USA > Connecticut > New London County > Groton > Groton, Conn. 1705-1905 > Part 17
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Adjourned until half an hour past eight o'clock to- morrow morning.
Met according to adjournment.
Adjourned until after the public solemnities of ordination.
Met according to adjournment after the public solem- nities of ordination which were performed according to appointment.
Voted-That the above Minutes are a correct account of the proceedings of this Council.
Test-Joseph Strong, Moderator. Abel McEwen, Scribe.
"The ministers and delegates were entertained in the house of Captain Elijah Bailey. We transcribe the follow- ing bill (presented by Captain Bailey on that occasion) for the purpose of showing the change in public opinion since that time:
"The 1st and 2d Society. Committee in Groton
to Elijah Bailey Dr.
Groton Augt. 13, 1811 To 24 Dinners @ 1s.6d. £6.
66 10 Suppers 1s.6d. 2.50
" 14 Breakfasts 1s.6d. 3.50
14 " 28 Dinners 1s.6d. 7.
" 12 Horses kept 1 day each 2.
" Liquors, sugar &c. 4.
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"This town now votes no license to liquor sellers and it is said no ardent spirit can be purchased within its limits .* "
As this church is situated in Ledyard its history is not pursued further.
Baptist Church at Groton Heights
On March 8, 1843, a number of brethren and sisters resident in the vicinity of Groton Bank resolved to form a new church. They were mostly members of the Second Baptist Church at Fort Hill. The meeting place of this church, though near the geographical center of the town, was extremely inconvenient of access to a large proportion of its members, and the matter of better accommodations was in the air.
Noank organized a church the same week and it was not long after the secession of these two bodies that the Mother Church removed to Mystic. A council called on the 16th of March voted to recognize them as a "Church of Christ." The number of members was fifty and through the kindness of the Congregational church they were allowed to hold their services in their house of worship and the recog- nition service was held in that church, March 16, 1843. In January 1845 the Rev. Rutherford Russel came among them, and a revival followed during which eighty-four were added to the membership. The minutes of the Stonington Union Association for 1845 give a short account of the organization of the church, saying: "We have just com- pleted and dedicated to the Lord a commodious house of worship, and it may be proper here to say, that not far from the time that our house was raised, the Lord ap- peared in his convicting and converting power, and about forty were baptized before the house was finished; thus our God found a residence in the hearts of many before the public sanctuary was built."
The church records show the progress of the new church building project :
* History of New London County, 1882, p. 531.
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At a meeting held March 25, 1843 it was "Voted-That the building committee be instructed to accept proposals and build a meeting house for the Groton Bank Baptist Church according to their best judgment."
In May, 1845, it was "Voted-That our meeting house be dedicated to the service of Almighty God on the 4th of June 1845, and that Elder Jabez S. Swan be invited to preach the dedication sermon."
The church thus dedicated did duty for twenty-seven years and Pastors Russell, N. T. Allen, Isaac Cheseborough, Edgar A. Hewitt, George Mathews, Eli Dewhurst and N. T. Allen (second pastorate) ministered within its walls. It was during the second pastorate of Mr. Allen that the house was found to be too strait for the congregation and it was decided to build a new house. The sum of $4500 was raised by subscription, which with $1500 realized from the sale of the old property made the nucleus of a building fund. The work was pushed forward rapidly and on July 11, 1872, the new house was dedicated with appropriate and interesting exercises. The edifice is a plain, substantial and commodious one, having school rooms, vestry, &c, and is very well located in a pleasant part of the town. The dedicatory services were as follows :
Invocation-Rev. G. L. Hunt, Mystic.
Scripture Reading-Rev. N. P. Foster, New London. Sermon-Rev. John Davies, Norwich.
Text: I Timothy I, 11-"The glorious gospel of the blessed God."
Dedicatory Hymn-Rev. F. Denison. Sung by choir.
A marked revival followed the dedication of the new house. "On the thirtieth anniversary twenty-five were added by baptism and before the revival ended there was a total addition to the membership of sixty-seven."* Again in 1878 seventeen baptisms were reported. In 1882 Mr. Allen resigned and was succeeded by Rev. Noyes W. Miner, D. D. His pastorate was short; but sixty-one were added
# Minutes Stonington Union Association, 1873.
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during his ministry. Rev. George R. Darrow served as supply for six months, and after two months' service as supply Rev. George N. Ballentine was settled as pastor April 1, 1886. It was during his pastorate in 1887 that the name of the church was changed from Groton Bank to Groton Heights and that an act of incorporation was ob- tained from the Legislature of the State, enabling the church to transact its business without consulting the society.
