USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Sharon > General history of the town of Sharon, Litchfield County, Conn. from its first settlement, 2nd ed. > Part 4
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* Town Meeting, Sept. 2, 1751. Voted that we do desire a new county in this part of the government.
Voted that we apply to the honorable assembly in May next for that end.
Voted that we do desire, with submission to the pleasure of the assembly, that the limits or bounds may be, on the south, the south bound of the government's land on the west side of Ousatonic river, the north bounds of New Milford and the south bounds of Litchfield, The east line, the east bounds of Litchfield and of Torrington, and from thenes northward to the Massachusetts line; the north line, the line between us and the Massa- chusetts ; the west line, the line between this government and the government of New York and that Cornwall be the county town.
Voted that John Williams, Esq., be our agent to go to the Honorable General Assem- bly upon said business in October next.
Town Meeting, Dec. 17, 1751. Put to vote whether we will send an agent or agents to Kent, to meet some gentlemen from Woodbury to consult upon the affairs of the county Voted in the negative.
t Town Meeting, April 8, 1753. Upon the motion made by the people in the easterly part of the town for a new society, voted that we are willing a society should be set off by a line agreed upon by a committee that shall be chosen to make such a line. Messrs. Samuel Hutchinson, David Hamilton, and John Marvine, chosen to be a committee for the purpose aforesaid. Voted that this meeting be adjourned for the space of one hour, and then the meeting opened again according to adjournment, and the aforesaid committee made a re-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
The reason why the division of the ecclesiastical corpora- tion was so long postponed was, that the parties could never agree as to the limits of the new society. Those who peti- tioned that a new society should be formed, required that the dividing line should run north and south, through the whole length of the township. The majority of the town, on the other hand, would never consent to this arrangement, and thus the controversy was continued for near half a century. In 1767, a committee of the General Assembly was sent out to examine the situation of the town with reference to a new society, and John Williams, Simeon Smith, John Canfield, Ebenezer Gay and Samuel Elmer, were appointed a committee to wait upon them, but nothing was done. The people on the mountain were allowed some privileges from time to time, to enable them to hire preaching in the Winter season. A part of their ministerial taxes were abated, and for a number of years an annual vote of the town was passed, authorizing the minister to preach one Sabbath in each of the three Winter months, in that part of the town. By this assistance from the town, and by individual subscription they were generally sup- plied with preaching four months in the year. The meetings in olden times were holden at the house now occupied by Charles Dean, known in tradition as the Esq. St. John place.
The subject of the formation of an Ecclesiastical Society in the southeasterly part of the town was agitated, without favorable result till May 1800, when the Legislature incorpo-
port to the meeting of a line, by them agreed upon, for a new society, and it is as follows, viz., beginning at the southeast corner of the lot on which Woolstone Brockway lives, being in the south line of the township, from thence the line runs northerly straight to the north- east corner of Deacon Frisbie's land, where he now lives, thence running according as the highway runs that comes out easterly of and near to Jehiel Pardee's house, where he now dwells, and then a straight line northerly to the middle of the north line of Caleb Strong's lot on which he now dwells, and then easterly, as the highway runs, to the Deacon Ebe- nezer Jackson s, then northerly and then turnng easterly as the highway runs by John Gray's till it comes to where the road erosses the Great Hollow Brook, and from thence a due east line till it comes to Ousatonic river.
Voted that the above said report of the Committee is accepted.
