adult and 1,419 infant baptisms ; 1,228 persons confirmed ; 404 marriages ; and 1, 167 funerals.
When Christ Church was erected, it was not anticipated that in the course of half a century the population would drift away into what were then the outskirts of the town, and leave the church surrounded by shops and stores. In many places the old churches have drifted off after the people, and left the once sacred site to be occupied for busi- ness purposes. The splendid improvements which have been made in this consecrated temple are a guarantee that this will not be its melancholy fate. It may be harder in the future to keep the parish up to the true standard than it was in days gone by ; but we trust that as long as this fair city shall continue to adorn the banks of the Connecticut, so long shall the beautiful tower of this church stand just where it now stands, and our children come here to worship, down to the latest generation. Such a landmark as this ought never to be removed. Let it stand in the very midst of all the turmoil of traffic, to remind men that their life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which they here possess ; preaching its silent sermon all through the busy hours of the day. As I have once before said in this place, "The very walls of the building where we have so often prayed together, where our minds and hearts have gone up in hallowed unison to heaven, where we have welcomed the new-born immortal to the fold of Jesus at the baptismal font, where we have knelt at the altar and taken the Eucharistic bread in memory of the bleeding Lamb, and where we have sung the funeral anthem over the cold remains of our fathers, our brethren, and our children, these very walls seem to press upon us, as though they would not let us leave them. The tones of
26
CHRIST CHURCH, HARTFORD.
the old bell, which, morning and evening, have summoned us to prayer, hold us with a reproachful spell. The graves of the dead whisper to us, 'Abide in your place, till you are called to join us here.' "
I can hardly express the gratification which it gives me to meet once more my old Connecticut friends and brethren, on such a joyful occasion as the present. This is the fourth commemorative sermon that I have recently been called to preach ; the first was at the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of St. John's Church, Providence ; the second was the semi-centennial of St. Andrew's, Phila- delphia ; the third, the semi-centennial of Grace Church, Providence ; and this is the fourth. I begin to feel as if I were living in the past. I seem to be walking among the shades. The olden time is preponderant. I see the ancient rectors, in their black silk gowns and black silk gloves, slowly ascending the long pulpit stairs, after the clerk in his desk has wailed his last response, and the singers in the loft have also wailed their somewhat heavy song, and the children have all been quieted (the children went to church in those days), and the wardens have seated themselves upright in listening attitude, close by their long poles, which, in one or two of the churches in my own diocese, still distinguish the warden's pew ; and then I can seem to hear the old sermon all over again - sound, sensible, scriptural, what we now call churchly -not overburdened with ornament, perhaps not overladen with logic. It was a good, wholesome service, and there were not so many things to distract the people and turn their thoughts away from the church as there are now. They were not tempted to stay at home, and be preached to by the Sunday morning newspaper. They took their opinions from the pulpit, rather than from the press. The preacher was not called upon to compete with the secular lecturer. The wear and tear of daily life was not what it is now. We may have finer churches than our fathers had, more elaborate music, a richer service, a more gorgeous array in certain quarters - we certainly do some things that would have made our fathers open their eyes very wide on Sundays,
27
COMMEMORATIVE SERMON.
and wonder if they had not got into the wrong place - we may preach more telling sermons ; but, after all, they had some blessings which we have lost. The church at large is more active than it was in their day ; if it were not, amid the surge and roar of the times it would be certain to be swamped.
We have still many things to be thankful for, and I must be allowed this day to congratulate my Right Reverend Brother of Connecticut upon the condition of his diocese, which is now stronger in its proportion to the whole popula- tion of the State than any other in the land, and of which Christ Church, Hartford, is a type in respect of its stable moderation, freedom from excesses and all vicious extremes, in its adherence to the old ways and the ancient doctrines of the Gospel. God grant that his wise, paternal, and fraternal administration may be continued for many years to come! It seems but a day or two ago that I joined with others in his election to this Episcopate, and now there are but three acting bishops on the list who are his seniors.
I also must congratulate my reverend brother, the rector of this church, upon the bright prospects which now open before him. It helps one greatly in his ministry to have a pleasant and attractive church. It is a great mistake to suppose that the humbler classes of the people are repelled from a church because of its stateliness and beauty. It
certainly is not so in other lands. Attendance upon costly churches need not be made costly to the worshiper. I think that the poorest disciple of Christ will always find a place to kneel in this beautiful temple. The time may come when it will be made alike free to all; and also when it may be thought expedient to keep the door open every day from sunrise to sunset, in order to give the wayfarer and the busi- ness man the opportunity, amid the uproar of the world, to turn in here and offer a silent prayer for the guidance and help which we all so much need. I also congratulate the officers and people of this parish, who have lived to see their semi-centennial commemorated under such auspicious cir- cumstances. By your generosity we now see this church
28
CHRIST CHURCH, HARTFORD.
