USA > Connecticut > Windham County > History of Windham County, Connecticut. Volume I, 1600-1760 > Part 64
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67
James Bicknell.
James Hale.
Nath. Eaton.
William Watkins.
Samuel Snow. Benjamin Snow.
Theophilus Clark.
Joseph Snow.
Jacob Dana. Jedidiah Dana."
Atter reading these charges, " this sifting question" was propounded to the suspected minister-"Sir,-Don't you think that a child brings Sin enough into the world with it, to damn it forever ?"-to which Mr: Bass frankly responded, He did not. This acknowledgment was sufficient evidence of doctrinal dereliction. The church thereupon pro- ceeded to vote, " That it held the doctrine of Original Sin, as set forth in the eighteenth question and answer of the Shorter Catechism, an essential condition of church fellowship and communion "-thus cutting off their minister from church fellowship. His deposition from office was effected as soon as possible. After much preliminary sparring, Mr. Bass waived his right to refer the matter to a council, and allowed it to be brought before the Windham Consociation, March 12, 1751. That body decided, that in spite of the agreement between church and pastor, it had a right to consider the case. Captain Watkins, Jacob Dana and other aggrieved brethren, declared, " That Mr. Bass had departed from the Confession of Faith given to the church previous to his ordination, and from the doctrine of Original Sin as set forth in the Catechism ; denying a Covenant made with Adam for himself and his posterity ; and was also deficient in teaching the doctrines of particular Election, particular Redemption, Effectual Calling, and the Perse- verance of the Saints." Mr. Bass conceded that he had altered his opinions, and that the particulars objected against him were in general, true. The Council advised him to use all proper methods to obtain light upon these matters, and also advised the Eastern committee of the Association to discourse with Mr. Bass in order to give him light, and further that Mr. Bass should repair to the next meeting of Associa tion and they do endeavor to give him light and recover him, but if all
548
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
these methods failed to enlighten and recover, then the Association was to summon the Consociation for final decision. Mr. Bass very willingly complied with these suggestions, but none of the arguments offered on behalf of the Calvinistic Faith seemed to him conclusive. A minority of the church shared his sentiments and faithfully adhered to him. About thirty of his friends, by a writing under their own hands, desired the matter settled by a council mutually chosen, but were overruled by Association. The Consociation was again summoned, June 4, 1751. A very large assembly was present. Mr. Bass offered a paper, giving an account of his sentiments, repeated the principles objected against him, with the reasons thereof; and also declared, that if the people in general were not desirous of his continuance in the ministry among them, he was willing to be dismissed from them, desiring the mind of the church might be known. Two-thirds of the brethren present then declared their desire for his dismissal. The council finding that the sentiments and principles of Mr. Bass were very different from those avowed by him at his ordination, which difference they apprehended to be a departure from the true doctrine of the Gospel and also from the principles to which the generality of his church adhered, adjudged it a sufficient ground for the dissolution of the pastoral relation, and did accordingly dissolve the pastoral relation of Mr. Bass to the church and people of Ashford. Mr. Bass objected to this decision in that it represented him as willing to receive dismission if a majority of the church desired it, whereas he had expressly insisted, That the congregation should have a voice in the matter as well as the church, and had brought them before the council for that purpose, but the privilege was denied them. The relation was dissolved, and Mr. Bass made this closing entry within the church records :--
" June 5, 1751. I was dismissed from my pastoral relation to the church and people of Ashford, by the Rev. Consociation of the County of Windham, for dissenting from the Calvinistic sense of the Quinquarticular Points, which I ignorantly subscribed to before my ordination; for which, and all of my other mistakes, I beg the pardon of Almighty God."
·A committee was immediately chosen, " to provide with good advice a man to supply the pulpit," and the selectmen empowered, with Ensign Benjamin Sumner, to make up with Mr. Bass, or stand trial at law. The payment of £250, old tenor, satisfied all demands without legal process. Mr. Bass remained a few months in Ashford, writing and publishing " A True Narrative of an Unhappy Contention in the Church, at Ashford, and the several Methods used to bring it to a Period." He then removed to Providence, where he was employed to supply the pulpit of the First Congregational (now Unitarian) church.
