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 7
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lately been built there, whereupon the people in said Society that should meet together - meet separately.
The Assembly then appointed another committee consisting of Timothy Pierce, Samuel Lynde, Esq., and Mr. Richard Abbee and directed them to repair to Stonington, and endeavor to rec oncile matters there, but if unsuccessful, and they should find it necessary to make a new society, to ascertain and fix proper bounds with certain conditions, and make their report to the As- sembly in May following.1
The records of the Assembly and Society show no proceedings of this committee, and the presumption is that they took no ac- tion in the premises.
The Assembly also enacted 2 that the society at Agreement Hill should not tax the Centre people to support their minister, and that the Centre people should continue an orthodox minister of their own at the Centre Meeting-house.
1 GENERAL ASSEMBLY, October session, 1730. Upon the memorial of Daniel Palmer and John Noyes and the rest of the inhabitants in the east part of the south society in Stoningtown, shewing the great contention in said society, and that there is two meeting houses lately built there, whereupon the people in said society (that should meet together) meet separately : This Assembly do therefore appoint Timothy Pierce, Samuel Lynde, Esqrs., and Mr. Richard Abbee, or any two of them, to be a committee to repair to said Stoningtown and endeavor to put an end to the contentions there, and persuade said peo- ple to meet together and continue in one society in respect of their ecclesiastical affairs. But if the said committee shall not attain so good an end, and they shall find it necessary to make a new society there, and the people of the western part of said society will make some proper allowance, in the judgment of said committee, to the people of the eastern part, since they are like to enjoy the labors of Mr. Rosseter, (a minister of the gospel lately settled by the joynt charge of the whole society,) then the said committee shall ascertain and fix the bounds of another society in the western part of said first mentioned society, and make their report thereof to this Assembly in May next for their confirmation. And in the mean time, if the said committee shall ascertain said bounds aforesaid, then said Mr. Rosseter and the people on the western part may meet and perform divine worship in the meeting house they have set up.
And the said committee shall appoint their meeting (both as to time and place) at Ston- ingtown, and the contending parties, by themselves or agents, shall then attend ; and to be done upon the charge of the whole south Society. - Hoadley's Colonial Records, vol. 5, page 303.
2 GENERAL ASSEMBLY, October session 1730. An Act in Addition to the Act passed this present Sessions, relating to the Affairs of the First Society in Stoningtown.
Be it further enacted, That the inhabitants of the said society that have separated themselves and do meet in the new meeting house, lately set up on Agreement Hill, shall not without further order from this Assembly, pass any vote or votes to tax the inhabit- ants of said society that do meet in the meeting house called the Centre or Eastern meet- ing house, for the support of the ministry in said society, or in any other parish charge. And the said inhabitants that meet in the said centre meeting house are directed to con- tinue an orthodox preacher of the gospel with them, to preach in the said centre house .- Hoadley's Colonial Records, vol. 5, page 315.
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At the session of the General Assembly 1 in May, 1731, a me- morial of a number of the Centre people represented that a grievous controversy had happened between them and the peo- ple that were called the West party in said Society, in respect to their meeting-house, and praying for relief, and that a commit- tee be appointed to repair to said Society and hear them at large on the said controversy, and to make a report to the General Assembly.
Up to this time the West party as they were sometimes called, or the members of the Society who preferred the old site at Agreement Hill for the new meeting-house, had taken no steps to bring the matter before the Assembly, but finding that the Cen- tre people, or their eastern neighbors as they sometimes called them, were determined to worship at their new meeting-house at the Centre, called a meeting of the Society which was held May 10, 1731, and after considering the unhappy circumstances of the Society in respect to their meeting-houses, proposed that the Society be divided into two distinct societies, by a line running from house to house, including the farms and estates attached to each, in the West Society, providing however that if any of the " persons on either side of said line desire to be on the other side of said line, and do at the General Session in October next thus declare their minds, on which side they will belong, they have liberty with their farms and estates."
" Benajah Williams was appointed agent to present their vote to the Assembly this instant May, for their consideration and confirmation."