put on the appearance for which in days gone by we so often yearned, with its spacious and fitting chancel, its tasteful and convenient furnishing, its rich and appropriate colors; and everything in keeping with the august purpose to which the edifice is dedicated. You have done a good work for posterity, as well as for yourselves. Your children will grow up with pleasant impressions of the sanctuary. We have been accustomed to think too little of the education that we get through the medium of the eye. There is great moral power in signs and symbols. What we see may impress more deeply than what we hear. For centuries the Christian faith was kept alive mainly by what the people looked upon, rather than by what was taught them with the lips. We do not need, in this more intelligent age, all the devices by which their inner life was quickened, but we must not forget that there is more than one avenue through which the mind is reached.
I must be allowed still further to congratulate the citizens of Hartford at large upon the arrival of this church at such a respectable age, and upon the deed by which its prime is celebrated. Your city has grown marvelously in strength and beauty since I first came here to live, twenty-eight years ago ; stately structures have been erected here, which are not surpassed by any in the land, and many of your private houses are palaces. Shall we have marble banks and hem- lock churches ? Is it not fitting that the house of God should represent the highest art and the most beautiful deco- ration which the skill of man is able to contrive? Suppose that every church in this city were dismantled of its tower and stripped of its ornaments, and reduced to a mere shell of wood or brick ; would you have the same reason to be proud of your city that you have now? Looking down upon the city, so beautiful for situation, from the neighboring hills, would there be nothing wanting to make the landscape complete ? What would Jerusalem have been without her temple.
If, indeed, we were content with offering to God nothing but that which we make with our hands, the gift would
29
COMMEMORATIVE SERMON.
assuredly be rejected. Unless we consecrate to Him our souls and bodies, making our hearts the temples of the Holy Ghost, all our oblations are vain, and our most splendid ser- vice is only a weariness to Him. What we most desire and pray for is that this house may become to very many the ante-chamber of heaven. We come up to these courts that we may meet our Saviour here, and by Him be led, through the wearisome scenes of this changing world, to the gates of Paradise. We come here to confess our sins and pray for pardon. We come here that our souls may be fed with the Bread of Life. We come here that we may be cleansed and purified and made fit for the inheritance of the saints in light.
There are but few remaining with us who were here when the corner-stone of this church was laid. There will be very few here when the centennial is commemorated. I trust that we may all be found fit to join in the worship of the New Jerusalem above.
ANNALS
OF THE
EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN HARTFORD
TO THE YEAR 1829
BY
CHARLES J. HOADLY, LL.D.
CHRIST CHURCH. 1792 - 1829.
ANNALS.
We cannot refer efforts to plant an Episcopal Church in this place to a date earlier than the beginning of the year 1762 or the end of 1761. Hartford, being an interior town, with no manufactures and little commerce, grew slowly. In 1756 it was only the twelfth town in the Colony as regards population, and in 1761 the inhabitants of the town, which then included also West Hartford, East Hartford, and Man- chester, numbered 3,938, less than half of whom lived within the present town limits. At this date there were two Con- gregational churches here, and, I suppose, a few Quakers. There were twelve missionaries of the Venerable Society stationed in Connecticut, most of them having the charge of more than one small congregation. The missions nearest Hartford were those of Simsbury and Middletown. Al- though the seat of government, there were no royal officers to lend their countenance to the support of the church, but, on the contrary, all political influence was exerted to hinder its growth.
It is not unlikely that from early times there had been all along individuals who preferred the discipline and worship of the English church, but their number was very small. We could hardly expect to find many traces of such a feeling, still we do seem to get occasional glimpses of it. Thus, in October, 1664, a memorial was presented to the General Assembly signed by seven persons, the principal one of whom, William Pitkin, and two others, John Stedman and Robert Reeve, were of Hartford, and the others belonged to Windsor .* They state that they are members of the Church
* Two of the Windsor signers, Michael Humphrey and James Eno, were ancestors of the writer.
3
34
CHRIST CHURCH, HARTFORD.
of England, and complain that the ministry of the country will not baptize their children nor admit themselves to the communion. They pray, that for the future no law of the corporation may be of force to make them contribute to the support of any minister or officer of the church that will neglect or refuse to take care of them as such members of the church or to baptize their children.
I have a prayer-book which formerly belonged to Francis . Duplessy, whose gravestone, bearing the date July 3, 1731, / may be seen in our ancient burying-ground. He was a native of London and at the time of his death engaged to be married to a young lady of this town,* by whose relatives this book was preserved for more than a century.
However, at the beginning of the year 1762, there were so many here who had either been brought up in the Church of England or who were favorably inclined to it, as seemed to justify efforts for the establishment of a congregation which should use its forms of worship.
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.