In 1890 Rev. E. T. Miller became the pastor. During his pastorate, in 1892, the church celebrated its semi-cen- tennial and the occasion was signalized by its deliverance from debt. In 1894 the church was renovated at consider- able expense and the next year reported an extensive revival under the labors of Rev. W. H. Johnson, fifty-one baptisms being reported to the association. Rev. Langley B. Sears became the pastor in 1900 and continued until 1905.
The church holds in loving remembrance the memory of Deacon Robert Austin Avery, who died December 20, 1862. A consistent member, he served as senior deacon for nineteen years and was forward in every good word and work. Mention should also be made of Charles H. Starr, who served the church as deacon for a period of sixty-two years, passing away at the ripe old age of 97.
Baptist Church at Noank
Three days after the formation of the church at Groton Bank, on March 11, 1843, 223 members of the Second Bap- tist Church at Fort Hill were dismissed to form a Baptist church at Noank. For several years previous the church had held its services alternately at Mystic and Noank. At a council called for the purpose on April 6, 1843, the body was recognized as a church in gospel order and the next day called S. B. Bailey to be its pastor, which call he accepted and was ordained November 29, 1843, the sermon being preached by Rev. L. Covill.
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The church was admitted into the Stonington Union Association at its meeting the following June. Elder Bailey's pastorate of five years was blessed with a gracious revival in 1846, in which he was aided by Rev. John Green. Rev. David Avery served as pastor for one year from April 1, 1848, and was succeeded by Rev. William A. Smith, who served until April 1, 1850. He was followed by Rev. James M. Phillips, who continued in the pastorate four years. His pastorate was marked by a revival in 1851. Rev. C. Haven supplied the pulpit from April to November 1855, and Rev. William A. Smith and others until June 1856, when Rev. H. V. Jones was called to the pastorate. It is interesting to note that Mr. Jones's salary in the beginning was six hundred dollars and house rent, increased in 1857 to eight hundred dollars and house rent. Mr. Jones ter- minated his services in April 1860, when Rev. Henry R. Knapp accepted a call, but his pastorate was a short one, terminating in November of the same year. Mr. Knapp died in 1862,* "after a long and painful illness."
Rev. Charles S. Weaver began his labors with the church in December, continuing until April, 1865. Mr. Weaver was an ardent abolitionist and with two sons in the army he preached an intensely patriotic gospel, so much so as to cause division among his people, and upon his resigna- tion a large number of the members of his church joined with him in the formation of the American Union Baptist Church of Noank. During the remainder of the year 1865, and until March 1866, the pulpit was filled by various sup- plies, but at that time Rev. H. V. Jones, a former pastor, was recalled. In June, 1866, the Stonington Union Asso- ciation met with this church, which in its letter to the association speaks with regret of its being in a divided state, but yet mentions God's goodness in granting it a precious revival, in which fifty additions were made to the membership list. Again in 1867 thirty-five baptisms were reported. December 19, 1867, the new house of worship was dedicated. The following programme was carried out :
* History of the Connecticut Baptist Convention, Evans, p. 243.
£
0701
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Opening Anthem by Choir-"The Lord cometh into his holy temple."
Invocation-Rev. E. W. Gilman, pastor Congregational Church, Stonington.
Singing-364th hymn, "Come let us join in cheerful songs."
Reading Scriptures-Ps. XV., John XIV. Rev. W. H. Stetson, pastor Methodist Episcopal Church, Mystic Bridge.
Prayer-Rev. J. C. Foster, New London.
Singing-407th hymn, "Blow ye the trumpet, blow."
Sermon-Rev. Wm. Hague, D. D., Boston. Subject-The witness of a living church. Text: I Cor. XIV, 24, 25.
Dedicatory prayer-Rev. A. C. Bronson, pastor Union Baptist Church, Mystic River.
Anthem-"Rejoice, O Daughter of Zion."
Benediction -- Rev. H. V. Jones, pastor of the church.
In the afternoon Rev. S. Graves, D. D., of Norwich preached and in the evening Rev. Curtis Keeney closed the exercises of the day. The church building is 40x60, with galleries on three sides, with a spire 100 feet in height and, standing as it does upon a hill, is a landmark through all the country round about. Its cost was $11,000, of which the women contributed $1,000 for upholstering and the young men nearly as much more for furnishing a bell. The building committee consisted of Ezra Daboll, chairman; Robert Palmer, John Palmer, Roswell B. Fitch and James W. Latham. The old church building, which had served the church for twenty-five years, was sold to G. L. Daboll and moved a short distance to the west.
