USA > Connecticut > New London County > Stonington > History of the First Congregational church, Stonington, Conn., 1674-1874. With the report of bi-centennial proceedings, June 3, 1874. With appendix containing statistics of the church > Part 2
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It was twenty-seven years before Yale College was founded. Fifty- eight years before the birth of General Washington. More than one hundred years before the Revolutionary War. Since then what has been the progress, both in our beloved country and in the world ! And through what severe conflicts and struggles has all that we now possess been at- tained !
The perils of the wilderness two hundred years ago, the perils of sav- age warfare, of the Revolution, of the Rebellion, how many ? and how great !
Truly, our forefathers ought to be remembered, and their praises sung by those who to-day enjoy that for which they suffered, bled, and died.
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If we and our children would imbibe their principles, and their sen- timents, we must become acquainted with the history of their experiences, their struggles and triumphs. We must drink at the springs at which they drank, and be nourished and animated by the spirit which kindled their zeal and strengthened their virtue.
Wishing you all success and joy in your celebration,
I am truly yours,
DANIEL S. RODMAN.
From REV. EDWARD W. GILMAN, New York.
NEW YORK, May 9, 1874.
DEAR MADAM, -I beg leave to assure you that I highly appreciate the honor conferred upon me as announced in your note of invitation to the Stonington Bi-centennial celebration, and that I deeply regret that unavoidable engagements at the Bible House will forbid me to participate in the appointed services.
Yours very respectfully,
EDWARD W. GILMAN. 4
MISS MARIA STANTON, Corresponding Secretary.
From JUDGE HENRY W. WILLIAMS, Pittsburg, Penn.
PITTSBURG, May 19, 1874.
DEAR MADAM, - I regret that my engagements will prevent me from attending the celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the or- ganization of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, Conn., on Wednesday the 3d of June next, otherwise it would give me great pleasure to accept your very kind invitation. The descendants of the pious men and women who settled in Stonington and founded the First Con- gregational Church in 1674, do well to celebrate an event fraught with such momentous and blessed results; and it is cause not only of just pride and congratulations that these godly men and women were our ancestors, but of devout thankfulness that the church which they then organized still lives, and maintains essentially as it has for two centuries the doctrines, faith, and mode of worship of its founders.
Please accept my thanks for your kind invitation, and for the honor done me in choosing me one of the Vice-presidents for the occasion.
Hoping that the celebration may be an occasion of delightful reunion and grateful remembrance, with great respect,
Very truly yours, HENRY W. WILLIAMS.
MISS MARIA STANTON, Corresponding Secretary.
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From REV. DAVID E. HOLMES, Gaha, Illinois.
GAHA, ILLINOIS, May 20, 1874.
MISS ELIZA M. WHEELER, - I am in possession of your com- munication, inviting me to attend the Bi-centennial celebration of, the First Congregational Church of Stonington ; also designating me as one of your Vice-presidents. For this honor please extend to the Church and Society my most profound thanks. I cannot think of any greater pleasure than to participate in the festivities of that occasion. The Sab- bath school home of my boyhood is even now very dear to me. The religious truths then and there received will never leave me, neither will those who imparted them to me ever be forgotten.
Though one quarter of a century has passed since I have been away, the religious impressions received from you are still moulding and fitting me for life's battles. I would gladly be with you on the occasion of your celebration, but pressing home duties will not allow.
Asking you to accept the thanks of myself and family for your thoughtful invitation, and hoping that the Great Head of the Church will be with and bless you in your gathering,
I remain yours fraternally,
D. E. HOLMES.
From WILLIAM HENRY WILLIAMS, New York.
NEW YORK, May 26, 1874.
MISS ELIZA M. WHEELER, - It is with no ordinary regret that I find it necessary to decline your kind invitation to attend the Bi-centen- nial celebration appointed for the 3d of June. To say nothing of the main object of the occasion, it would have a special interest to me, as being a sort of mammoth family party, a gathering of relatives and friends with whom it would be most delightful to meet. But besides, and above all, is the sentiment of the occasion, so healthy, so worthy to be cher- ished - prompted by the contemplation of what has been the outgrowth of a work which had its origin in feebleness many generations ago, but also in the faith of a few unyielding men and women. It is well for us, I think, more frequently than we do, to look back with veneration upon the noble lives of our ancestors who, under difficulties which we can hardly appreciate, struggled for principle, for justice and religion -in the first place, because it was right, and in the second, that we their children might enjoy the fruits of their labors. Especially is it so on an occasion like the one before us.