1 GENERAL ASSEMBLY, May session 1731. Upon the memorial of Joseph Minor, Dan- iel Palmer, Thomas Noyes, and others of the east party in the first society in Stoningtown, representing to this Assembly the great difficulties the said society are under by reason of a grievous contention that hath happened between them and the people that are called the west party in said society, in respect to their meeting houses ; and praying to this Assem- bly for relief, and that a committee be appointed to repair to said society and to hear them at large on the said controversy and report to this Assembly thereon : Resolved, that Sam- uel Lynde, Edmond Lewis, Esqrs., and Capt. Thomas Wells, be a committee, and that they, at the cost of the memorialists, repair to said society, and notify the parties, and hear them at large on their said controversy, and make report to this Assembly in October next, what they think to be most just and right to be done with and for the parties afore- said, relating to said controversy. And it is further ordered by this Assembly, upon the motion of the [38] said west xx party, that if said committee shall judge that it will be for the best good of said society to be divided into two societies, that then, on hearing the parties thereon, they draw a suitable line to divide them accordingly, and also make re port thereof to the Assembly in October aforesaid. - Hoadley's Colonial Records, vol. 5, page 333.
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Whereupon the Assembly appointed a committee which con- sisted of Samuel Lynde, Edmund Lewis, Esqrs., and Capt. Thomas Wells, with instructions to notify the parties and hear them at large, and make their report to this Assembly in Octo- ber next, and further on motion of the West party that if they conclude to divide the Society, that it shall be done by a suitable line to be embraced in their said report.
The committee came in September following their appoint- ment, and heard the parties for three days, and after mature de- liberation made a report to the Assembly at its October session that it was best to divide said Society and recommend a line for the division thereof.
This report 1 was approved and accepted by the General As- sembly, and thereby the Society by a line running nearly north and south was divided into two societies, with a provision added, that the persons on the east side of said line who desire to be joined to the West Society do pay their taxes on the east side
1 GENERAL ASSEMBLY, October session 1731. - To the Honourable the General Assem- bly to be holden at New Haven in October next. Pursuant to an act of this Assembly at their sessions in May last, directing us, the subscribers, to repair to Stoningtown and hear the contending parties, (called the East and West parties, ) there at large on their contro- versies, and make report to the Assembly in October next, what we think most just and right to be done with and for the said parties, relating to said controversies, and to draw a suitable line to divide them if we judge it for the best good of said society to be divided into two societies; - accordingly met there on the 7th instant, and on the 8th and 9th heard the parties at large ; and having maturely considered their pleas and allegations, are of opinion that a division is of absolute necessity ; and do therefore humbly propose that the dividing line shall begin at the mouth of Stonny Brook, and run northerly as the brook runneth till it come to the country road, thence easterly as the road runneth to the northerly bounds of Mr. Rosseter's home lot, thence northeastly so as to leave the farms, of Samuel Frink and Isaac Wheeler on the east, and Joseph Page, Jonathan Wheeler and Daniel Stanton on the west, and then a north line to the south bounds of the north parish, provided nevertheless, that if any of the persons on either side said line choose to joyn with the [60] society 11 on the other side, and do at the session of the Assembly in Octo- ber next manifest their desire so to do, they may have liberty with their estates. And in- asmuch as those of the West party are likely (if such a division should be allowed of) to en- joy the labours of Mr. Rosseter, who was settled at the joynt charge of the whole South society, we are of opinion that tis but just and reasonable that the West society should re- fund towards the settlement of a minister in the East society, the sum of two hundred pounds. All which is humbly submitted by your Honours' most humble and obedient servants.
STONINGTOWN, Sept. 10th, 1731.
SAMUEL LYNDE EDMUND LEWIS ( Commtee. THOMAS WELLS
The aforegoing report accepted and approved by this Assembly, with the following amendment, (viz :) That the persons on the east side of the line who have manifested their desires to this Assembly to be joyned to the society on the west, do pay their taxes to the east society till the West society do refund unto the East society the sum of two hun- dred pounds, for the better enabling them to settle a minister, or give security to the ac- ceptance of the East society for the same. - Hoadley's Colonial Records, vol. 5, page 355.
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until the West Society shall refund to the East Society the sum of two hundred pounds currency to enable them to settle a min- ister.
The two societies from this time forward acted wholly inde- pendent of each other. The meeting-house at the Centre was the largest. It contained two tiers of galleries one above the other, with an immense sounding-board.