Rev. H. V. Jones remained with the church until 1871, when he was succeeded by Rev. Stephen Howell, who served for thirteen years, the longest pastorate in the history of the church. He was followed by Rev. A. J. Wilcox, whose term was short, and he in turn was suc- ceeded by Rev. William L. Swan. His pastorate, com- mencing in 1887, terminated in December 1893-the year of the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the church.
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The association minutes make no mention of this anniver- sary, but speak of changing from an ecclesiastical society to a corporate body. Deacon Robert Palmer declined further service as clerk, an office which he had filled since 1865, and was succeeded by William A. Fraser. The church had but two clerks during fifty years of existence: Augustus Mor- gan and Robert Palmer. March 4, 1894, a call was extended to Rev. W. C. Martin, who entered upon his labors soon afterwards.
The church has been blessed with many revivals, but the increase under the preaching of Rev. H. M. Wharton in 1895 was the most extensive one experienced since that of 1842 under the leadership of Elder Swan. Two hundred and three were added to the membership and the whole community was deeply stirred. Rev. Elbert E. Gates suc- ceeded Mr. Martin in 1900, and during his pastorate, in 1903, the church celebrated its sixtieth anniversary. From a newspaper report of the exercises we learn that, with an original membership of 223, just 223 members had died in the sixty years of its existence, 634 had been bap- tized and 183 had been received by letter, leaving the mem- bership 494. A flourishing Sunday school had been main- tained, of which Robert Palmer had been the honored superintendent for fifty-seven years. Roswell A. Morgan, baptized in 1833, was the oldest member of the school, having maintained his relationship with it for seventy years and rarely missed a session.
In 1905 the church reported to the Stonington Union Association a net gain of sixty-one members, making a total membership of 563.
St. James Episcopal Church
In the latter part of 1734 an Episcopal church was or- ganized under the leadership of Rev. Ebenezer Punderson, formerly pastor of the Second or North Parish Congrega- tional Church. "On the first of January 1733-4* Mr.
* History of New London, Caulkins, 1860, p. 420.
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Punderson made a communication to the Society avowing himself 'a conformist to the Episcopal Church of England' and expressing doubts of the validity of his ordination. This notice was received in the first place with amazement and sorrow and a committee was appointed to reason with him and endeavor to convince him that his ordination was canonical and his position safe and desirable. Of course this measure was unavailing. A council was convened at the home of Captain Morgan, February 5, and the connec- tion dissolved." It is probable that a number of his flock went with the shepherd for some "ten or twelve Congre- gational people-heads of families-signed his papers and contributed money to bear his expenses when he went to England to be ordained."*
This voyage to England was a matter not to be looked upon lightly. Bishop Williams in his centennial sermon says ** "The dangers of the sea, sickness and the violence of enemies must be incurred and one in every five that went out sacrificed his life in the attempt to obtain his minis- terial commission." It is probable that several years elapsed before the first house of worship was erected, which buildingt "stood on Church Hill, about a mile and a half northeast of the church at the Center, and some three miles southeast of the village of Poquetanock." This building was afterwards taken down and re-erected near Poquetanock. A deed recorded in Book 10, page 69, of the Groton town records, October 11, 1784, probably refers to this removal. By it Ebenezer Stark deeds land to Theophilus Avery, Robert Gere of Groton and Joseph Rose of Norwich, a committee appointed by the church of England Society in Groton to sell the church land in Groton and purchase land in Pauquatanuck and to remove the church house to said lands."
As this church also is located in Ledyard, its further his- tory is not followed in the present volume.
* History of the Town of Ledyard, Avery, p. 47.
** Seabury Centennial, p. 16.
i History of the Town of Ledyard, Avery, p. 46.