Two hundred years! why, this is a period which separates us from those whose virtues are to be commemorated further than they were separated from the discoverer of America. Within these two centuries
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what mighty events have been brought about ! What developments have been unfolded in every field of thought and labor ! Two hundred years ago the imbecile, Charles II., still lingered on the English throne, and the magnanimous Prince of Orange, destined in no long time to enter upon the grand " revolution of blessed memory" was still in his youth.
Generations were yet to pass before the birth of Washington, and one hundred years before the American Revolution. The subject is an in- teresting one to any lover of history, but I must stop.
Believe me yours very truly,
W. H. WILLIAMS.
From REV. PLINY F. WARNER, Newaygo, Michigan.
NEWAYGO, MICHIGAN, May 26, 1874.
MISS MARIA STANTON, - An invitation to attend a Picnic Cele- bration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the First Congregational Church of Stonington was received yesterday.
I wish to thank you for this remembrance of one who spent his cal- lowhood as your pastor, as also for the honor of being named as one of the Vice-presidents of the occasion. Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to be with you on an occasion so full of interest as this must be, and to clasp again the hands of old Stonington friends, but it seems not practicable for us to do it. We are looking forward to a re- visiting of the old places another summer.
While the First Church of Stonington has had much to do with the history of my life, the part that I played in its history of two hundred years is very small. It seems to me now, though I occupied the place of pastor there for three years and a half, that I scarcely caused a ripple in its placid current, or left any mark of my presence, save a name on the records of the church.
But if I did nothing for the church, the church did much for me in the experience she gave me, and which I trust I have used to the advantage of other churches since.
Your two hundred years is quite in contrast with the region around us, few of whose churches had any existence when I was your pastor, and where the primeval forest still stood from which the bear has not yet been driven and society is still in the rough.
But we trust that two hundred years from now our churches may be able to tell as good a story of as noble a work done as doubtless the old First Church of Stonington will tell on your gathering day.
We shall be glad to be remembered on your anniversary as though we were present with you, and we will remember you.
With kindest regards,
P. F. WARNER.
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From the Widow of REV. JOSHUA R. BROWN.
NEW HAVEN, CONN., May 18, 1874.
MISS M. STANTON, -
Dear Madam, - Your kind invitation for myself and family to attend the Bi-centennial of your ancient church is received. Please accept my thanks for the favor. Nothing, I can assure you, would give me more pleasure did circumstances permit, than to be present on so interesting an occasion ; but I regret to say it will be impracticable. Allow me in closing to express my interest in the prosperity of this church, because so closely connected with it are memories very tender and dear to me. That it may be in the centuries to come what it has been in the past, a blessing to all within its influence, and that its light may never grow dim, its strength decay, and in faith and practice it may ever maintain its true orthodox standard, is the prayer of its true friend.
Wishing you success in your proposed undertaking, I remain
Yours very truly, S. A. BROWN.
From IRA WILLAMS STEWARD, New York.
NEW YORK, May 18, 1874.
MY DEAR MISS STANTON, - Allow me to tender to you my hearty thanks for your invitation to the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the organization of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, a church among whose founders I am proud to reckon my ancestors, and also for a place upon your Honorary Committee. I regret exceedingly that other and previous engagements will deprive me of the pleasure of being with you upon an occasion the parallel of which can hardly be found in the history of our country, and which can by no possibility fail of a joy- ful character, except it be caused by the excessive burden of reminis- cences you will have to bear.
A church on this side of the Atlantic, two hundred years old, seems almost an anomaly, and I fancy you are not crowded with sister churches of contemporary origin. In the whirl of our American life we are apt to lose sight of our forefathers, both in Church and State, and it seems to me that a gathering such as you propose can but be fraught with enjoy- ment and blessing to those present, from the renewal of fading associa- tions and the revival of memories and incidents in the lives of those worthies long since passed away, but whose virtues still survive to stir up a noble imitation in their posterity. Such a meeting must be par- ticularly pleasing to the elder and should be full of instruction to the younger portion of your society.
