USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > The First Church of Fairfield : being a brief account of three hundred and twenty three years in the First Church, Congregational, of Fairfield, Connecticut > Part 4
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In the early years names were used rather freely and inter- changeably. We find these names in the record: "The Prime Ancient
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Society"; "The First Society"; "The First Presbyterian Society" and "The First Ecclesiastical Society." They all had reference to the same organization.
It is recorded on Dec. 31st, 1822: "The Society's Committee shall do as they think proper whether to permit the Court to sit in the Meeting-House or not to try a capital crime." No reason is given for the request.
The Hobart family made a gift of ninety-eight books to the minister's library during the pastorate of Mr. Hobart. Similarly Judge and Mrs. Sherman contributed four hundred and twenty-six books to the First Ecclesiastical Society of Fairfield.
Moses Betts as church clerk recorded the names of the subscribers to the Building Fund of 1848. A sum of over $8000 was raised for that purpose, with additional funds being received and spent later on.
In the record books there are recorded the calls sent to the various ministers inviting them to settle in Fairfield as the pastor of the church. Also there are some of the responses sent back to the church, not a few of them being written in rather flowery language.
The town of Fairfield has passed through many changes through the years. After the town was burned by the British some of the industrial life of the community was lost to Bridgeport. The Fairfield Court ended its sessions in 1853. No longer was Fairfield the county seat. The coming of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Rail- road brought some stimulus to the community and was a great con- venience for travellers. But it was slow to change the character of the town. Fairfield remained a residential area rather than a business center.
The Fairfield Beach has had a strong attraction for summer visitors, and therefore a group of citizens erected a pavilion for bathing and social purposes. The State Audubon Society was organized in Fairfield. Monuments were set up in strategic spots of the town, com- memorating past events like the ending of the Pequot War in 1637.
The Village Improvement Society took great interest in all such developments. The Historical Society established a library and a museum. Historic sites were named and marked in the community. Increasingly the citizens took pride in the history of the town and helped to usher in a new period of rapid growth and change.
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Chapter Four
THE CLOSING YEARS OF DR. CHILD'S PASTORATE.
It was on the twelfth day of December, 1888, that Dr. Child was installed as the fifteenth minister of the First Church in Fairfield. It was on May 2nd, 1891 that the corner stone of the present church edifice was laid. It was on Monday, May 2nd, 1892 that the new church building was dedicated with a special service of worship. Hence it seemed fitting after a quarter of a century as pastor of the church that Dr. Child should give an anniversary sermon on Novem- ber 15th, 1913. He took as his text, Second Thessalonians 2: 15,- 'So then brethren stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught."
Dr. Child spoke of the committee which had visited him in Octo- ber 1888, namely, Albert Turney, Oliver B. Jennings and Samuel Morehouse. He described the Fairfield parish as he had found it after settling here and beginning his ministry. There was an active membership numbering one hundred and seventy, worshipping in a wooden edifice, built in the year 1849. It was a handsome Gothic structure, adequately furnished, with the organ and singers placed at the end of the gallery, opposite the pulpit, connecting the long galleries on each side of the church. The church parlors were con- nected with the Meeting-House, together with the attractive chapel erected during the pastorate of Dr. McLean.
Dr. Child went on to speak of the 250th anniversary of the church as being the first important event of his pastorate. On Thanksgiving day, 1889, there were commemorative services in which the daughter churches shared, namely, Bridgeport, Greens Farms, Greenfield Hill, Southport and Black Rock.
Then came the fire, on the night preceding Decoration Day 1890. Presumably it was set by an arsonist and was not discovered until after 11 P.M., starting near the chapel. It was not possible to extin- guish the fire because of the lack of water. Hence a large number of people stood around, helplessly watching the blaze and unable to do anything about it. At last the framework of the tower gave way and the old bell came crashing down into the seething flames.
The congregation gathered for worship in the town hall on the following Sunday morning. In his sermon that day Dr. Child de- scribed the various meeting-houses which had stood near the village
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green. He held in his hand the yellow manuscript of the sermon preached by Andrew Eliot after the burning of the third meeting- house by the British army in 1779. This manuscript was taken from the corner-stone of the recent church building and it had escaped the fire. Dr. Child recalled how Mr. Eliot had assembled a few homeless men and women of the church on the ashes near the old parade-ground and had spoken words of hope and faith.
