USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Farmington > History of New Britain, with sketches of Farmington and Berlin, Connecticut. 1640-1889 > Part 14
USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Berlin > History of New Britain, with sketches of Farmington and Berlin, Connecticut. 1640-1889 > Part 14
USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > New Britain > History of New Britain, with sketches of Farmington and Berlin, Connecticut. 1640-1889 > Part 14
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The expediency of organizing another Congregational Church in New Britain had been under consideration for some time, when, at a meeting of the church, June 14, 1842, the following petition was presented :
" Reverend and Beloved: whereas we the subscribers, being desirous of forming a new church in this place, and having nearly completed a suit- able edifice for our accommodation, request you to permit us peaceably to withdraw ourselves from our particular connection with you, and to give us an equal share in the property of the church, and Sabbath School Library."
The signers of this petition were chiefly persons who afterwards constituted the South Church.
The church then appointed a committee of twelve,t to whom the petition was referred for consideration. At the adjourned meeting, held June 21, 1842, the committee pre- sented the following report and accompanying resolution :
" To the Congregational Church in New Britain: Dear Brethren, your committee to whom was referred the petition of Deacon Elijah Francis and others, praying for liberty to withdraw themselves from this church, and share equally in the property of the Church and Sabbath School books, having taken the important subject into serious considera- tion beg leave respectfully to report :
* Mr. Seward was installed pastor of the church in West Hartford, January 14, 1845, and was dismissed December 18, 1850. In 1851, he was called to a church in Yonkers, N. Y., where he ministered for many years. In 1881 he was installed over the Plymouth Church, Portland, Maine, and was dismissed from the same June 18, 1884. He has since resided at Norwalk, Ct. He was made Doctor of Divinity by Union Theological Seminary in 1862.
+ The members of this committee were David Whittlesey, Matthew Clark, Amon Stanley, Samuel Booth, Ira Stanley, Eli Smith, William Ellis, Ira Stanley, Jr., William A. Churchill, Dan Clark, Alfred Andrews, Timothy W. Stanley, John Stanley, Horace Wells, Adna Hart, and Noah W. Stanley.
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HISTORY OF NEW BRITAIN, ETC.
Your committee are very sensible that as a church and society we have come to a crisis which is perplexing in the extreme ; just on the point of taking a step which will be deeply deplored in all future time; making a breach which neither we, our children, nor our children's chil- dren will be able to heal. We would meet it with all brotherly kindness and affection. We are among those who believe in the right of petition, and although it is our fixed opinion that we ought not to separate families and beloved brethren and friends, your petitioners have the same right to think and say, 'we can enjoy ourselves better apart, and we wish you to let us go in peace.' We would call on our dear brethren and sisters in the petition, to pause and inquire, are there any good and substantial reasons why a division should be made in this church? Many of us have walked together in the fellowship of the gospel, and in brotherly love for years; some almost to the end of our pilgrimage, and not a jar in' our affections has disturbed our peace. Your committee cannot discover any just cause for granting the request of the petitioners at this time, and especially in its present form, but would exhort all of our beloved sisters and brethren in the Lord to stand still and hope unto the end. We remember the difficulties and trouble in former years, and would also call on our souls and all within us to bless and praise the Lord for his good- ness, and for his wonderful works, in pouring out upon us His Holy Spirit, especially in the year 1821, and in subsequent years, thus reviving us when were 'minished and brought low,' and delivering us from all our distresses. Now, dear brethren, viewing with anxious solicitude our pres- ent condition, and contemplating our future prospects, which so deeply affect us all, we are united in our opinion, and do recommend the passage of the following resolution, viz .:
Resolved, that the petitioners have leave to withdraw their petition, or if they prefer, we consent that the whole case, all matters and things, with all its load of consequences, be referred to the decision of the conso- ciation, provided our friends, the petitioners, will relinquish all claim to the property of the church, and pay their share of the debts contracted for their benefit as well as ours."