May 3, 1753. It was put to vote whether we will grant the request of those who move for a new line, for a new society different from what was before granted and it was uni- versally negatived.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
rated a new society, embracing part of Sharon and a small part of Kent, by the name of Ellsworth. The Act of Incorpora- tion defines its boundaries as follows : " Beginning at Hart's Bridge, which lies across the Ousatonic River, and then south- erly, as the river runs, to the southeast corner of Sharon, then westerly on the south line of the town of Sharon about one mile, to the summit of the mountain, and supposed to be the northeast corner of Nathan Skiff's land, then south two hun- dred and forty rods, then a parallel line with the south line of the town of Sharon to the line of the State of New York, then northward on the line of said State of New York to the dwel- ling house of Perez Doty, then northeasterly to the northeast corner of Samuel Peet's land, then northeasterly to a maple tree in the fork of the road, near Daniel Ackly's, then easterly still to the north part of the Stephen Parsons dwelling house, from thence northeasterly to said Harts Bridge." The first meeting house erected for the use of this society was located near the cemetery on the Ellsworth turnpike, but it was removed to its present location, and the vote of the parish has kept it there, although the subject of its return to the former site, was once seriously agitated. A new meeting house was erected in 1838, which was occupied by the society until the 17th of January, 1847, when in the night season it was consumed by fire-Sab- bath worship had been held in it the previous day, and it is supposed that it took fire from want of proper care in the person having charge of the building. A new meeting house was built the next year, which is still occupied by the society as its place of public worship. The Congregational Church in Ellsworth was organized on the 15th day of March, 1802, by an Ecclesiastical Council of which the Rev. Peter Starr, of Warren was Moderator. The following is a list of the mem- bers embraced in the original organization, and of the churches from which they were received into the newly-organized church :
Samuel Young, from Church in Sharon. Martha Young, from Church in Sharon. Ebenezer Everett, from Church in Sharon.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
Lucy Everett, from Church in Sharon. Timothy St. John, from Church in Sharon. Anna Rice, from Church in Sharon. Silas Newton, from Church in Kent. Bathsheba Newton, from Church in Kent. Enoch Parsons, from Church in Sharon. Abigail Parsons, from Church in Sharon. Stephen Skiff, from Church in Kent. Dennis Skiff, from Church in Kent. Mary Chaffee, from Church in Sharon. Anna Studley, from Church in Sharon. Phinehas Benjamin, from Church in Sharon. Jemimah Benjamin, from Church in Sharon. Benjamin Young, from Church in Sharon. Mehitable Young, from Church in Sharon. Joel Chaffee, from Church in Sharon. Dolly Chaffee, from Church in Sharon. Calvin Peck, from Church in Greenwich. Betty Peck, from Church in Greenwich.
Rebecca Foster, from Church in Sharon.
Prudence Frink, from Church in Sharon. Hepsibah Swift, from Church in Kent. Esther Skiff, from Church in Kent.
Silas St. John, from Church in Sharon. Abigail St. John, from Church in Sharon.
The following named clergymen have been pastors of the Church :-
Daniel Parker, ordained May 26, 1802.
Orange Lyman, ordained August 26, 1813. Frederick Gridley, ordained June 7, 1820. John W. Beecher, installed Dec. 1, 1841. Wm. J. Alger, ordained Feb. 4, 1852.
Robt. D. Gardner, installed June 9, 1858.
John D. Stevenson, ordained Oct. 26, 1875. The following is a list of the Deacons :-
Silas St. John, chosen July 1, 1802. Abel Woodward, chosen May 3, 1805. Amos Seymour, chosen Sept. 6, 1806. Jabez Swift, chosen Jan. 17, 1812. Calvin Peck, chosen July 3, 1829. Nathan Dunbar, chosen June 2, 1839. Abel C. Woodward, chosen June 2, 1839.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
William Everett, chosen June 2, 1839. Gibbs W. Skiff, chosen March 4, 1859.
Another religious society was formed at an early day at the south part of the town, embracing inhabitants of both colo- nies. The meeting house stood near the colony line, and was known for many years by the name of the Round Top Meeting House. The Rev. Ebenezer Knibloe was its minister for more than twenty-five years. This gentleman was from Scotland. During the rebellion in that country, in the year 1745, he favored the interests of the Pretender, and upon the defeat of the forces of that unfortunate prince, Mr. Knibloe removed to this country. He first settled on the west part of Phillip's. Patent, in Putnam county, New York, but after a stay there of about two years, he removed to this town and gathered the church and society at the Corner. He lived at the place form- erly occupied by his grandson, Philo Knibloe. He was a sound, sensible man, a good preacher, and apparently a sincere Christian. At the commencement of the revolutionary war, he rather favored the pretensions of the British king, for which reason his congregation became disaffected, and he relinquished ministerial performances. He died of consumption on the 20th day of December, 1785, at the age of fifty-six. The Round Top Meeting House was built previous to 1755, and in 1786 was removed to the present site of the Oblong Presbyte- rian Church.