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The Separatist Church
The history of the Separate movement in Groton has never been written, and whatever material may have been in existence sixty years ago has now perished. Reverend Frederic Denison writing in 1859 regrets the lack of ma- terial then. It is known, however, that there were two churches of that faith in the town. One in the South Parish had a meeting house in Pequonnoc. Its first pastor was Nathaniel Brown. Mr. Denison quotes from the records of the Separate church in Preston :* "On the 13th of Novem- ber 1751 the church sent their pastor and two deacons to attend ye ordination of Nathaniel Brown, Jr. of Groton. The aforesaid ordination at Groton was attended ye 14th of November 1751. The first prayer made by our Deacon Mors; ye charge by our Pastor and the right hand of fel- lowship by Elder Sprague of Exeter in Narragansett, and last prayer by Comfort Browne a brother in the church." The second pastor of the church was Elder Park Avery who lived in the old "Hive of the Avery's." Of him Judge Potter writes ** "Elder Park Avery of Groton was reputed to be an eminently pious man ; not a profound preacher but of mild winning manners." He had four sons and a grand- son in Ft. Griswold at the time of the massacre. Two of the sons and the grandson were killed and the other two sons were wounded. Mr. Avery survived the great shock and lived until May 4, 1797 when he passed away at the age of 87. After his death the church became extinct, most of the members becoming connected with the 2nd Baptist Church at Fort Hill.
Another Separate church was formed in the North Parish. From the records of the Preston church previously mentioned we quote:\ "September ye 1st 1765 This chh. received a letter from a number of Christian brethren in N. Groton Professing to be a chh. newly gathered &c.
"The day appointed for the conference was Thursday ye
* Rev. Frederic Denison Manuscript. + Ibid.
** Judge Wm. H. Potter Manuscript.
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5th day of September Instant at 10 of ye clock in the fore- noon in Groton at ye house of Mr. Park Allyn. . Ye chh concluded to act in fellowship with ye new gathered chh."
"May ye 9th 1775. This chh having received a letter missive from ye chh at Groton North Society, desiring this chh to send their Elder and chosen brethren to assist them with other churches in ordaining their brother Paul Allyn to be their minister, to meet on ye 1st day of June next for that purpose &c."
The meeting house was built about half-way between Gales Ferry and the church at the center. Of this interest Rev. Timothy Tuttle says :* "A separate church was formed here (Strict Congregational as termed by the founders of such churches) but at what time it was formed I have no means of knowing. Probably it was about the time Mr. Croswell left the place. Several such churches were formed in the southwestern part of New London County through the instrumentality of Davenport or his followers. Of the one formed here Park Allyn, a native of this place, became the pastor. A church edifice, small in its dimensions, was built for him about two miles west from the center of this parish but it was long ago removed to Gales Ferry for the accommodation of the Methodist congregation. Elder Allyn was by a council deposed from the ministry on ac- count of immorality and his church was left to be scat- tered."
Baptist Church at Pequonnoc
This church was organized August 18, 1856, with twenty- five constituent members. Religious services had been held in the vicinity for many years. Elder Park Avery had served a Separatist Church, preaching in the old "Hive of the Averys," but after his death most of the members of that church united with the church at Fort Hill. Meetings were held in the school house and a Sunday school estab-
* Sketches of Congregational Church and Society in Ledyard, 1859.
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lished by Deacon Albert Edgcomb in 1830* has continued until now. Rev. S. B. Bailey, under whose fostering care the church was organized, became its first pastor, David C. Westcott its first deacon and General James Roath its first clerk.
Mr. Bailey's pastorate continued for about eighteen months, when he was succeeded by Rev. George Mixter, who remained but one year. During his pastorate the church enjoyed a precious revival. Rev. Alfred Gates entered upon the pastorate in April 1859 and was succeeded in February 1861 by Rev. John E. Wood, formerly pastor of the First church. In the summer of 1862 Mr. Wood assisted in rais- ing Co. C, 21st C. V., of which company he was chosen captain, afterwards becoming chaplain of the regiment. During his absence Rev. Thomas Dowling served the church as supply. Mr. Wood returned from the army in January 1863 and soon after resigned as pastor, and Mr. Dowling was called to the position, in which he remained until May 1866, "sowing much good seed" as the associational letter of the church reports. The harvest was gathered by his successors-Rev. Curtis Keeney, who supplied the pulpit for five months, and Rev. William A. Smith, who assumed the pastorate at the end of that time.
Sixty were added to the church as the fruits of this re- vival. Albert Kingsley and Cyrus. Avery were elected deacons. General Roath, the first church clerk, having passed away, Daniel Morgan was elected to the position, which he has filled until the present time (1905). Deacon Sanford A. Morgan removed to the West and Deacon Kingsley also removed for a change of climate, but his health continued to fail and he died October 17, 1870. Rev. J. C. Foster supplied the pulpit for several months after the retirement of Mr. Smith, and in May 1871 a call was extended to Louis C. Sands, a licentiate of the church at Greenport, Long Island, to become the pastor. He was ordained July 5, 1871, at the Union Baptist Church in
* Minutes S. S. Convention, Stonington Union Association, Augu, 31, 1892, p. 10.