The report was accepted, the resolution passed, and the meeting adjourned sine die, but in a week another meeting of the church was called, when the following votes were passed :
" Voted, that this church unite in calling a meeting of the Hartford South Consociation to assemble in this village on Tuesday, the 5th day of July next, at nine o'clock A. M., in reference to forming and organizing a new Congregational Church in this parish, provided they deem it expe- dient.
Voted to appoint a committee to carry the above vote into effect."
Seth J. North, Elnathan Peck, Augustus Stanley, and William A. Churchill, were the members of the committee.
.
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FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, NEW BRITAIN.
They took the necessary steps to prepare for the meeting of the Consociation, and it convened July 5, 1842. After hear- ing the petitioners and remonstrants by counsel and other- wise, and after due deliberation, the Consociation proceeded to organize a new church, to be known as the "South Con- gregational Church in New Britain."
The number of members withdrawing to form the South Church was one hundred and twenty, leaving two hundred and seven members, then constituting the First Church of Christ in New Britain. For a few months the pulpit of the latter church was supplied by Rev. Nathaniel W. Taylor, D.D., of New Haven. Dr. Taylor was, at that time, Dwight Professor of Didactic Theology in the Theological Department of Yale College, and his sermons were heard with much interest and were quickening and strengthening to the church. He could not, however, long preach regularly to this people, besides it seemed very desirable that a settled pastor should be secured. At a church meeting held Dec. 13, 1842, a call was given to Mr. Chester S. Lyman, who had graduated from Yale Theological Seminary a few months before. The call was accepted, and an Ecclesiastical Council, which convened Feb. 14, 1843, for the purpose, proceeded with his examination, and on the following day, Feb. 15th, he was ordained. During the first year of his ministry there was a revival in the parish, and twenty-two persons were added to the church. Mr. Lyman's health failing, he was dismissed April 23, 1845. His short pastorate of two years and two months resulted in the addition of forty to the membership of the church.
About a week after the dismissal of Mr. Lyman, on May 1, 1845, the church voted to call Rev. Charles S. Sherman to become its pastor. The society united with the church in this call, and voted the same salary as was paid to Mr. Lyman, viz. : six hundred dollars a year. Mr. Sherman was installed July 2, 1845, and was pastor of the church until September 5, 1849. He was succeeded by Rev. Ebenezer B.
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HISTORY OF NEW BRITAIN, ETC.
Andrews, who was installed June 26, 1850, and, on account of ill health, was dismissed Nov. 12, 1851.
The church was then without a settled pastor for more than a year. At a church meeting held Oct. 11, 1852, a call was extended to Rev. Horace Winslow, and he was installed Dec. 29, 1852. He was pastor for five years, his dismission taking effect Dec. 20, 1857. During his pastorate one hun- dred and twenty united with the church, and the present house of worship was erected. Rev. Lavalette Perrin was called to the pastorate by a unanimous vote of the church at a meeting held Jan. 18, 1858, and was installed Feb. 3, 1858. . His pastorate continued until May 31, 1870, during which three hundred and twenty-two persons united with the church. Dr. Perrin was succeeded by Rev. John H. Deni- son, who was installed Feb. 8, 1871. He was dismissed Sept. 26, 1878, after receiving two hundred and ninety-five members to his church during his pastorate.
January 7, 1879, Rev. Elias H. Richardson, D.D., was installed pastor, and he continued in office until his death, June 27, 1883. During his pastorate of four and a half years, one hundred and twenty-five were admitted to the church, more than half of whom were by letter. Rev. George Stockton Burroughs was installed Feb. 7, 1884. In 1886 he was appointed Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Amherst College, and received a call to the College Church. He was dismissed from the church at New Britain Dec. 22, 1886. During Dr. Burroughs' pastorate of less than three years, two hundred and six were added to the church.
The church was then without a settled pastor until Feb. 15, 1888, when Rev. William B. Wright, D.D., was installed. The number of church members Jan. 1, 1889, was 714, and of members of the Sunday-school, 592.
The settled pastors of this church have been :
Rev. John Smalley, D.D., settled April 19, 1758, died June 1, 1820. Rev. Newton Skinner, settled Feb. 14, 1810, died March 31, 1825.