Then Dr. Child went on to tell of the measures adopted for the construction of a new church building. There were nearly three hundred contributors to the Building Fund. The drive concluded with the gift of $10,000 from one of the church officers. Dr. Child described the present church edifice as being a Norman sanctuary, built with East Haven sandstone, later to be covered with ivy. At the time of dedication the church was free of debt.
The speaker went on to pay tribute to the women of the church who raised $7000 in 1903 to carry out substantial repairs and im- provements in the Sherman Parsonage. He also voiced his apprecia- tion for the various gifts made to the church during his pastorate, calling particular attention to the memorial windows. He stressed the gift of the Gould Home, made by Miss Catherine M. Gould, Miss Julia B. Gould and Mrs. Elizabeth B. Gould.
In the conclusion of his historical summary, Dr. Child spoke of the present church membership as numbering two hundred and eighteen. Two hundred and forty-five had been added to the church rolls during his pastorate and a hundred and ninety-seven had been removed from the rolls through death or other causes. He had per- formed two hundred and forty baptisms.
On Sunday morning, September 27th, 1914, the church observed its two hundred and seventy-fifth anniversary. On that occasion Dr. Child turned the calendar back and pictured the harsh realities of pioncer life during the early colonial days. The speaker noted that the church seating was usually in accord with the social standing of the church members. The services were long and therefore the children often became restless and noisy. Notices of town meetings were duly nailed upon the meeting-house wall. Bounties were paid for the killing of dangerous animals such as bears and wolves. Some- times the skins of the dead animals were nailed to the outside walls of the meeting-house.
Church records touching on the carly meeting-houses clearly in-
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dicated their lack of comforts. For example, the building used in 1674 had not yet been shingled or clapboarded. In the early days it is probable that the feet of the church members rested on the hard earth rather than on wooden flooring. It is possible that in some cases oiled paper was used as a substitute for glass windows.
Dr. Child spoke of the early custom to begin the Sabbath day on Saturday evening. All normal work was concluded at sundown. Public worship was set for 9 A.M. on Sunday morning. For the members it meant putting on their best clothes and for those who walked to church it meant avoiding the mud puddles. The lengthy first service was followed by a rest period at noon, the second service beginning at one o'clock in the afternoon. For those unable to go home for lunch, food was brought with them and eaten outdoors in good weather, or at the home of a neighbor. Later on, Sabbath-day houses were erected close by the meeting-house.
Wednesday was called lecture day in Fairfield in the early times. After the sermon, a town meeting was frequently held, at which time local affairs were discussed by the citizens and the necessary decisions were reached. The stocks and whipping post stood on the Green facing the meeting-house and often boys stood around ridiculing those undergoing punishment.
The Parade-ground was cleared of trees to lessen the fire hazard and also to prevent Indians from approaching the Green without being seen. In fact, a town vote on October 18th, 1675 made the decision to fortify the meeting-house and thus the people would be ready to defend themselves in case of attack. In 1689 the town ordered a stockade to be built around the meeting-house, the school house and the parsonage.
Dr. Child took note of the passing obsession concerning witch- craft which had afflicted early New England for a brief period of years. In those days there was a well-nigh universal belief in the baleful activity of the Devil and his agents. The work of wind and flood, disease epidemics and the loss of cattle, and the periodic calamities that occurred were often attributed to witchcraft by su- perstitious people. Happily this obsession passed away and was re- placed by a more intelligent understanding of the forces of nature.
It was during Dr. Child's final decade as pastor of the church that the First World War was declared and finally fought to a victorious conclusion by this nation and its allies. The impact of the war upon
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the citizens of Fairfield was widely felt. In February 1917 thirty-six military census agents were appointed to make a list of all the men in Fairfield who were available for military service.
Shortly thereafter recruiting was started for Fairfield's Home Guard. Unmarried men between the ages of eighteen and thirty who were not already in the National Guard of Connecticut could be enrolled in the Home Guard for the time being. But all the men in Fairfield between the ages of sixteen and sixty were eligible for the Home Guard. The enlistment period in the Home Guard was for two years.