This house was not finished till 1740, and stood until 1786, when it was taken down and removed to Long Point ( Stoning- ton Borough ) and rebuilt near the present residence of Horace N. Trumbull.
The meeting-house at Agreement Hill was not finished for some ten years, and stood till 1829, when it was taken down, and some of its timbers were used in the erection of the new house.
After the division of the old Society Mr. Rosseter continued his labors with the West Society until his death, which took place October 11, 1762. It is worthy of note that Mr. Rosseter re- tained the confidence of the people in both societies during the whole controversy, and as long as he lived.
The North Stonington Society could not proceed to the trans- action of any business until the Governor and Council ordered a Society meeting to be held there, July 18, 1721. At the October session of the General Court a committee was appointed to deter- mine, on full hearing, the place where their meeting-house should stand, and it was also granted that the inhabitants in said Society shall have the same powers and privileges belonging to other societies in Connecticut ; and particularly, they were enabled by their May vote to levy a tax on the polls and ratable estate in said Society to defray the charges of the public ministry.
The Rev. Richard Treat was their first minister, after him Rev. William Worthington, Rev. Thomas Craghead, Rev. Jabez Wright, and Rev. Ebenezer Russel, who was ordained and settled when the Church was formed, February 22, 1727.
The new or East Society was legally organized under and by virtue of an act of the General Assembly, passed subsequent to the formation of the North Stonington Society, by which the members of the Society were warned to meet and organize by electing their Society officers by a warrant from a justice of the peace, and then of the principal inhabitants of the Society. In
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pursuance of such a warning the members of said Society met November 30, 1731, and elected their Society officers.
Dea. Joseph Palmer, Clerk. Justice Joseph Miner, Capt. Thomas Noyes,
Lieut. Samuel Chesebrough,
Mr. Isaac Wheeler, Capt. Ichabod Palmer,
Committee.
At the same meeting they appointed a committee to procure a minister with all convenient speed. At their second meeting, held February 11, 1732, " a tax of six pence in the pound was laid to pay the Society's indebtedness." At their third meeting, held May 13, 1732, a vote was passed unanimously, to send for ye worthy Mr. Nathaniel Eells, to continue to preach among them ; and then voted him forty shillings per week with board and horse keeping so long as he should continue with them. In case the church should call him to ye pastoral office, they voted to give him one hundred and twenty pounds in money, as it then passed, annually for his salary, and two hundred pounds currency on his settlement. The Church, or that portion of the members of the old church that resided in the new or East Society, extended a call to him to become their pastor, which he formally accepted, January 4, 1733.1
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STONINGTON Jan. 4th 1733.
Bretheren. - I have sought unto God for direction, consulted my own Brest and ve cas- uists and advised with my friends in ye waighty and important affare of your call and invitation to settle with you in ye ministry and to take ye Pastorial care and charge of you, I have considered your diffulcult circumstances and danger of controversy, or some unhappy consequences in case I should leave you : I have also considered how, that before you applyed to me you humbly and solomly by fasting and prayer, besought ye Lord commended yourselves to, and beged his conduct in ye concern of vast moment, I have further considered ye Providence of God in rendring my ministry acceptable unto you from my first coming among you, and your great unanimity in giving me a call to settle with you, and ye constancy as well as fervency of your affections to me, manifested by ye kind and respectfull treatment I have all along received from you, by all wch I find my affections very much carried out towards you, so that I know not how to denie your request (tho by some I have been urged to it) and am now come to this determination within myself which I here exhibit to you - namely, -that at, altho what you have unanimously and freely voted to a.w me yearly for my support, I conceive (and you cant but be sensible) will not defray ye charges of a family, yet I accept thereof, relying on your goodness and generosity to supply what shall be wanting from time to time.
Proposing God willing to settle with you in ye ministry in convenient season if what I have hear offered be greatfull to you .- This Brethren is what I have to say in answer to your call, and now would gladly exspress ye gratefull sence I retain of your kindness and regards shewn me and ye tender concearn I shall always maintain for your truest wellfare,
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At the time no new church of the standing order could be organized in this State without liberty or authority from the General Assembly, but no attempt was made in this case to ob- tain such authority to form a new church.