He left a strong party in Ashford. John Perry, John Pitts and other leading citizens had adopted his principles, and now manifested much
549
DISMISSAL OF MR. BASS, ETC.
hostility to the ancient church and also to the church establishment of Connecticut. Efforts to unite in choice of a minister were wholly fruitless. The anti-Calvinistic party, mostly residents in the east part of the town, desired to be set off as a society, and having obtained consent from the town to have one-third of its territory, thus made known its desires and position to the Assembly, September 22, 1753 :-
" Whereas there is such a difference of sentiment between the Church of Christ in this town and ourselves respecting sundry controverted points, viz., Original Sin, the extent of Christ's Redemption, and the Freedom of man's will : said church being attached to the Calvinistic sense of the above articles, and having by an overt act made the belief of the doctrine of Original Sin, as explained in the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism, an essential term of Christian fellowship and communion, while we are professedly of the opinion that the Calvinistic sense of the same is without sufficient foundation in Holy Scriptures, and upon this account we cannot comfortably unite with said church in the stated worship of God, and also that this church doth adhere to the Saybrook regulation of church discipline which we can no longer submit to-we beg the Assembly two things-
I. Liberty for ourselves and others that see fit to incorporate into a re- ligious society fornied as follows :- 1. Our only confession of faith and platform of church discipline, be that which Jesus Christ and his Apostles have laid down in the New Testament. 2. That the discipline of the church shall be in the hands of the brethren, its pastor presiding as moderator in all church meetings, whose vote shall equal two persons. 3. Church meetings to be warned by the pastor-he to warn one on request of six brethren. 4. The major vote to be recorded. 5. When in need of a council, not to send for Con- sociation but an advisory council. 6. Pastor's salary raised annually by volun- tary subscription.
II. Exemption from all ministerial taxes raised by the town of Ashford.
John Pitts. Benjamin Bosworth, Sen.
Alexander Ewing.
John Perry. Benjamin Bosworth, Jun.
Robert Avery. <
Timothy Eastman.
John Griggs.
Joshua Abbott.
Peter Tuffts.
Matthew Fuller.
Ephraim Bemis.
John Humphrey.
Edward Tiffany.
John Kies.
Thaddeus Watkins.
Ebenezer Eastman.
David Chaffee.
John Mason. Jonathan Stowell.
Jonathan Chapman.
Aaron Tuffts.
Jonathan Ginnings. John Laselle."
This request was refused in both articles, and the town left to work out its own quarrels. The northwest inhabitants, among whom were many Baptists, also petitioned for society privileges, which were denied them by the town. East and west residents then united in represent- ing to the Assembly, " that the lands in quantity and quality were sufficient to accommodate two or more distinct ecclesiastical societies, and the form or lying of township and the settlement of the in- habitants such as would admit of such division as would greatly accommodate inhabitants, many of whom were under very difficult circumstances by reason of distance from place of divine service and roughness of roads." The selectmen of the town were summoned to give reasons for dismissing this petition, and decision deferred until lands could be surveyed and planned. The town agreed that forty families in the northwest section, comprising over two hundred and fifty persons, should be set off as a precinct or society. A
550
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
petition, stating this agreement, and that many of the inhabitants were six, seven and even eight miles from the meeting-house, was preferred in 1758, but again dismissed. Affairs meanwhile were in great confusion. Minister after minister was procured-Daniel Pond, David Ripley, Messrs. Mills and Elderkin, Stephen Holmes, Daniel Kirtland, Nehemiah Barker, Elijah Blake-but all failed to satisfy the people, and so much ill-will and animosity was exhibited that all parties in the town must have been convinced of the existence of human depravity, whatever their opinion concerning its origin. At length, after six years of wrangling, Mr. Timothy Allen succeeded in obtaining a call-a powerful and fervent preacher of decided New Light proclivities-and was ordained pastor of the church and town of Ashford, October 12, 1757. The northwest inhabitants also had liberty to have two months' preaching in the winter paid out of the common stock. Many of these inhabitants were Baptists, members of the church in Brimfield. At first, attempts were made to collect rates from them, but it was afterwards voted, " To repay to the Baptists that are exempt by law all that had been extorted from them for support of the ministry, i. e., maintenance of minister and repairing meeting-house." These Baptists continued to increase in numbers and popular favor so that, in 1758, the Ashford church voted, "To offer full communion to all regular Baptist communicants ; draw up the offer and make it in the church's name to such Baptists in the town as may attend worship in this place." An attempt to bring back those adherents of Mr. Bass who had withdrawn from church fellowship-Captain Perry, Edward Tiffany, Thaddeus Watkins and others-was not apparently successful. Benjamin Palmer, graduated from Yale College in 1750, was now estab- lished in medical practice in Ashford. Theophilus Clark, at whose house the Consociation of 1751 was entertained, had probably then opened on Ashford Green what was long known as the Clark Tavern.