Rev. Henry Jones, settled Oct. 12, 1825, dismissed Dec. 19, 1827.
Rev. Jonathan Cogswell, D.D., settled April 29, 1829, dismissed April 29, 1834.
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FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, NEW BRITAIN.
Rev. Dwight M. Seward, D.D., settled Feb. 3, 1836, dismissed June 15, 1842.
Rev. Chester S. Lyman, settled Feb. 15, 1843, dismissed April 23, 1845.
Rev. Charles S. Sherman, settled July 2, 1845, dismissed Sept. 5, 1849.
Rev. Ebenezer B. Andrews, settled June 26, 1850, dismissed Nov. 12, 1851
Rev. Horace Winslow, settled Dec. 29, 1852, dismissed Dec. 20, 1857.
Rev. Lavalette Perrin, D.D., settled Feb. 3, 1858, dismissed May 31, 1870.
Rev. John H. Denison, D.D., settled Feb. 8, 1871, dismissed Sept. 26, 1878.
Rev. E. H. Richardson, D.D., settled Jan. 7, 1879, died June 27, 1883.
Rev. G. Stockton Burroughs, Ph.D., settled Feb. 7, 1884, dismissed Dec. 23, 1886.
Rev. William B. Wright, D.D., settled Feb. 15, 1888.
In 1855 the large and commodious edifice now occupied by the church and society was erected. It is one hundred and thirty-eight feet long by sixty-three wide, including the chapel as first built. The audience room is seventy-five feet long by sixty-three feet wide, with galleries on three sides. The chapel and social rooms were enlarged and remodeled in 1881.
The convenient location of this edifice on the east side of the public square, its large audience room, and its complete arrangement of chapel and subordinate rooms, make it to be especially adapted to the needs of the church and parish.
CHAPTER IX.
SOUTH CHURCH, NEW BRITAIN ; BERLIN AND UNIONVILLE CON- GREGATIONAL CHURCHES.
SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, NEW BRITAIN.
THE South Congregational Church in New Britain was T organized at a meeting of the Hartford South Conso -. ciation, called by the Second Church in Berlin (now First Church in New Britain), and held in the vestry of the new church building July 5, 1842. The members of the Consociation present were :
Rev. Calvin Chapin, D.D., and Jehiel Robbins, Rocky Hill. Rev. Joab Brace and Jedediah Deming, Newington.
Rev. Royal Robbins and Milo Hotchkiss, Kensington.
Rev. John R. Crane and John B. Woodford, Middletown. Rev. Harvey Talcott and Russell Penfield, Portland.
Rev. James H. Francis and Selah Galpin, Westfield.
Rev. James Smith, North Glastenbury.
Rev. Zebulon Crocker and Richard Warner, Upper Middletown.
Rev. Chauncey D. Cowles and Roderick Stanley, Plainville. Rev. Aaron Snow and Leonard E. Hale, Eastbury. William Woodruff, Southington.
Rev. Joseph Whittlesey and Rev. Dwight M. Seward, without charge.
The Consociation, after hearing the parties concerned and receiving the documents presented, appointed a committee, consisting of Messrs. Brace, Smith, Robbins, Talcott, and Warner, to prepare a minute expressing the final decision of the Consociation. The committee prepared a statement rehearsing the circumstances in part, and closing their report with the recommendation of the passage of the fol- lowing resolutions :
"Resolved, First, That the Consociation judge it expedient to comply with the request implied in the reference which the letters missive and the vote of the church express.
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.
Resolved, Secondly, That this Consociation will proceed to form the new church in accordance with the call which has convoked this standing mutual council.
Resolved, Thirdly, That the new church thus formed be designated and known by the name and style of the 'South Congregational Church in New Britain.' "
The Consociation accepted the report of the committee and adopted the resolutions, passing the following votes :
" Voted that the report of the committee be adopted and that the Consociation proceed to organize the church accordingly at a quarter before eight o'clock this evening.
Voted to adjourn to a quarter before eight o'clock.
Met according to adjournment and with suitable religious solemnities the church was formed and constituted.
Passed as true minutes.
