History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II, Part 18

Author: Rockey, J. L. (John L.)
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York : W. W. Preston
Number of Pages: 1138

USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II > Part 18
USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II > Part 18

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).

Reverend Richard Manning Chipman, the second pastor, was in- ducted into that office January 14th, 1852, and remained until May 19th, 1858. He was an able preacher and writer, numerous publica- tions bearing testimony to his skill and diligence. During the war he was active in the interests of the freedmen.

The third pastor of the church, Reverend George I. Wood, was in- stalled November 30th, 1858, and remained until October, 1867, when physical ailment compelled him to resign.

Reverend George M. Boynton, the fourth pastor, was born in 1837, in Brooklyn, N. Y., graduated from Yale in 1858, was installed pastor of this church, June 24th, 1868, and was dismissed December 1st, 1872, to become the pastor of a Congregational church in Newark, N. J.

The next and the present pastor, Reverend George W. Banks, was here installed June 18th, 1874. His long pastorate has been peaceful and prosperous. He was born in 1839, graduated from Yale in 1863, and from its Theological Seminary in 1866, and prior to his settlement at Guilford served the Bethlehem church.

In 1890 the parish of the Third church contained 213 families, and there were 310 resident members. The Sabbath school had an average attendance of 200 members, and Clifford F. Bishop was its superin- tendent. Beverly Monroe was the church clerk, and George W. Hill the treasurer.

Those elected as deacons have been the following: 1843, Asher

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Dudley; 1844, Leverett Griswold; 1844, Julius A. Dowd; 1852, Alfred G. Hull; 1877, James D. Hall; 1877, Henry E. Norton; 1880, Edwin A. Leete, 1881, Lucius Dudley; 1881, Richard Bartlett: 1882, Calvin M. Leete, 1883, George W. Hill. The three last named were the active deacons in 1890.

Christ Church (Protestant Episcopal) had its origin in a society of conformists to the Church of England, which was organized Septem- ber 5th, 1744, under the auspices of the London "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." Among these conform- ists living in the parish of the First society, were, in 1746, Samuel Collins, Nathaniel Johnson, Edmund Ward, Ebenezer Bishop and John Collins. About this time they voted to build a church, which was raised in 1747, and consecrated in March, 1750, by Reverend Samuel Johnson, of Stratford, a native of this town. The Liturgy of the Church of England was now regularly employed, there being lay ser- vices or preaching by missionaries of the above society-by Reverend Ebenezer Punderson, and from 1764 until 1767 by Reverend Bela Hub- bard, another native of the town, but serving as a missionary at New Haven. He was born in 1739, and died highly respected, in 1812. Other missionaries were Reverends Roger Viets, in 1770; Abraham Jarvis, in 1773; Ashbel Baldwin, in 1790, and David Butler for a few years after 1792. The preaching services were at long intervals, and the membership consequently remained small.

In 1801 the church had its first rector in the person of Reverend Nathan B. Burgess, who was at the same time the rector of the par- ishes of Branford, North Guilford and Killingworth. His service con- tinned until September, 1805. In November, 1806, Reverend David Baldwin began preaching in all the foregoing parishes except Bran- ford and became the settled minister in March, 1807, but was not or- dained as the priest until April, 1809. After 1824 he confined his labors almost wholly to the two parishes in Guilford until 1834, when he resigned his rectorship of Christ church, but continued serving St. John's, or North Guilford parish, in connection with the Zion parish in North Branford and others, until 1851. At the beginning of his ministry the church membership was greatly augmented and the par- ish first began to assume the position which it has since retained among other religious bodies of the town. Mr. Baldwin died in the 83d year of his age and was buried in Alderbrook Cemetery. His grave is marked by a monument: " Erected to his revered memory, in recog- nition of his valued ministrations, by grateful parishioners and other friends in Guilford and the adjoining parishes, where he officiated more than half a century." For a quarter of a century he was the only resident Episcopal minister on the sound shore between New Haven and New London.

From July, 1834, until Easter, 1835, the parish had the entire serv- ice of Reverend Lorenzo T. Bennett, when he resigned to become asso-

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ciated with Doctor Croswell, of the Episcopal church of New Haven. Subsequently the ministers were: May, 1835, to October, 1835, Rever- end William N. Hawks, who resigned on account of ill health; in March, 1836, Reverend Levi H. Carson became the rector and served the parish two years, when, in April, 1838, Reverend Edward J. Darken became the rector and also remained two years.