VIII.
FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD) SOCIETIES OF WINDHAM. FORMATION OF THE SUSQUEHANNA COMPANY.
U TNLIKE her sister townships, Windham was now enjoying much 'peace and prosperity throughout all her borders and parishes. In 1750, it was ordered, " That a good grammar school shall be kept the whole of every year, by a master able and sufficient for that pur- pose-school to be kept in each society in proportion to their list. "A
551
SOCIETIES OF WINDHAM, ETC.
gaol and dwelling-house proper to accommodate the same, with needful appendages," were erected in 1753. A new meeting-house was then in process of erection on Windham Green, under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Huntington, Nathaniel Wales and Thomas Welch. Mr. Jonathan Bingham, who died in 1751, was greatly interested in this house, not only paying his own proportion of the charges but leaving a legacy of twenty pounds for a bell, and sixty pounds to the poorest persons in the society, towards paying their rates for the building. This house was completed in 1755, and is reported very large and elegant, with a lofty and beautiful steeple, in which was hung the first church bell of Windham County. A clock in the steeple is farther reported by Dr. Samuel Peters. The first church of Windham was less flourishing than at former periods, adding only eighty to its mem- bership between 1746 and 1760. Mr. White was greatly respected for amiability and uprightness of character, but had no marked influence upon the community. The senior deacons of the church, Joseph Huntington and Ralph Wheelock, died in 1747 and 1748. Deacons Eleazer Cary and Ebenezer Wales died in 1757, and their places were filled by Joseph Huntington and Nathaniel Skiff. The widow of Jonathan Bingham, as noted for piety and benevolence as her excellent husband, died in 1756. After fulfilling his numerous bequests for religious and benevolent purposes, she gave "fifty Spanish milled dollars, or an equivalent thereto in passable bills of credit, to be com- mitted into the hands of the Rev'd Mr. Eleazer Wheelock of Lebanon, to be by him disposed of and improved for the education of the youth of the Indian nations of this land, or in propagating religion and learn- ing among them." This legacy was applied to Moor's Indian Charity School, then recently established by Mr. Wheelock. This active laborer,-son of Deacon Ralph Wheelock of Windham,-in addi- tion to the charge of his own parish and extensive itinerating, had early taken Indian boys into his family to train and educate, and thence conceived the plan of fitting them for missionaries among their own people. A house and two acres of land, adjoining his own, were given to Mr. Wheelock in 1754, by Mr. Joshua Moor of Mansfield, and there he established and successfully conducted for many years an Indian Missionary School, assisted by gifts from benevolent individuals like Mrs. Bingham, and appropriations from various public bodies. Another degraded class was remembered and aided by another benevo- lent Windham Jady-Mary Jennings, widow of Richard Abbe. At her < decease, in 1759, she gave " unto Ginna, her negro-woman, her time and Freedom, not to be Inslaved, held, or controlled as a slave or servant for Time or life." She also ordered and desired that four negro children named in her inventory, " should be so sold and
552
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
disposed of as that they may have Christian education, and by their masters not be used with cruelty and hardship." Mrs. Abbe's Ginna was probably the first slave manumitted in Windham County. Her mistress farther provided for her comfort by leaving her her best feather bed save one, with good bedding, a foot-wheel, a good iron pot and kettle, her every-day clothes, a good silk crape gown and two pewter platters.
The second society of Windham was chiefly occupied for some years with the erection of its second-meeting-house. `The large number of families from the southwest of Pomfret which attended worship in the society made this house more needful, and having laid their plans and begun the work, it was greatly delayed and thwarted by the action of the Assembly in 1749, in annexing these inhabitants to the new parish of Abington. The transferred families were themselves equally averse to the change, and continuing their attendance in Canada Parish were soon assessed and called upon to pay rates for building two meeting- houses. Benjamin Chaplin and William Alsworth of Abington, then joined with Samuel Butt, William Farman and John Hovey of Mortlake, in petition to the Assembly, showing :-
" That, whereas, by the providence of God, we are situated very remote froin the centres of the societies above-mentioned, and are obliged to travel four or five miles to ye public worship of God and other public days, and are so near situated to the second society in Windham that the most remote is not above two miles from their meeting-house, and several within one mile; and whereas two of us were formerly annexed to Canada as to parish privileges, and now to Abington, beg the Court to consider and order us to continue in Canada, by a line drawn, or any way."