The following named persons, Sarah Miner, Priscilla Chese- brough, Sarah Mix, Mary Wheeler, Dorothy Noyes, Mary Chese- brough, Sarah Chesebrough, Abigail Palmer, Hannah Chese- brough, Joanna Stanton, Anna Stanton, Lois Cobb, Lucy Mac- dowell, Francis Miner, Mary Palmer, Elizabeth Noyes, Mary Noyes, Hannah Frink, Abigail Jamison, Mary Breed, Grace Palmer, Daniel Palmer, Joseph Miner, Samuel Chesebrough, Moses Palmer, William Bell, William Stanton, Stephen Rich- ardson, John Breed, Joseph Palmer, John Noyes, John Jamison, and Samuel Hinckley, members of the old church claiming to be the First Church (and that the church at Agreement Hill was the second), united with Mr. Eells and the new Society, in con- vening a council for his ordination. When the council assembled they were confronted with this question of priority, which was finally arranged in this way: the church members in the East Society were to be called the First or East Church, and those in the West Society were to be called the First or West Church.
Mr. Eells was ordained June 14, 1733.
Mr. Rosseter and Mr. Eells continued to preach in their re- spective meeting-houses, both pastors of the First Church and Society of Stonington ; Mr. Rosseter, pastor of the West part, and Mr. Eells, pastor of the East part, and so continued until the death of Mr. Rosseter, which took place in 1762, soon after which, some of the pastors of the neighboring churches advised a reunion, which was favorably received by both parties and acted upon.
The matter was brought before the meetings of the respective societies in 1763, and finally a plan or basis of union was pre-
and ye cheerfullness of mind, I'll do what is in my power to promote it, to which I add my fervant supplications to heaven yt ye God of Peace would be with you, yt ye bless- ings of Peace may attend you and yours to ye latest ages, yt you may be made glad, not only according to but exceeding ye dayes wherein you have seen evil, yt you may dwell in ye house of ye Lord all ye dayes of your lives to behold ye beauty of ye Lord, and to en- quier in his Temple, and to all I subjoyne my ardent desires yt ye stripes and contentions in ys place may eand in your striving together with me in your prayers to God for me yt I may come to you at all times in ye fullness of ye blessings of ye Gospel of Christ.
Society Records.
NATHLL EELLS, Jun.
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sented and mutually agreed upon, and subsequently ratified by both parishes,1 who then joined in a memorial to the General As- sembly, to have the same established by law.
1 TERMS OF THE UNION, - " 1st That ye two meeting houses now standing in said society shall be common property and joint interest of ye two parishes to be united - when they are united and as ye peues in each meeting house are a personal property we ye sd commitees agree to give up our right and title to said peues that they may become a comman stock with said houses and also to recommend it to ye other proprieters of ye peues to do ye same that they may become ye legal property of all in comman and im- proved as such with the said two meeting houses.
2nd We agree that after ye sd two societys are united as afourd and by their legal vote think it convenant & best to build another meeting-hous for publick worship in yé room & stead of ye sd two meeting-houses now standing in said societyes for ye better accomidation of sd society that ye sd meeting-house shall be built on that acor of land that Nathan Chesebrough Esq. has generously giuen by promis for to erect a meeting- hous on near ye dwellinghons of Mr. Nath" Hewitts sd Nathan Chesebrough Esq. hav- ing first given a deed of sd land for ye purpose afoursd.
3rd It is also agreed that the ministrey and school money of both parishes shall becom one joint stock, and ye joint interest of both societyes and that ye ministry land money in each society be made equal by each society if either be wanting, and that ye school money in ye said east society be improued in ye sd east society on ye east side of Stoney brook, and that ye school money in ye said west society be improued in said society on ye west side of Stoney brook, & this to be a standing rule for said societyes when made one but to be so understood as not to hinder any that desire to take benefit of ye whole.
4th That ye Revd Nath" Eells shall have ye Pastoral charge and care of sd societyes when united and ye church of Christ therein with ye same jurisdicktion and athority ouer ye whole as he is now uested with ouer ye said east society and that. his anowell sallery shall be raised and paid him att ye joint charge of ye sd united society.