In the last two rectorates the present Christ church was built and occupied. The old house on the green, which had been in use since 1750, had become unfitted by age and no longer served as a proper place of worship. Early in 1836 the parish, which had at that time 67 communicant members, began to build the new church on a lot east of the old house. The corner stone was laid June 24th, 1836, and December 12th, 1838, the church was dedicated, when the old church was removed from the green, and was the last building taken off that public ground. The church was built in the Gothic style, of native granite. 44 by 64 feet, and cost originally $7,500. In 1872 a recess chancel was added and improvements made at a cost of $5,000 more, which have made the church very attractive. It is also the most sub- stantial in the eastern part of the county.

The rectorship of Reverend Lorenzo T. Bennett, D.D., was the most important in the history of the parish. Born in 1805, he graduated from Yale in 1825, and was ordained to the diaconate in 1834. He became rector of Christ church July 12th, 1840, and continued solely in charge until July 12th, 1880. He was then made rector emeritus by order of the parish and so continued until his death. September 2d, 1889. He was thus, with his first service at this church, connected with the parish more than fifty years, and was much revered for his qualities of mind and goodness of heart, not only by his parishioners but by the citizens in general. He died very suddenly at the railway station, where he had gone to take passage on an early train.

On the 24th of April, 1881, Reverend William G. Andrews, D.D., became the rector of the parish and has in every way acquitted him- self a worthy successor of Doctor Bennett. The affairs of the parish remain in a prosperous condition, there being, in the fall of 1890, 110 families and 163 communicant members. The Sunday school had 108 members.

The parish has a fine fund for the promulgation of its work. Lega- cies were given by Charles Collins, $1,000; William H. Hubbard, $10,000; Franklin M. Hill, $300; and Captain William Tyler, $5,522. The Hubbard bequest was not realized in full in consequence of losses to his estate in Virginia during the rebellion.

The following have been wardens of the parish: 1799, Thomas Powers, Charles Collins; 1820, Abraham Coan, Jedediah Lathrop; 1824, Erastus C. Kimberley; 1825, Thomas Burgis; 1833, Henry Loper; 1840, Thomas Burgis; 1854, John H. Bartlett; 1861, George A. Foote; 1863, E. C. Kimberley; 1872-90, George B. Spencer; 1874, Henry Hale;

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

1876, George C. Kimberley: 1881, William Skinner; 1890, George S. Davis.

George C. Griswold was the parish clerk from 1845 to 1889, when John S. Elliott was elected.

St. John's Church (Protestant Episcopal) of North Guilford was organized in 1747. There were at first but a few families conforming to the church of England, but these were united, and in 1748 they built a small, plain house of worship on the south slope of the hill, about forty rods south of the present St. John's church. Here public worship was statedly held by the ministers of the foregoing church. In 1765 the male members-George Bartlett, John Hubbard, John Fowler, Nehemiah Griswold, Abraham Hubbard, David Fowler, Jared Scranton, Eber Hubbard, Abner Fowler, James Pelton and George Bartlett-agreed to pay Reverend Bela Hubbard £20 for his services as a minister part of a year; and these were probably the principal early members of the church.

The old house having become dilapidated, a new one was begun in 1812, which was several years in building, and was consecrated June 7th, 1817, as St. John's church, by Bishop John Hobart, of New York. About 1860 a chancel was added to the original building and the other property of the parish was also thoroughly repaired, mainly through the efforts of Reverend Oliver Hopson, then rector. In more recent years the church building has again been modernized and has been made fairly comfortable. The church has an attractive location and in the same neighborhood is the rectory, on a tract of six acres of land. This parish also has an endowment fund of several thousand dollars. In 1890 there were 21 families and 45 communicant mem- bers. A small Sunday school is also maintained.

Reverend David Baldwin was the beloved rector from 1809 until 1851, and was followed in 1853 by Reverend Alpheus Geer and later by Oliver Hopson. The last rector was Reverend W. H. Dean, who began in 1889 to serve this and the North Branford parish.

At this time George W. Dudley and Albert B. Potter were the wardens, and P. K. Hoadley, E. W. Leete and Norris Hubbard the vestrymen.

Among the early church officials were, in 1761, Jared Hubbard, Ebenezer Talman and Nehemiah Griswold, committee; George Bart- lett, Jr., parish clerk; in 1781, Nehemiah Griswold and Abraham Hub- bard, church wardens; John Fowler, Sr., George Bartlett and David Fowler, vestrymen; in 1789, Abraham Hubbard and Jared Scranton, wardens.