The Canada society, having previously voted to accept the inhabit- ants lying on their east line, either by farms or line as the Court should see cause, farther represented through their agents, Thomas Stedman and Timothy Pearl :-
" That, whereas, the providence of God has made our situation such that there are twenty-six families of neighboring societies, which are constant with us in attending upon the public worship of God, and make about one-fifth of the number of families that make up our congregation, and cannot well attend worship in their respective societies because of their remote distance from their centres; and by means of such a large share of non-residents, we, your Honor's memorialists, are obliged and come into a conclusion to build a meet- ing-house, which might have been suspended for some years yet, were it not that our neighbors must assemble with us unless it be prevented by large travel, and therefore pray that the families may be annexed to us and admitted training and other privileges. May, 1752."
These requests were granted, and the adjacent inhabitants annexed, apparently by farm and not by line. Jonathan Burnap, Isaac Stiles, Seth Meachem and Jonathan Rogers, all of Windham, were also allowed to join Canada society in 1753. Thus strengthened, the society was able to complete its meeting-house the following year, under the supervision of the younger Thomas Stedman. It was a
.
553
SOCIETIES OF WINDHAM, ETC.
well-built, substantial structure, fitted to abide for many generations. On its massive sounding board was inscribed-" Holiness unto the Lord." Thomas Stedman, its builder, though but little over twenty years of age, was already noted for his skill in carpentry, and respected for his sound sense and judgment. His brother, Captain James Sted- man, was also a good farmer, carpenter and joiner, manufacturing many " stout wooden clocks, that kept good time." Their sister Mary married Joseph, son of Deacon Benjamin Chaplin, who established himself in the medical practice in Windham Village, about 1755. At about the same date, Dr. John Brewster settled there as a practicing physician, and became a very prominent man in the vicinity. James Howard of Howard's Valley, was also prominent in public affairs. Various descendants of John and William Durkee were now in active life, and were especially concerned with military matters. The Rev. Mr. Mosely continued to gain in influence and authority, but did not succeed in bringing back to the church its refractory members. In 1747, the church voted, "That it looked upon those separating bodies of pro- fessing Christians in Plainfield, Canterbury and Mansfield as scandalous and disorderly walkers, and accordingly withdrew communion from them." Thomas Stedman, Sen., was chosen deacon in 1753.
The Scotland society, not having to build a new meeting-house, was able to complete and adorn the one already erected. In 1747, it voted, " To clabord the outside of our meeting-house with oke clab- bords, and polish the walls within with clay, sand and ashes, and plaster overhead with lime mortar." Jabez Kingsley and other young men, having met with many disappointments in building a pew on the place allotted, had the same privilege confirmned to them and two other seat- mates in 1748. Seven young ladies were also allowed liberty of building. "An Hurlbut, Pashants and Mary Lazelle, Younes Bingham, prudence hurlbut and Jerusha meachem, had liberty to build in the sete behind the front seat in the woman's gallery," November 7, 1752. "Provided they build within a year and raise the pue no higher than the seat is on the men's side, Never ye Less"-saith the chronicle-" Ye above said have built said pue much higher than the order ; and if they do not lower the same within one month from this time, the society committee shall take said pue away." These presumptuous young women probably promptly obeyed this mandate, and lowered their pew to conform with their neighbors. In 1755, it was voted, " Whereas, the school-house in the society standeth so near Samuel Silsby's dwell- ing-house it much discommodes him-that we are willing that said Silsby should move the school-house to any convenient place on the road it now stands on, provided he move it at his own charge and
70
554
HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY.