The Rev. Mr. Searl possessed in a good degree, the confi- dence and affection of his people. He had been settled over them but a short time, however, before his health began to fail, and early in the second year of his ministry he was absent a part of the time on that account. The town employed other preachers to supply the pulpit during the interruption of his labors, in the hope that his health might be restored and his ministry continued. His health, however, continued to decline to such a degree, that he deemed it his duty to withdraw from pastoral performances, and on the 4th day of June, 1754, he
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
was dismissed with the reluctant consent of the town .* Thus in the short space of fifteen years the ministry in the town was twice made vacant. Mr. Searl soon after left the town, believing that his usefulness as a minister of the gospel was at an end, and under the apprehension that his days on earth would be few. He returned to Simsbury, and contrary to the anticipa- tions which were entertained at the time of his dismissal from Sharon, he recovered his health, and on the 17th day of Janu- ary, 1758, he was installed minister of Stoneham, Mass., in the vicinity of Boston. He remained in the ministry there, until
# Town Meeting, Sept. 6, 1753. Deacon Ebenezer Jackson and Deacon Ebenezer Frisbie chosen a committee to endeavor to obtain preaching among us for the space of two months from this time. Mr. Searl having agreed to relinquish his salary for that purpose . Voted that said committee advise with the Rev. Mr. Searl to whom to apply.
Town Meeting. April 8, 1754. Put to vote whether, considering Mr. Searl's infirm state of health, we are willing that he should be absent from us for the space of half a year from this time, the whole or such part of the time as he shall think best, in order to use means to recover his health. and to pay him a salary for the same time, upon his endeav- oring to procure for us as much assistance from the neighboring ministers as they shall be willing to afford. Passed in the negative.
Voted that Capt. Matthew St. John, Messrs. Nathaniel Skinner, Jonathan Hunter, Thomas Barnes, and David Hamilton be a committee to go and discourse with Mr Searl, and see if he will make some abatement of some part of his salary for that time when he shall be absent, and to make report to this meeting at such time as it may be adjourned to
Town Meeting, April IS, 1754. Upon a motion made by the Rev. Mr Searl to the town in town meeting, that considering his low and infirm state of health he has had thoughts of applying to the consociation in May next for advice whether it be not best for him to be dismissed from his pastoral relation to this church and people, and also to apply to said consociation for a dismission upon condition they judge it best. Voted that it Mr. Searl does make up his mind as abovesaid, that Lieut. John Pardee be a committee to ac- company him, and to represent and aet for this town at said consociation and to hear their determination.
Town Meeting, June 7, 1754. Whereas, the Reverend Moderator of the said Consu- ciation of this county has sent us a notification to appear before said consociation at thelr meeting at our meeting house, on the fourth Tuesday of June instant, to offer reasons, if any we have, why the Rev. Mr. Searl, considering his want of bodily health, &c., should not be dismissed from his pastoral relation to this town. according to his desire.
Voted that Messrs. John Williams, John Pardee, John Gay, John Marvine, and Jona- than Hunter be a committee to represent this town before said consociation at their meeting and to inform them that we haye a dear regard for the Rev. Mr. Searl, and the thoughts of his being dismissed from us lie with great weight on our minds, yet considering his great weakness and long continued bodily indisposition, we know not what to say otherwise than to entreat the venerable consociation to take the matter under their consideration and to determine what they think is duty in present circumstances, that is what they judge is like to be most for the glory of God, and the greatest interest both of the Rev. Mr. Searl and of this people,
Town meeting, June 25, 1754. Voted that Messrs. John Williams, Ebenezer Jackson and Ebenezer Frisbie be a committee to apply to the Reverend Elders present, for advice whom to apply to, to preach with us. either for present occasional preaching, or to settle with us, and also to act upon said advice.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
the 24th day of April, 1776, when he was dismissed .* The reasons for his second dismissal were assigned in the following words : " The difficulty of the times, whereby there was not a probable prospect tor the support for his family, but more especially on account of his ill health occasioned by easterly winds." He afterwards removed to Stoughton, Mass., where he died in 1787. He had one son of the name of Samuel, who graduated at Yale College, in 1781, and who was a young man of extraordinary talents and high promise, but who died at an early age. Mr. Searl, himself, was a man of respectable abilities and of an elevated standing in the ministry. He was a member of an important ecclesiastical council, which assem- bled at New Haven, in October, 1751, to settle some disputes which had arisen in one of the churches in that town, and which consisted of some of the most eminent clergymen in the colony, to wit : John Graham, Jedediah Mills, Philemon Rob- bins, Daniel Humphreys, Ebenezer White, Eleazer Wheelock, Benjamin Pomeroy, Benajah Case, Joseph Bellamy, Samuel Hopkins, James Sproat, Jonathan Lee, and John Searl.