The Guilford Baptist Church was organized in 1808. Baptist ser- vices were first held some time after 1800, by Reverend John Gano Whitman, of Groton, who occasionally preached in the town. This led to the organization, June 30th, 1808, of the above church. There were 19 constituent members, some of whom withdrew from the

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

First Congregational church, and others had been members of the dissolved Fourth society. The meetings were held in the old acad- emy building. February 24th, 1823, Alvah B. Goldsmith was or- dained as the first regular pastor, and at the same time his father. Joshua Goldsmith, was ordained as the first deacon. These appear to have been the only prominent officials of the society, which never became strong. Its maximum membership (36) was reached in 1826, and thereafter the church declined until its dissolution took place before 1840. Elder Goldsmith remained in the town and was a much respected and trusted citizen. In the latter years of his life his professions were those of a Quaker. He died in June, 1863.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized about 1838. It is probable that Jesse Lee preached the first Methodist sermon in the town. He held a meeting in the house of Ebenezer Hopson. on Bos- ton street. as early as 1789. In 1811 Bishop Asbury also visited Guil- ford and preached here, but no attempt was made to form a church until many years later. The efforts which led to an organization were made by Reverend Nathan Kellogg, who preached a number of times in the private houses of such as were favorable to the movement. In 1836 Reverend Charles Chittenden was assigned to this place by the New York Conference, and his missionary labors and the fruits of a revival, in the winter of 1837-8, enabled him to organize the present church. He was a very devoted. energetic man. and began the build- ing of a house of worship on a lot secured on the west side of the green. William Hale offered to donate the timber, and Mr. Chitten- den led some of his members in the work of preparing the material, and helped to fell the first tree. In 1838 he was succeeded by Rever- end Hart F. Pease, during whose pastorate the house was completed and dedicated. It was originally a frame honse, 36 by 48 feet, but its appearance has since been changed and improved. The first board of trustees was composed of John Hale. William Hale. Henry Griffin, Simnel Leete, Samuel A. Barker. Lucius Elliott. F. C. Phelps and A. Kelsey.

Succeeding Mr. Pease, among others before 1850, came Reverend R.W. Raymond, who received 90 members on probation. At the same time an extensive revival swept over the village, about two hundred professing religion. Reverend Benjamin Pillsbury was here in 1850- 1, and Reverend John L. Peck, an interesting preacher, in 1855-6. Another well known appointee was John L. Hangh. Some of the ap- pointces of the conference failed to appear on this field of labor, and their places were supplied. But few of the appointees remained more than a year. Among the Inter regular appointees were the following: 1570, Reverend C. W. Gallagher; 1879, R. A. Blake: 1574. John S Wil- son: ISS1, W. A. Thomas, 1883, O. J. Range. 1887. ]. H. Crofur; ISSS, E. L. Fox. 1880. S. G. Neil. The latter serves both Guilford and Mad- ison churches, the former having 55 and the latter Så members. The

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

Sabbath school at Guilford had fe members in 1890. and Lewis Wit- iams was the superintendent.

Catholic services were established in the town about 1854. by the parish of St. Patrick of New Haven. The first mass was said to a few persons in the old Whitfeld house. These missionary services being continued. produced permanent results. In 1860 a small store on Whitfield street was bought and Stted up for a chapel. and in which the first service was held March ich that year probably by Father James Boban. Thenceforth Cation meetings were regularly held in a house owned by that denomination, and the membership steadily increased.

In January. 1981. there were, according to George Hill, who took a census of this nature. 15 Catholic per-ons in Guilford. He himself was a convert to this faith and had fondrundental to building up the parish. He organized and caught in the Sabbath school which had at Erst less than a dozen children in it.

In a short time Guilford and other shore covas east of New Haven were erected into a parish, and the work prospered. Ta this town the zamber of families increased so much chat Guilford. Madiscs and Clinton were constituted a new paris and March Ist 1997 Father John H. Dotaz cook charge of it as the Best resident priest. He was young and energetic. and earnestly apcited themself to the develop- ment of bis work. when death put an end on his brief =

3d. 1988. He was buried in the center of e new cemteter

ve-i had but a short time before been opened a che and a ball of the church. It embraces :wo acres 1 consecrated Ma- Bit. 1959. as eretter over the grave of Father Dolaz.

The second resident priest was the prese" 1 J. Smith, whose ministry here began jel Piso

- Her Bis care the parish has continued to griw : be 1 3

is all 58 families -- i= Guilford. 41. - 11 Stony Creek. 5. The latter atten : estes Islam :, where mass is said in the Hall budis ap Tica Beattie

Here reside 9 Catholic familles, and me

quarries are of Hat faith. A Sunday sol - Been established at Leete's Island.