leave it in as good repair as it now is, and set it somewhere on the highway between where it now stands and Merrick's Brook, or any- where else where those inhabitants shall agree that send their children to school, and have the advice of Nathaniel Huntington where to set it." In 1758, Josiah Kingsley, Benajah Cary, John Webb, Jeremiah Bingham, Hezekiah Manning and Joseph Woodward were appointed a committee to divide the society into proper school districts. James Brewster was chosen clerk of the society in 1750, in place of John Manning, who had held the office many years. Josiah Kingsley was chosen deacon of the church in 1752; John Cary, in 1754. Deacon Nathaniel Bingham, son of Deacon Thomas Bingham of Windham, died in 1754; his brother, Samuel, in 1760. Mr. Devotion was now in the prime of life, greatly respected throughout his parish and the township, and holding a high position among the clergy of his day. Mrs. Devotion was a lady of much culture and refinement, connected with some of the first families of Norwich. Many daughters, now growing up and entering society, made this pleasant home more at- tractive. Their only son, Ebenezer, was graduated from Yale College, with the seven Pomfret boys, in 1759. Enoch, son of Nathaniel Huntington, was also a graduate in that famous class. He was the youngest of six brothers, remarkable for ability and force of character. Nathaniel, the oldest, was graduated from Yale College in 1747, and settled in the ministry, but died early, "long remembered with unusual esteem and regret." The second son, Samuel, though early noted for his fondness for books and study, was apprenticed to a cooper, but so improved his leisure moments that when he had completed his apprenticeship he had not only acquired a competent knowledge of Latin, but had made some progress in the study of Law, in books borrowed of Jedediah Elderkin. Adopting this as his chosen profession, he pursued his studies with indefatigable zeal and perseverance, and was rewarded with abundant success. Before he was thirty years of age he was established in Norwich as one of its most promising lawyers, and had married a Scotland play-mate, Martha Devotion. His brother, Jonathan, without a collegiate education, achieved an honorable position both as a physician and a minister. He was somewhat noted as a humorist and also as a musician, and is remembered as the com- poser of the once famous round, "Scotland's Burning." Joseph, the fourth son, was destined by his father to succeed to his business as a clothier, but the family genius could not be thus restricted. Moved by a passionate love of books, he, too, devoted himself to study, entering Yale College in 1758, and after his graduation studying for the ministry. He married another daughter of Rev. Ebenezer Devotion,
555
SOCIETIES OF WINDHAM, ETC.
and settled in Coventry. His brother Enoch became pastor of the First Church of Middletown. The fifth son, Eliphalet, settled in Scotland as a farmer. Two other young men from Scotland Parish were also graduated from Yale during this period-David Ripley in 1749, and Samuel Cary in 1755.
Upon the Willimantic River there was as yet little progress. Grist- mill and iron-works were kept in operation, but no village grew up around them. An effort was made, in 1752, to procure a religious society upon the Willimantic, taking in parts of Windham, Mansfield, Coventry and Lebanon, and extending 255 rods down the river. A petition, signed by Benjamin and Thomas Howard, John More, George Allen, Ebenezer, William and Robert Babcock, and many other residents in that vicinity, was rejected by the Assembly.
Upon the retirement of Judge Timothy Pierce in 1746, Jonathan Trumbull of Lebanon, was appointed judge of the County Court, and continued in office many years. Shubael Conant, John Dyer, Jabez Fitch and Joshua West served as justices of the Quorum. Eleazer Fitch of Windham succeeded Jabez Huntington as sheriff. Samuel Gray was then clerk of the Court; Jonathan Trumbull, judge in the Probate District of Windham. John Ripley was chosen town treasurer in 1750 ; Samuel Gray succeeded Eliphalet Dyer as town- clerk in 1755. A receiver of provisions for the Colony tax, an excise collector and a packer of tobacco were now added to the town officers. The deputies sent by Windham to the General Court between 17.46-60, were -Thomas Dyer, Eleazer Cary, Jabez Huntington, Eliphalet Dyer, Jonathan Huntington, Nathaniel Skiff, Jedediah Elderkin, Nathaniel Wales, Thomas Stedman, Jonathan Rudd, Joseph Kingsbury, Samuel Murdock and Samuel Gray. The physicians resident on Windham Green were Jonathan Huntington and Joshua Elderkin. Among the numerous tavern-keepers scattered over all parts of the town, were James Brewster, David Ripley, John Backus, Eleazer Fitch, Isaac Warner, Benjamin Lathrop and Isaac Parish.
The social life of Windham during this period is represented as exceedingly hilarious and enjoyable. Nearly all the families in town were connected by inter-marriage, and maintained the most friendly and open intercourse. A free and generous hospitality prevailed among all classes. Good cheer abounded. Merry-makings of every description were frequent. The residents of Windham Green were especially noted for love of fun and frolic, bantering and jesting. Traditions of these golden days represent Windham with her two parishes, like Judah and Israel in the days of Solomon-" many as
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.