Attest, ZEBULON CROCKER, Scribe."
Original Members of the South Congregational Church :
Aaron C. Andrews, { Electa B. Andrews, S
Esther Dewey,
Samuel W. Hart,
Nancy M. Eddy,
Louisa Hart,
Ezekiel Andrews,
Maria N. Erwin,
Mehitable D. Hart,
Sarah E. Andrews,
Abijah Flagg,
Sarah W. Hart,
William Bassett, Lois E. Bassett,
Honor Flagg,
Sylvia Hart,
Mary S. Bassett,
Jane C. Francis, S
John Judd, Betsey H. Judd, James Judd,
Ann W. Burritt,
Catharine A. Francis,
Gunilda B. Judd, Eliza H. Judd,
Horace Butler,
Catharine A. Francis, Dorothy P. Francis, Mary M. Gridley,
Esther M. Lee,
Marilla C. Callender,
Charles M. Lewis,
Joshua Carpenter,
Chester Hart,
Sarah M. Loomis,
Betsy H. Carpenter, 5 Selina H. Churchill, Polly B. Clark,
George Hart,
Alvin North, Clarissa B. North, S Henry North,
Lucy B. Cook,
Louisa W. Hart,
Lauretta S. North,
Chauncey Cornwell, }
Dolly S. Hart, ¿ Francis Hart, 5
Elizabeth S. North, S
Sarah G. Cornwell, Mary P. Curtiss,
Ozias Hart, Samuel Hart,
Georgiana M. North, Julia A. North,
Louisa B. North,
Julia A. Curtiss, Josiah Dewey, 1 Lydia S. Dewey, S
Orpha N. Hart, Salmon Hart, 1 Rosetta N. Hart, )
Mary C. North,
Sarah C. North,
Theodore A. Belknap,
Romeo Francis,
Orpha H. Butler, $
Elvey W. Hart,
Eliza A. Marshall,
Elizabeth F. Hart, S
Nathan R. Cook,
Elijah Hart,
Seth J. North,
Mary G. Cornwell,
Elijah Francis,
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HISTORY OF NEW BRITAIN, ETC.
Sarah B. North,
Abigail L. Stanley,
Charles A. Warner, )
Sarah E. North, Alonzo Stanley,
Matilda C. Warner, Edward Warner, -
Elnathan Peck, {
Henry Stanley,
Mary D. Peck, S Catharine A. Stanley, > Elizabeth W. Warner,
Andrew P. Potter, Charlotte N. Stanley,
Hannah E. Root,
Chloe A. Stanley,
Almira W. Warren, Curtiss Whaples, Sarah K. Whiting,
Abigail Seymour,
Harriet A. Stanley,
Henrietta M. Seymour, Melvina C. Stanley,
Mary Ann Seymour,
William B. Stanley,
Robert G. Williams, Amelia S. Williams, S
Matilda W. Slater, Edmund Steele,
William H. Smith, ¿
Lucy N. Steele,
Lucy H. Winchell, Alma Woodruff,
Lucinda H. Smith, S
Maria W. Steele,
Norman Woodruff,
Elizabeth A. Smith,
Dennis Sweet,
Abigail B. Woodruff,
Harriet S. Smith,
Caroline U. Sweet,
Lucy Wright,
Lucretia M. Smith,
George L. Tibbals,
Olive B. Wright.
The first business meeting of the church was held July 9, 1842. At this meeting Romeo Francis was appointed clerk, and Horatio Waldo Superintendent of the Sunday- school. Rules and regulations for the Sunday-school were adopted and general arrangements were made for church meetings and services. At another church meeting held July 15th, Elijah Francis and Chauncey Cornwell were chosen deacons.
For a few months the professors of Theological Semina- ries and other clergymen supplied the pulpit on the Sabbath and conducted other religious meetings, but on November 18th, less than five months from the organization of the church, a call was extended to Rev. Samuel Rockwell by the church and society, to which he made the following reply :
" New Britain, Dec. 5, 1842.
To the Church and members of the South Congregational Society in New Britain.