I think one of the pleasantest incidents of my mother's later days was a reunion she attended at your old school-house. I know she enjoyed it greatly, and had her life been spared a few years longer, I doubt not she
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would have made one of the number present at your anniversary, she once being a member of your church.
Yours with great respect and esteem,
IRA WILLIAMS STEWARD.
From M. CLEVELAND HYDE, Stonington, Conn.
STONINGTON, May 11, 1874.
MY DEAR MISS STANTON, - I beg leave to return you my thanks, also those of my wife, for the honor you have seen fit to confer upon us, - placing our names on the list of the Honorary Committee among those taking part in the Bi-centennial celebration of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, to take place June 3.
The descendants of these godly and self-denying men have every reason to look back with commendable pride upon the organization which they founded, standing the test as it has done of two hundred years, a living testimony not only of their pious zeal, but of the firm foundation upon which their faith was based.
It seems highly proper, therefore, that their children should rise up and call them blessed.
May the truths which they taught and the sacrifices which they made to uphold those truths, never be forgotten, but be handed down in the future, as they have been in the past, from generation to generation.
Accepting your invitation with many thanks and assuring you of my high regard, I beg leave to subscribe myself,
Your obedient servant,
M. CLEVELAND HYDE, Rector of Calvary Church.
From JAMES S. NOYES, Jersey City, New Jersey.
JERSEY CITY, May 9, 1874. MISS M. STANTON, Corresponding Secretary : -
DEAR MADAM, - I find my engagements for the early part of com- ing June month are such as to preclude the possibility of serving upon the Committee of Honor at your Bi-centennial celebration of the event of the establishment of the memorable Road Church by our worthy an- cestry. I would love to meet the few on that occasion who may chance to remember me, and to speak of the very many joys which their asso- ciations helped to kindle in my yet hopeful soul.
I shall never, never cease my attachment to the place so sacred from paternal precept and example. May the occasion be one of profitable interest to all assembled, and may the cherished institution be preserved in purity, and blessing its members, each so living in accordance with
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God's righteous will that it shall matter not to any whether they live longer or shorter periods of time.
Yours with true respect, JAMES S. NOYES.
From JOSEPH COUCH, New York.
NEW YORK, May 13, 1874.
MY DEAR MISS STANTON, - A Bi-centennial celebration is such a novelty as will insure a successful celebration. We joyfully accept your kind invitation to participate in the festivities of your two hundredth birthday, and purpose to arrive by boat on the morning of June 3.
Very truly yours, J. COUCH.
From IRA HART WILLIAMS, Syracuse, New York, SYRACUSE, May 31, 1874. MISS MARIA STANTON, Corresponding Secretary : -
Dear Madam, - Your kind invitation to myself and wife to attend the celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the organization of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, Conn., came duly to hand. I regret to say that pressing business engagements will interfere so we shall not be able to attend, but while absent in body we shall be present in spirit ; but oh ! how much we want to be with you, but we must forego that pleasure. Forty-seven years ago this month (it seems like a dream), I left the good old town of Stonington (then in my seventeenth year) to fight the great battle of life. I located then in the village of Salina, which was a mere hamlet, now the city of Syracuse, with a population of fifty-five thousand.
Years before I left the good old town of Stonington, my good mother used to send me to the Road Church, then a large, unsightly building without any cushions on the seats, or fire in winter, where I have often heard the nails crack from the effects of frost, while sitting under the preaching of the Rev. Ira Hart, a man I always loved, more particularly so perhaps, because I was named after him. He was an able man, of fine personal appearance, liked a good joke and a good dinner.
I have no doubt the celebration will be a success. It will, I have no doubt, be a day long to be remembered ; may it be handed down to suc- ceeding generations, and may we, Miss Stanton, all of us, whether pres- ent or absent, so live, that when our Heavenly Father calls us hence we may meet on the other side of the River those true men and women that worshipped there in 1674 as well as those down to 1874, and while we struggle on a little while longer, the time is near at hand with many of us, when we shall be called to join hands with those most near and dear to us. Let us be prepared when the messenger cometh.
I am, dear madam, yours truly, IRA H. WILLIAMS.
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From HENRY W. AVERY, Belvidere, Boone Co., Illinois.