At the first registration on June 6th, 1917, 1035 men were regis- tered in Fairfield. On July 9th, the names of those eligible for con- scription were posted in the Town Hall, together with the key numbers for the draft. Notice of the draft was sent out by mail and also published in the press.
Dr. William H. Donaldson, a member of the First Church, served as Chairman of the Thirteenth Exemption Board, having jurisdiction over Fairfield and eight other towns in this area, namely, the Twenty-fifth Senatorial District. Quite a few Fairfield names were among the first numbers drawn. The quota for the first call was three hundred and eighty-two names. The Exemption Board held the examination in each town on different days. Of the nine hundred and one men ordered to appear from the district, one hundred and eighty men came from Fairfield.
Governor Holcomb of Connecticut issued a Proclamation on April 26th, appointing the Connecticut State Council of Defense. Under its provisions a committee was set up in each town to supervise the war activities within the town area. Judge Bacon Wakeman, a mem- ber of the First Church, was chosen as the Chairman of the Fairfield War Bureau.
On Easter Sunday, 1917, Colonel and Mrs. William Paulding presented to the First Church as an Easter gift two beautiful flags which were unfurled in the sanctuary on that occasion.
In the same year the Roll of Honor for the enlisted men of the First Church, in the Army and Navy of the United States, included the following names: Arthur H. Buttery, Theodore B. Burr, Ludweg Bossert, Roger Sherman Child, H. Pemberton Sturges, John M. Donaldson, John B. Forsyth, William E. West, Peter Petersen,
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Martin Mortensen, C. W. Knowlton, Roger C. Smith and Frank S. Child Jr.
During that year a movement was started to raise a thousand dollars and secure a visiting nurse for the Fairfield community. A private organization launched this public health project and a nurse was secured. The members of the First Church were glad to share in the expense of this enterprise.
On one occasion at a Sunday morning service in the. First Church, cards were distributed to the members asking them to make a report on the number of weekly meals in their homes without either bread or meat. This was in connection with the Food Saving Plan of the American Government.
A Roll of Honor was presented to the First Church in 1917 by Mr. Frederick Sturges and a Service Flag with twenty-one stars was given by the Christian Endeavor Society of the church. The Roll of Honor and the Service Flag were dedicated with appropriate cere- monies.
Needless to say the Fairfield Chapter of the Red Cross was ex- ceedingly active during the war emergency, preparing garments, dressings and supplies of many kinds. A Canning Kitchen for the town was set up at the Sherman School and the residents were urged to bring their food stuffs to that center for canning. It was in operation four days a week from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., under the spon- sorship of the Home Economics Committee.
There were also Victory Gardens in the various school districts. Seeds and plants were distributed to school children for use in their gardens. Each student received special information from the Fairfield County Farm Bureau. Weekly reports were given by the children concerning the progress of the gardens.
Patriotic benefit concerts were held at various times, raising money for special objects such as the Red Cross. The purchase of Liberty Bonds was encouraged among the citizens, rallies being held for that purpose.
First Selectman Rowe declared June 28th, 1918 to be War Savings enlistment day. There was also a Fairfield Liberty Chorus which sang at patriotic gatherings. There were gasless Sundays and heatless Mondays to conserve fuel. Such activities were usually under the supervision of the War Bureau of which Bacon Wakeman was chair- man. With the active leadership of Dr. Child, the church members
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had an important part in many patriotic activities.
In 1917 Frederick Sturges made a gift of money to the church which was to be known as the "Deborah L. Bennett Memorial Fund." The income was to be used for the care of the church building and grounds. A year later Mr. Sturges gave a trust fund to the church and this also was to be used for the maintenance of the church building and grounds.
In October 1918 it was voted to set up a suitable Honor Roll con- taining the names of all the Fairfield men who had been in the active service of the nation, both in the army and navy. This was the gift of Frederick Sturges Jr. Similarly on June 2nd, 1920 it was voted to procure designs for a bronze tablet in memory of all who gave their lives in the First World War.