5th It is agreed ye two societyes shall assemble at ye east meetinghous to worship six months each year, and in ye west meeting-hous the other six months and when a meet- inghous is arected on ye place agreed on then said societyes so united as afoursaid, shall meet and worship in said house as afoursd.
6th It is allso agreed in order to confirm each and euery artical of ye fourgoing terms of agreement ofred to ye consideration of sd societyes that they may bee made sertain and unchangeable that ye sd two societyes by their agents address ye Honourable and General Assembly in May next by a proper memoral to rattify and confirm their afoursd proposals of agreement that we may by their athority astablishing our own acts herein be again one united ecclesiastical society which is ye sincear and harty wishes and desire of &
Dated Stonington Jan. ye 17th A. D. 1765 all ye aboue and fourgoing articals was agreed on and voted by ye afoursd Comtee in ye affermative.
JOHN HALLAM,
SIMON RHODES,
ELIHU CHESEBROUGH, . PHINEAS STANTON,
NEHEMIAH WILLIAMS, JOHN DENISON, ye 3rd
AMOS CHESEBROUGH, JOSEPH PAGE,
NATHAN PALMER, JOSEPH MINER,
JOSEPH DENISON, DANIEL DENISON,
JOHN WILLIAMS,
NATHLL GALLOP.
Voted that said report with ye additions to & alterations of ye 3rd Paragraph in said Re- port following, be inserted in said report, viz. That all ye school moneys belonging to sd east society at this time, shall when sd societyes are united and become one intire eccle- siastical society, be improued within ye limmits theirof or ye side of Stoney brook, and
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The Assembly 1 granted their request, and established the same with such provisions of law as were necessary to enable the old societies to legally merge and hold their property, and then directed the mode of organizing the new society.
Thus after a separation of thirty-four years, they were again reunited under the pastoral care of the Rev. Mr. Eells, who had been called to office by both societies as a prerequisite to their union. His salary was to be the interest of the ministry land money, which at the time amounted to £636 3s. 6d. currency, and one penny on the pound of the polls, and ratable estate of said Society, exclusive of those exempt by law, with firewood cut and delivered to him.
Mr. Eells preached alternately for six months in the East house, and six months in the West house for a number of years. A majority of the people were looking forward to the erection of a new meeting-house at the place designated by the terms of the union. It should be borne in mind, that the union of the societies
that ye school moneys now belonging to said west society be improued within ye limmits theirof on ye west side of Stoney brook, and that be a sure and unalterable rule.
Dated March 25th, 1765. - Society Records.
1 At a General assembly of the Governor and company of the Colony of Connecticut holden at Hartford May Second Thursday A. D. 1765, Upon the memorial of the East and West Society's in Stonington, shewing to this Assembly, that on the Death of the Revd. Mr. Ebenezer Rosseter Pastor of the Church in said West Society being advised by the Revd. Benjamin Lord, Asher Rosseter, and Jonathan Barber Associations Committee, again to unite into one Ecclesiastical Society, and the said East and West Society's hav- ing accordingly agreed thereupon, and made Application to this Assembly for that pur- pose as pr. Memorial on file &c.
Resolved by this Assembly that the said East and West Society's in said Stonington, be again united and become one entire Ecclesiastical Society, to be for the future called and known by the name of the first Society, in said Stonington, and they are hereby united, created, and made one entire Ecclesiastical Society with all the Priviledges and Immuni- ties by Law allowed to other Ecclesiastical Society's in this Colony, vested with and en- joying the same Priviledges and Advantages which the said East and West Society's have heretofore severally had and enjoyed, - and that they the said East and West So- ciety's be, and they are hereby enabled and empowered as separate and distinct Society's to act and transact any Society or Parish Affairs to compleat the Settlements referred to in said Memorial until the first Day of December next, and Joseph Denison Esqr. of said Stonington shall be, and he is hereby fully Impowered, authorised by himself or other Person by him for that purpose appointed and directed after said first Day of December next, and during said Month of December to give legal Warning to all the Inhabitants of said first Society that are qualified by Law to vote in Society Affairs to meet at such time and place as he the said Joseph shall for that purpose in said first Society appoint, and being so met, that he preside as Moderator of such Meeting, in the forming of said Society, and choice of all Officers, and other Prudentials of said Society as Occasion may require.
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