Brethren and Friends,
I have received at the hands of your committee, your invitation to settle with you in the work of the. Gospel ministry. After the experience which I have had, in the cares and responsibilities of the Pastoral office, I cannot think of again entering upon it without deep solicitude. From the limited attention which I have been able to bestow upon the subject of your invitation - and not without prayer for Divine Guidance-I have concluded (though with some hesitancy as to my duty) to accept it, hoping that in so doing, I may find increasing evidence that I am follow-
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.
ing the will of God. And if this relation should be carried into effect, it is my earnest desire and prayer that my ministry may not be a fruitless one. But that sustained by your united efforts and progress my labors may promote the highest spiritual benefit of all this people.
With regard to the salary proposed, I can only say that its sufficiency to my support must be entirely a matter of experiment. But in this re- spect, I want to cheerfully commit myself to the disposal of the society, not doubting that while I faithfully devote myself to the promotion of your spiritual interests, you will make ample provision for my temporal support.
Sincerely and Respectfully yours, Samuel Rockwell."
Mr. Rockwell was installed January 3, 1843. Rev. Noah Porter, D.D., of Farmington, was moderator of the council, and gave the charge to the pastor. Rev. Horace Bushnell, D.D., of Hartford, preached the sermon, Rev. Joab Brace, D.D., of Newington, made the installing prayer, and Rev. E. C. Jones of Southington gave the right hand of fellowship. During Rev. Mr. Rockwell's ministry of fifteen and a half years, two hundred and seventy members were added to the . church, one hundred and thirty-seven by profession, and thirty-three by letter. At his own request, he was dismissed June 20, 1858.
Rev. Constans L. Goodell was ordained and installed pastor of the church February 2, 1859. His pastorate was marked by great changes in the church and congregation. At the time of his installation the church had two hundred and twenty-seven members. During his ministry, five hun- dred and sixty-one were added to the church, of whom two hundred and eighty-nine were on the confession of their faith. The number removed by death, dismission, and discipline was two hundred and forty-nine, leaving about five hundred and forty members at the time of his dismission. During his pastorate, a new house of worship and a parsonage were erected. . On account of the ill health of Mrs. Goodell, Dr. Goodell presented his resignation in the autumn of 1872, and was dismissed November 18, 1872.
Rev. Henry L. Griffin was ordained and installed as pastor of the church October 1, 1873. During his pastorate
168
HISTORY OF NEW BRITAIN, ETC.
of four years and two months two hundred and thirty-eight members were added to the church -one hundred and ninety on confession of faith, and forty-eight by letter. At his own request, in order to give him opportunity for travel and study in Europe, he was dismissed December 20, 1877. At the close of his pastorate, the membership of the church was six hundred and seventy-seven.
Three months after the dismissal of Mr. Griffin, or March 20, 1878, Rev. James W. Cooper, D.D., was installed pastor.
The pastors of the South Congregational Church have been :
Rev. Samuel Rockwell, settled Jan. 4, 1843, dismissed June 20, 1858.
Constans L. Goodell, D.D., set. Feb. 2, 1859,
Nov. 18, 1872.
" Henry L. Griffin, settled Oct. 1, 1873, Dec. 20, 1877.
" James W. Cooper, D.D., settled March 20, 1878.
The first house of worship of the South Congregational Society was built before the church was organized. It was commenced in the autumn of 1841, and dedicated in the spring of 1842. It was a substantial wooden structure with basement rooms, and clock and bell. The galleries were added subsequently, and the building then had five hundred sittings. It was built by Elnathan Peck and cost about $8,000. In the spring of 1864, it was removed a few yards to the east to make room for the present church building, but was occupied as a house of worship until November 3, 1867. It was soon after converted into a public hall and used as such until it was burned. The present stone church edifice was commenced in April, 1865. The chapel was finished so as to be used for evening services in the spring of 1867, and the church was completed in the winter of 1867-68, and dedicated January 16, 1868. The outside dimensions, includ- ing the chapel as first erected, were : length 175 feet, width 84 feet, with a tower surmounted by a spire, the pinnacle of which is 175 feet above the ground. The main audience room is 103 feet in length, 64 feet in width, and 45 feet in height in the center of the nave. The chapel proper is 56 by 37 feet, with the main entrance through a turret on the south side 75 feet high. There are smaller rooms on each side of
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.
the chapel designed at first for the ladies' parlor and pri- mary class-room, but now occupied by the junior department of the Sunday-school. The whole cost of the church as completed in 1868 was about one hundred and forty thou- sand dollars. In 1888-89, an addition about seventy feet square, for Sunday-school and parish uses, was made to the chapel. The cost of the addition was twenty-five thousand dollars.