* A correspondent near Stoneham writes as follows-" From widow Rebecca Hays, aged 85, a native of Stoughton, and the oldest person in town, I learn that Mr Searl mar- ried Hepsibah Duncan, of Stoughton, Mass .; that he had two sons, Samuel and John, and two daughters, Betsey and Fanny. Mrs. Hays says he was a learned man, very orthodox, wrote very good sermons, and was grand for telling stories. His delivery was very dull. She thinks he was not very active in relation to pastoral labors, and is of opinion that some of his discourses were printed, but is not certain. She says that it was the opinion at the time that he left Stoneham for fear of the British. He was not settled in Stoughton, but used to go out on preaching and missionary tours for a few weeks or a month at a time." It is stated by Dr. Dwight, in his travels, that Mr. Searl and the late Judge Noble of Wil- liamstown, Mass., were the first persons that ever ascended Saddle Mountain, in Williams- town, the highest peak in Massachusetts.
*7
CHAPTER VI.
- - -
A HISTORY OF THE MORAVIAN MISSIONS IN SHARON.
THE diligent and successful labors of the Moravians for the conversion to Christianity of the Indians in Sharon, is an item in the history of the town well worthy of record. This body of Christians established a mission among the Indians in this region as early as 1740. Their special fields of labor were at Shekomeko (Pine Plains), in New York, and at Wequagnock (Sharon) and Schaticook (Kent), in Connecticut. The first minister who labored here and established the Mission was the Rev. Christian Henry Rauch. He was succeeded in 1742 by the Rev. Gotlieb Buetner, who labored in the Mission until his death, in 1745, at the age of twenty-eight years. He was buried in the field of his labors, and his memory is well pre- served by an enduring monument and an appropriate epitaph. If the fact were not well authenticated as a matter of history, it would scarcely be credited now, that the Mission was broken up in 1745 by the government of New York, from the belief that the missionaries were Jesuits and Papists, and emissaries of the Pope and the French King. On the occurrence of this event many of the Christian Indians of Shekomeko joined the tribes of
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
Sharon. Several clergymen labored here at stated periods, up to 1749. In that year David Bruce, then the missionary here, died and was buried in the beautiful field of his labor, on the eastern shore of the Indian Pond. He was a Scotchman from Edinburgh. He was not a clergyman in the Moravian sense, but an assistant. He acted rather as a teacher or catechist. He labored in the Mission at Sharon but a few months. As everything relating to his history is interesting, a more extended notice of him is copied from Loskiel's History of Moravian Missioners.
" Brother David Bruce was now appointed to the care of the Christian Indians at Schaticook and Wequagnock, who since the forementioned visit of the bishop had formed a regular settlement. He resided chiefly in a house at Wequagnock, belonging to the brethren called Gnadansee (Lake of Grace), but sometimes resided at Scaticook, whence he paid visits to Westenhunk by invitation of the head chief of the Mohikan Nation, sowing the seeds of the gospel wherever he came, but as he was not ordained, Bishop Camerhoff, with brother Beyold went again to Wequagnock to strengthen the brethren and to administer the sacraments there. Twenty Indians were added to the church by baptism. Brother Bruce remained in this station till his happy departure out of time, which, to the great grief of the Indian congregation, took place this year. He was remarkably cheerful during his illness, and his conver- sation edified all who saw him. Perceiving that his end approached, he called the Indian brethren present to his bed- side, and pressing their hands to his breast, besought them fervently to remain faithful unto the end, and immediately fell asleep in the Lord. His funeral was committed to one of the assistants, who delivered a powerful discourse upon the solemn occasion to the company present, among whom were many white people, who had often heard our late brother's testimony of the truth, with blessing."
So reads the book, and so died the missionary. The exact date of his death was July 9, 1749. The Missionary at Scati-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
cook, in 1752, wrote as follows: " They have permitted me to put a stone on Brother David's grave, and then enclose it with a fence." The stone was in good preservation in 1825, but has since been broken into many fragments. What remains of it is in the possession of the Moravian Historical Society of Nazareth, Penn. It contained the following epitaph :-
DAVID BRUCE, From Edinburgh in Scotland. Minister of The Brethren's Church, Among the Indians. Departed 1749.
The Indians of Sharon having sold their lands in 1755 and dispersed to different parts of the country, the Mission was then abandoned by the brethren ; but a congregation of white people built a meeting house on the western border of the Indian Pond, on land now owned by Col. Hiram Clark, and retained the services of one of the Missionaries, the Rev. Jo- seph Powell, until his death in 1774.