BELVIDERE, May 26, 1874. MISS MARIA STANTON: -
Dear Madam, - I received a letter to-day containing an invitation to attend the Centennial Picnic celebration of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, for which respect, please accept my sincere thanks. It would be a great pleasure to me to be present on that occasion. I think the ceremonies will be very interesting, especially the history of the Church, by Hon. Richard A. Wheeler. He is very competent for the part allotted him, being well posted in historical matters. The distance from my present place of residence (about 1000 miles), as well as the infirmities of age, will prevent my attendance. The first pastor of that church, within my recollection, was Rev. Ira Hart, whose services were divided between the Road and the Stonington Borough Church. After Mr. Hart's death, I was present, as a delegate from the church in Ledyard, at the installation of Rev. Joseph Whittlesey. Since then I have not been acquainted with the pastors of your church. I hope and trust that you may have a pleasant and profitable meeting, which may be a benefit to the present generation, and the record of which may be a benefit and blessing to the generations that follow.
In Christian love,
Respectfully yours,
HENRY W. AVERY, Sen., aged 7872 years.
From MISS HANNA LATHROP PALMER, Canastota, N. Y.
CANASTOTA, NEW YORK, May 20, 1874.
MISS E. M. WHEELER, Secretary, - Please accept my warmest thanks for the honor conferred upon me by your kind invitation. The letter would have been answered at once, if I could have brought myself to the point of saying " No," to a question involving so much that will be at- tractive and altogether delightful. So I waited, hoping for the advent of something that would enable me to say, " Yes, I can go." The school in my charge is increasing in numbers, and I could not leave now, even for a short time, without staying materially the progress of the pupils. Other duties also are pressing and imperative, and their claims must be met.
Besides, oftentimes in a social gathering, those of us who find our- selves in the condition of an un-mated half of a pair of scissors, deem ourselves " one too many;" though if I could be with you, I am sure that the greeting of descendants of those who knew my grandparents would banish all embarrassment on that account.
How often I have sat on my grandmother's knee, and listened to her stories of " Old Stonington," till it seemed that it must be of all places the most glorious for a child to dwell in. 2
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My grandmother was Hannah Sherman of Rhode Island, and was at the time of my birth, the widow of Joseph Palmer, formerly of Ston- ington. My father, Joseph Sherman Palmer, was twelve years of age when his parents left Stonington and settled in Central New York.
Now, all have passed away, and my mother, of the eastern family of Lathrop, is the sole survivor of a family of ten children. Thus pass generations and families from the earth !
May your gathering prove most delightful and enjoyable in all respects, as I know it cannot fail of being; and may the Father of all, who watches over and cares for his children wherever they may be, guide you in your gathering together, and in your festivities, and lead us all at last to the " better land above."
Yours with respect,
HANNA LATHROP PALMER.
From ELEAZER AVERY WILLIAMS, Syracuse, N. Y. ,
SYRACUSE, May 15, 1874.
MISS MARIA STANTON, - It affords me unalloyed pleasure to receive from your hands an invitation to attend the Bi-centennial Picnic Cele- bration of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, to be held on the 3d day of June next. Please accept my thanks for the same, and for the very flattering attention bestowed upon myself and wife by placing us on the Honorary Committee. This invitation before me brings back remembrances of the first sermon I ever heard preached. It was de- livered in the old Road Church over fifty years ago, by Rev. Ira Hart. How distinctly I recall all the surroundings of that occasion, the ap- pearance of the preacher as he stood in the high pulpit, and the attentive congregation that graced the high square pews.
In those days people went to church on foot, in wagons, or rode on saddle and pillion. Among those who enjoyed this latter mode of con- veyance were my own dear father and mother.
I well remember how pleased I was when the church building in which you now worship was erected. With its glossy mahogany pulpit, and lofty steeple, how nice it appeared to my young mind. I have seen many churches since, but none that looked quite so large and grand.
Over half a century has passed within my memory, and with that half century the most of the fathers and mothers of the church have passed with it. "God bless them ; " and God bless them for the liberality which erected so useful an edifice, and for the good training and counsel which I received under its roof.
In conclusion permit me to pay tribute to the memory of the earnest and devout founders of this church two hundred years ago. " They builded better than they knew," and their work continues to do them honor.