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Mystic, the new audience room of the Pequonnoc church being unfinished. Some fifteen churches were represented in the council by thirty delegates and the vote for ordination was unanimous. Rev. N. K. Bennett, pastor of the church at Greenport, preached an impressive sermon upon the qualifications of a Christian minister. The Rev. Messrs. Hunt of Mystic River, Doctor Foster of New London, Holman of North Stonington, Berry of New London and Wightman of Mystic, participated in the exercises. On November 8, 1871, a new and commodious house of worship was dedicated with appropriate exercises: At 2 p. m. Vol- untary by the choir. Invocation, Rev. J. P. Brown, New London. Scripture reading, Rev. W. A. Smith, Groton. Prayer, Rev. N. P. Foster, New London. Sermon, Rev. Geo. L. Hunt, Mystic. Text 2d Chronicles VII, 1. Subject : "The conditions of the divine favor on the offerings of God's people." Address, Rev. F. B. Joy, Preston.
In the evening the exercises were: Voluntary by the choir. Scripture reading, Rev. N. P. Foster, New London. Prayer, Rev. Mr. Cutting, Ledyard. Sermon, Rev. F. B. Joy, Preston. Text, Mark VII, 24: "He could not be hid." Theme: "The concealment of Christ impossible." Mr. Joy appeared in place of Doctor A. G. Palmer, who was expected to preach.
Mr. Sands resigned the pastorate September 1, 1872, but resumed work January 1, 1873. In April of that year the church chose three additional deacons, Benjamin Gardner, O. G. Buddington and William T. Burrows. In its letter to the Stonington Union Association it reported the pay- ment of the church debt. From the termination of the pastorate of Mr. Sands until March 4, 1876, the pulpit was occupied by supplies. On that date Stephen Perkins was called to the pastorate and on May 15, 1876, he was or- dained. He was a very acceptable pastor and closed his connection in December 1877. During this time Brother O. G. Buddington was licensed to preach and he was after- wards ordained over the Baptist church in Florence, N. J. Until October 5, 1879, the church was again served by
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supplies, when Rev. E. C. Miller was called and entered at once upon his duties. From the minutes of the Stonington Union Association we gather that he was succeeded in 1884 by the Rev. George W. Pendleton, who died in 1887. He was followed by the Rev. E. C. Tullar as stated pastor, and he in 1889 by Rev. N. T. Allen, who held one of the longest pastorates in the history of the church. In 1900 came the Rev. F. H. Cooper, who was succeeded in 1904 by the Rev. Osmer G. Buddington as supply.
Methodist Episcopal Church at Gales Ferry
As the result of itinerary preaching in 1803, Gales Ferry was made a part of New London circuit and a class was formed consisting of eight persons, viz. Ralph Hurlbutt, Jonathan Stoddard and wife, Nathan Avery and wife, Hannah Hurlbutt, Lucy Hurlbutt and Lydia Stanton. Ralph Hurlbutt was appointed class leader. He was a son of Rufus Hurlbutt, killed in Fort Griswold, and was a man of ability in various lines. He was licensed to exhort in 1806 and to preach in 1810, and for thirty years he filled in the Sundays between the visits of the circuit preachers, with quite acceptable service in the pulpit. "In addition to his being a Methodist preacher with a power to sway the minds of his audiences," says Avery's History of the Town of Ledyard, "we hear of him in the capacity of school master, farmer, justice of the peace, money lender, admin- istrator of estates of deceased persons, and he was quite extensively known and also feared, more or less, by the degenerate, and was generally spoken of by all classes in the vernacular of those times as 'The Squire' or 'Squire Hurlbutt.'" Amos T. Thompson, J. Jesse Stoneman, Daniel Ostrander, Timothy Dewey and the eccentric Lorenzo Dow are mentioned as among the early preachers at Gales Ferry. The history of this church after 1836 pertains to the town of Ledyard.
St. Mark's Church
St. Mark's Parish at Mystic was the outgrowth of a
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mission which commenced services in Washington Hall July 10, 1859. The work was in charge of John C. Middle- ton, a candidate for orders in the Episcopal Church. Irreg- ular services were held for the next four years but in the spring of 1863 Mr. Middleton, who had been made rector of Calvary Church in Stonington, renewed his relations with his old friends in Mystic and arranged to hold a Sun- day evening service there, beginning in the spring of 1864.
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