It will be observed that all the missionaries who labored here were under the direction of the Moravian authorities at Bethany, Penn., from whom they received their appointments. After the breaking up of the Mission here, and the death or removal of the missionaries, missionary stations were established in parts of the country west of Bethany, and for nearly a cen- tury the scene of the labors and place of the graves of the faith_ ful and devoted missionaries in this region had passed from the knowledge of the Moravians at Bethany; and it was owing to investigations made by the Rev. William J. McCord, and the Rev. Sheldon Davis, of Duchess county, that this field of missionary labor, so interesting in Moravian history was brought to their knowledge. The Moravian Historical Society, at Nazareth, Penn., on the 11th day of July, 1859, determined to mark the resting places of the missionaries, by the erection of suitable monuments, and thus to revive and perpetuate their memories, so long neglected and forgotten. These monu-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
ments were set up under the direction of the Rev. Mr. Davis, and of Benson J. Lossing, Esq., and a single monument over the remains of David Bruce is for a memorial of him and of the Rev. Joseph Powel. The inscriptions on that monument were as follows :-
(On the north side.) JOSEPH POWEL, A Minister of the Gospel, in the Church of the United Brethren. Born in 1710, Near White Church, Shropshire, England. Died Sept. 23, 1774, At Sichem in the Oblong, Duchess Co., N. Y.
(On the south side.) DAVID BRUCE, A Minister of the Gospel, in the Church of the United Brethren, from Edinburgh, in Scotland. Died July 9, 1749, At the Wechquadnock Mission, Duchess Co., N. Y.
(On the east side.) How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, That bringeth good tidings of good, That publisheth salvation.
Isaiah lii, 7.
(On the west side.) Erected by the Moravian Historical Society, October 6, 1859.
Solemn and impressive, as well as instructive services, per- . formed by the Moravians from Bethany, were rendered at the dedication of that monument, on the 6th day of October, 1859. As the remains of the missionaries had been committed
I
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHARON.
to the grave without the performance of the cherished rites of that body of Christians, it was deemed appropriate that those portions of the Moravian ritual which relate to death and the resurrection should be employed in the ceremonies. For the same reason the Easter Morning Litany which is prayed an- nually on Moravian burying grounds, and the choral music of trombonists, a characteristic element of Moravian obsequies, were added to the programme of religious exercises. The services were held in the open field in which the monument stands, and were performed by the Bishop and several Mora- vian clergymen, with a select band of trombonists and choir of singers in the presence of some seventeen hundred people. The venerable Bishop Wolle had the principal charge, and his white locks, his clerical costume and his solemn and deliberate utterances, with a slight German accent, of the various por- tions of the Moravian funeral ritual, with the earnest and solemn responses from the people and from the trombonists gave an indescribable interest to the ceremonies. After au historical discourse by the Rev. Mr. DeSchweinitz, in which a minute history of the Mission and missionaries was given, the following stanzas from the Moravian Hymnal were sung by the congregation :-
How sweetly these our brethren sleep, Enjoying endless peace, The grave in which their Saviour lay Is now their resting place.
Naught can disturb these heirs of life, All earthly cares are fled, To be with Christ was their desire, And now they're perfected,
To Father, Son and Holy Ghost, One God, whom we adore, Be glory as it was, is now, And shall be evermore.
And thus ended the solemn burial services.
.
CHAPTER VII.
REV. COTTON MATHER SMITH-CENSUS-CHURCH OF ENGLAND MISSIONS-ORGANIZATION OF THE EPISCOPAL PARISH-NEW MEETING HOUSE-REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD.
IN the course of the summer of 1754, the Reverend Cotton Mather Smith, of Suffield, was employed by the town to preach as a candidate for settlement. He came upon the recommen ยท dation of Matthew St. John, who had been an inhabitant of Sharon, but who had now removed to Suffield, where he became acquainted with Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith was a descendant of the Rev. Henry Smith, the first minister of Wethersfield, who came from England in 1638 .* The mother of Mr. Smith was a daughter of Atherton Mather, a cousin of the celebrated Cotton Mather, and she died in this town at a very advanced age. Mr. Smith was born at Suffield, October 16th, 1731, and graduated at Yale College in 175I. He spent the year previous to his visit-
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