Te cif chapel becoming too small. : = and Waltfeld streets was purchased. moon virch

was elected. The corner stone was hard - occupied soon after. and Has since been

The establishment of schools vent band

Ecz of churches in the diferen: : corted by the rates collected from

the Erst teacher of the school as i

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

half of the Sabbath. He lived at the southwest corner of the green, and was in Guilford from 1641 until 1659. Tuition was reckoned at the rate of 4 shillings per quarter for " each child put to school."* A school house was built on the green as early as 1645. which was dis- placed by a new one in 1671. Both were very plain. Until after 1700 the town had but this one school house, but others were built soon after. In 1702 the " East Farmers " were given liberty to have a school, and the same privilege was given the " North Farmers," not many years later, after that section was settled.

After Mr. Higginson left the town, other teachers were employed, a few only remaining for more than several years. These were paid salaries of froin £20 to £30 per year. Among other teachers who were appointed were: In 1671, Matthew Bellamy; 1675, Jonathan Pit- man: 1682, John Collins; 1690, Thomas Higginson; 1694, Mr. Elliott; 1700, John Collins; 1701, Captain Andrew Ward; 1706, James Elliott; 1720, Doctor William Johnson; and thence for about three-quarters of a century the Johnson family supplied the teachers.

The state of Connecticut adopted the district system in 1794, and under this plan the town was divided into more than one district. In the period about 1800 four schools were at the village. These occu- pied one building, standing on the green, and were not in four separ- ate school houses, on that plot of ground, as may be inferred from the account of President Dwight on his visit to this part of the county. About 1830 this building was removed from the green to its present site on the North Guilford turnpike.

In 1824 the Lancasterian system was applied to the schools, and continued five years. Under this method all the schools in the village were taught in the town house. In the meantime an academy or select school was taught in the old school house, among the teachers being Alvan Talcott and Samuel Robinson. In 1829 the village public school was divided into four classes, of which the highest, or academic, was taught from 1831 to 1834, by R. D. Smith. He was followed by Luman Whedon, Julius N. Dowd and others. In 1837 the village part of the town was divided into four sections and school houses built for their accommodation. The northwest section used the academy. A part of the building was occupied by a Mr. Dudley for his high school in 1838 and later. Schools of this nature continued to be taught until the Guilford Institute supplanted them.

In the course of time the four districts at the Center and another near by were merged into a "Union" district. In 1890 there were in the town, including the Union district, in all ten districts, in which there were 512 children of school age. From this number 322 pupils

*An effort was made in 1660 to establish a grammar school in the jurisdiction of New Haven, in order that "learning might be promoted as a means for the fitting of instruments for publique service in church and commonwealth." To encourage this plan, which at that time failed, the inhabitants of Guilford offered the Whitfield stone house as a seat for the school.

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

were secured. The schools are maintained at a cost of nearly $5,000 per annum, half of which is raised by town taxation. In the North Guilford part of the town there are four schools, viz .: The North, the South, the Bluff and the Center. These have an attendance of about 75 pupils. The school at the Center has been graded. The Leete's Island school had an enrollment of 40 pupils. At this time the school visitors were: Henry R. Spencer, Henry M. Rossiter, Daniel R. Spen- cer, Reverend W. G. Andrews, Jerome Coan, L. A. Kimberley, Doctor G. H. Beebe, Reverend G. W. Banks and Reverend L. T. Bennett. The latter resigned June 11th, 1889, after having served the cause of education in this town about half a century.

The Guilford Institute was erected and endowed through the munificence of Mrs. Sarah Griffing, the widow of Hon. Nathaniel Grif- fing, and Hon. Simeon B. Chittenden, of Brooklyn, N. Y. The former deeded the land on which to build the institute, near "Ephraim's Rocks," in the northwestern part of the village, August 21st. 1854, and also gave the sum of $10,000. The latter set aside $10,000 for an en- dowment fund, October 12th, 1855. Mrs. Griffing stipulated that the ministers of the First Congregational church should be members of the board of trustees, cr-officio, and that while the school should be non-sectarian, that " the Bible should always be used in said school as the foundation of all education for usefulness and happiness."

The first board of trustees was incorporated in August, 1854, and was composed of Reverend E. Edwin Hall, Henry W. Chittenden, Ralph D. Smith, Abraham C. Baldwin, Sherman Graves, Simeon B. Chittenden and Alvan Talcott. The latter continuously served until 1890. Others associated with him on the board at that time were Reverends George W. Banks and C. H. McIntosh, E. Walter Leete, Henry D. Coan, Samuel B. Chittenden and Charles Griswold.