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Hundreds of men and women now on the stage of life, are monu- ments of the benign influence of this good old church, and with it are linked many of the pleasantest associations and sweetest remembrances of the past.
I doubt not the noble founders are enjoying the fruits of that divine welcome which we all so much long to hear, when our eyes forever close upon the scenes of earth : " Well done good and faithful servant."
Yours very respectfully,
ELEAZER A. WILLIAMS.
From SAMUEL COPP, Saint Louis, Missouri.
SAINT LOUIS, Mo., May 28, 1874.
MISS MARIA STANTON, Corresponding Secretary, - Please accept my grateful thanks for your kind invitation to be present at the Two Hun- dredth Anniversary of the founding of the First Congregational Church of Stonington, and also my very sincere regrets that circumstances entirely beyond my control prevent my being present on an occasion so full of interest to me, as I know it is to all, who by association or otherwise, are connected with this time honored church. Though now nearly forty- five years since I left the home of my boyhood in old Stonington, and though many strong, very strong ties bind me to my present home, yet I do not cease to remember with feelings of affection and a longing desire which I can scarcely understand or explain, the abode of my childhood. It resembles strongly that love which a mother is known to bear for an only son, long lost or perhaps dead, but never forgotten, living yet in her tender heart by sweet memories of the past. With feelings somewhat similar in their sacred veneration and love for the associations of my early life do I regard the Old Road Church, the old Copp home in the quiet valley, where peacefully murmuring Copp's Brook sparkles in its pebbly bed, -the old schoolhouse at the eastern foot of Quocatog Hill, and the hill itself with all its beautiful and varied outlook of em- inence and valley - farm-house and village, river, islands, sound and sea. I love dearly this old Home with so many pleasant associations. I love too my old native State of Connecticut, and with all her faults am proud to acknowledge her as the Commonwealth in which I first drew breath. New England, too, with all her sturdy sons, and fair daughters, and right principles, I esteem and cherish. These have made their mark upon the country, and their impress I trust will never cease to be felt in its future.
I earnestly wish I could be with you to-day to participate in the joy and happiness of the occasion, especially so as you have conferred upon me the honor of one of the Vice-presidents of the day. This mark of your respect and esteem (for which I thank my old friends kindly) I do not consider as due me so much on my own account, personally (being
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to most of you a stranger) as to the regard you doubtless intended pay- ing some of my revered ancestors, who, in connection with this church were, during the decades of the past century, honored servants and officers in the house of God.
Wishing you all very much joy and happiness on this so eventful a day to the people of the old First Church of Stonington, I will close by tendering them, through you, this sentiment, - The principles of our New England ancestors; founded in the main on Bible truths and practice, they are essentially right. Let us, their descendants, adhere to them as an invaluable legacy.
I subscribe myself your old friend and school-mate,
SAMUEL COPP.
There were many interesting letters of acceptance and regrets received by the secretaries, but want of space forbids our insert- ing any more.
On Sunday, May 24, the following notice was read from the pulpit : -
As the time draws near for the celebration of our Two Hundredth birthday, it seems to be necessary that we should hold a meeting of the Home Committee of Arrangements so as to perfect our plans for enter- tainment. Many letters of acceptance of invitations have been received from abroad, and it is necessary to arrange places in our homes, or with our village friends, for the entertainment of those who expect to come. A meeting is therefore called in this house to-morrow (Monday) at three o'clock, P. M., and it is confidently hoped that every family in the society will be represented by both gentlemen and ladies.
In response to this call a large and enthusiastic meeting was held and final arrangements for entertainment were made.
On Monday and Tuesday (June 1st and 2d), the ladies and gen- tlemen met to decorate the church, pitch the tent and arrange the tables. A very pleasing feature of the preparation was a rehear- sal by the choir during the afternoon of Tuesday. Miss S. C. Fisher, soprano ; Mrs. Charles Noyes, alto, from the quartette choir of Park Street Church, Boston ; Mr. F. M. Manning and Mr. Leonard Watrous, tenor, from Mystic Bridge ; Mr. David L. Gallup, from Boston, and Mr. John Gallup, from Mystic River, bass, led by Mr. Dwight Gallup, of Ledyard, organist, assisted the choir.
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