The total membership of the church January 1, 1889, was 807, and of the Sunday-school 1,104.
BERLIN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND SOCIETY.
The Ecclesiastical society of Worthington (Berlin) was incorporated by the General Assembly at its October session,. 1772, when the Kensington Society was divided the second
NORTHERN VIEW OF WORTHINGTON IN BERLIN, 1835.
The most prominent building in this view is the Congregational Church as it appeared after the steeple was added, but the Methodist Church erected in 1830 is also shown.
time, and the Worthington parish was separated from it. The first meeting of the Worthington Society was held No- vember 23, 1772, at the house of Dr. James Porter. Cap-
12
170
HISTORY OF NEW BRITAIN, ETC.
tain Samuel Hart was appointed clerk, and steps were taken to erect a house of worship. The site of this building was fixed by the arbitrators sent out by the General Assembly in 1771, to arbitrate between parties in the Kensington Society. After providing for a division of the society, they drove a stake for the site of the Worthington meeting-house, on the former boundary line between Wethersfield and Middletown, in the north part of Berlin Street. Arrange- ments were soon made for the erection of the building, and it was so nearly completed as to be dedicated with appro- priate services, October 13, 1774.
At that time, the meeting-house had neither steeple nor bell, but these were added in 1790. A sweet-toned organ was presented to the society and placed in the meeting-house the next year, by Jedidiah Norton, as appears by the follow- ing extract from the society records, November 1, 1791 :
" Voted, That the thanks of this society be given to our friend, Mr. Jedidiah Norton, for so distinguished a mark of his good will in giving us an elegant organ, and erecting it in the meeting-house at his expense."
The church was organized by the Hartford South Conso- ciation, February 9, 1775, with thirty-eight male members, who subscribed to the Confession of Faith and Covenant, and were constituted a distinct church.
The original members of the Second Congregational Church of Berlin were :
John Allyn,
Zechariah Heart,
Seth North,
Theodore Beckley,
John Hinsdale,
Josiah Burnham,
Ephraim Hollister,
Elnathan Norton, Jedediah Norton,
Jacob Deming, Dea. Richard Hubbard, Dea. Aaron Porter,
Moses Deming,
Samuel Hubbard,
Capt. Samuel Porter,
Nathaniel Dickenson,
Timothy Hubbard, Charles Kelsey, Ezekiel Kelsey, John Kirby, Dea. John Lee,
David Sage, Ebenezer Sanford,
Solomon Dunham,
Jonathan Edwards,
Samuel Smith,
Josiah Edwards, Peat Galpin,
Joseph Spaulding, John Squires, James Steele,
David Webster-38.
John Goodrich, Isaac Heart, Job Heart,
Dea. Isaac North, Jedediah North,
Samuel North,
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CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.
On the 22d of February, 1775, this number was increased by the addition of sixty-six others, each of the original members, with the exception of N. Dickenson, Dea. Porter, and Joseph Spaulding, having a wife, who joined at this time. The total membership at the latter date was one hun- dred and four - thirty-eight men and fifty-nine women.
John Allyn was appointed clerk. For some years the church had no settled pastor. Rev. Nathan Fenn of Milford was ordained May 3, 1780. He had studied theology with Dr. Smalley of New Britain, and was well acquainted with the parish before his settlement. He died April 21, 1799, much lamented by his parishioners. On June 9, 1802, Rev. Evan Johns, a native of Wales, and for a time minister in Bury St. Edmunds, England, was installed. He was dismissed Feb. 13, 1811, after a ministry of nine years.
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