The corner stone of the building was laid September 13th, 1854, and a year later the substantial stone structure was ready for occu- pancy. The first term of the institute was opened September 3d, 1855, with appropriate public exercises, and Eli T. Mack as the first princi- pal. There was considerable interest in the school, and in the first years of its existence the attendance was very good, not only from Guilford, but from the surrounding towns. Among the pupils thus coming from Madison was an active, promising youth, who became distinguished as W. H. H. Murray. The institute appears to have served its purpose in the first twenty years, and since 1875 has been occupied as the high school of the town, an arrangement to that end having been made with the trustees.

The principals of the school have been the following, in the order of their appointment : 1855, Eli T. Mack; 1858, Augustine Hart; 1860, J. Wilson Ward; 1862, Henry S. Barnum; 1863, Joseph L. Daniels; 1864, Winthrop D. Sheldon; 1865, W. A. Ayres; 1866, Edwin H. Wilson: 1867, James P. Hoyt; 1869, F. S. Thompson; 1871, Charles E. Gordon; 1872,

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

John P. Slocum; 1875, Jairus P. Moore; 1879, Melville Stone; 1880, Charles H. Levermore: 1883, W. H. Buell; 1884, Carll A. Lewis; 1887, Hart Lewis; 1888, Charles L. Wallace; 1889, Arthur M. Hyde.

"The people of Guilford have always been well educated, and the Triennial Catalogue of Yale University counts over 160 names of Guilford men; while part of the college was situated in the old town in its early years, when the tutors, John Hart, of Madison, and Samuel Johnson, of Guilford, lived at home and had their classes with them."*

The cause of education had a valuable adjunct in the public libraries which were early established. In 1737 some of the inhabi- tants of Guilford and others living in the towns on the east formed a library which was quite valuable in those days. When the company was dissolved, before 1800, the library contained about 400 volumes, having among them a number of standard and valuable books. A new library was now formed in Guilford village, to which some of the books of the old library were transferred. Another library was soon after formed by the young people of the same community and in May, 1823, these were united to form the Union Library. In 1838 it had 600 volumes. Not many years thereafter, for want of proper care, it went down and for many years the remaining books were stored in an old loft. In 1880 they were removed and incorporated with the Insti- tute Library.

In 1760 a public library was formed in North Guilford, which was nearly destroyed by fire in 1794. New books were added until there were 185 volumes. In 1838 only about 100 books remained and the library was soon after dissolved. In 1887 a Young People's Literary Society was formed, which raised funds for another library. In the fall of 1890 it contained about 200 volumes and was kept at the house of Mrs. Scranton.

The North Guilford select school, taught many years in a small building which stood in the new addition to the cemetery, served a noble purpose after 1800 and for about fifty years. John E. Chandler, who afterward became a missionary to India, was one of the teachers. Deacon John R. Rossiter taught for twenty years. The building was removed in 1876.

Not a few treasures in the literary storehouses of this country were gathered or contributed by inhabitants or descendants of the founders of Guilford in periods reaching from the settlement to the present time. One of the latter classt quaintly says: "Guilford was born with a book in her hand," and gives the credit of the first author- ship to the founder and leader of the Guilford colony, the Reverend Henry Whitfield. Some of his sermons and letters were published, as

* Bernard C. Steiner.

+ Henry P. Robinson (of Reverend Henry Whitfield, 1639) in his discourse on Literature in Madison and Guilford, anniversary 1889.

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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.

were also the sermons on important subjects of Reverends John Hig- ginson, Joseph Eliot and John Cotton, his successors as ministers of the First church.

Reverend Jared Eliot, son of Reverend Joseph, who preached in Killingworth, but who followed the art of agriculture in Guilford, was a pioneer writer in a field which has since been extensively covered. Beginning in 1747, he wrote a series of "Essays upon Field Husbandry in New"England," which proved very popular and brought to his acquaintance and friendship scientists of this and foreign countries. He died in 1763. One of his pupils was Reverend Samuel Johnson, a very bright, witty and learned man. In 1767 he published a small Hebrew grammar, and some of his other books were issued at an earlier day. He was born in Guilford in 1696, and after graduating from Vale College in 1714, he was for several years one of its tutors and had his classes in the town. Becoming a minister of the estab- lished church, he later became a Churchman and a profound theolo- gian. He was elected the first president of Columbia College. He died in 1772.

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History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume II, Part 18

Author: Rockey, J. L. (John L.) Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York : W. W. Preston Number of Pages: 1138

Author: Rockey, J. L. (John L.)
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York : W. W. Preston
Number of Pages: 1138