There was great rejoicing in Fairfield on November 11th, 1918 when the armistice was signed and the war was ended. There were bonfires and the ringing of church bells. There was a gala home- coming on Nov. 8th, 1919 for the four hundred and fifty Fairfield service men who returned from the war. The town was all dressed up for the occasion which included a parade. At the town hall a flag bearing twelve gold stars was presented to the town. The cele- bration concluded with a turkey dinner in Sherman Hall for the veterans.
On May 2nd, 1919 an oak tree was planted on the Town Green by the Eunice Dennis Burr Chapter of the D.A.R., in honor of the Fairfield men who had been in the service of their country during the war.
In 1918 a severe influenza epidemic swept across the nation and indeed around the world. A great many people were ill with influenza and there was a high death rate from the disease. It involved the closing of all the churches in Fairfield for a brief period of time. According to the Church Bulletin, the closing of the First Church Sunday Services had never happened before, insofar as it could be ascertained from the church records. During the Flu Epidemic the local Red Cross Chapter organized an Emergency Hospital in Fairfield at the request of the Selectmen.
In June of 1917 the present writer, while a first year student at Hartford Theological Seminary, was invited by Dr. Child to serve as a student helper during the summer months, working especially with the youth groups and the Sunday School. The next student
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helper was H. Shelton Smith, a student at Yale Divinity School who had graduated from Elon College in North Carolina. On May 28th, 1919, Mr. Harry G. Mershon was invited to become the pastor's assistant. From that day forward the pastors of the First Church have had student helpers in connection with the parish program.
During the final decade of Dr. Child's pastorate, the First Church members continued to have fellowship with neighboring church groups at periodic gatherings or meetings of the Fairfield County Association of Congregational Churches.
During his later years at Fairfield a great family sorrow came to Dr. and Mrs. Child. Their daughter, Grace Child, while a Junior at Smith College was married to Alder Ellis of Chicago. The wedding had taken place in April 1909 at the First Church, Dr. Child per- forming the marriage service. The young couple went to live in Oregon and, later on, in California where their three children were born.
In June 1917 Grace gave birth to a premature child and died soon afterward as a result of blood poisoning. This news was a great shock to Mrs. Child who had a heart condition. She failed to regain her health and quietly passed away in the Sherman Parsonage in March, 1918.
Dr. Child continued to live on in the parsonage with his three daughters, Elizabeth, Ruth and Amy. It was noted, however, that he was slowly failing in health. On a Sunday morning in August 1919, he became confused while preaching in the pulpit and kept repeating . himself during the sermon. Judge Bacon Wakeman stepped quietly to his side and they sat down together. The morning service was speedily concluded and it was later confirmed that Dr. Child had suffered a heart attack.
At a Joint Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Church, together with the Society's Committee, held at the home of the Church Treasurer, on August 24th, 1919, it was unanimously agreed to grant the pastor a leave of absence until the following November because of his illness.
Mr. Mershon had continued with his duties as the Pastor's assist- ant until July. Rev. II. Shelton Smith had served as a chaplain in France during his eighteen months absence from Fairfield. He now
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returned to Fairfield in September to resume his work as Pastor's assistant.
Dr. Child's resignation as minister of the church was read by Mr. Smith at the church service on Sunday, November 23rd, 1919. The resignation was accepted by the church on December 17th and by the Ecclesiastical Society on December 18th. The resignation was to take effect on June 24th, 1920, with Dr. Child having the honor of becoming Pastor Emeritus on that date.
The Child family moved from the parsonage and occupied a house on Mill Hill. Dr. Child seemed to make a substantial recovery from his illness. However he felt the need of a warmer climate and there- fore in the winter of 1921-22 he went to San Diego, California where he greatly enjoyed sitting in the sun at the beaches and parks.
He wrote a number of letters to his family in these months, re- vealing his loneliness at being so far away from them. To quote from a letter written on his birthday, March 20th, 1922: "I feel I must get home for I have some writing to finish before the first or second week of May."
Dr. Child returned home the middle of April and it was apparent that he was quite frail. He suddenly developed a carbuncle on his lip which necessitated an immediate operation at the Bridgeport hospital. The condition was beyond control and Dr. Child passed away on May 4th, 1922.
A fitting tribute to Dr. Child was distributed to the congregation on Sunday, May 7th. To an unusual degree he had identified him- self with many worthy causes in the town of Fairfield. He had helped to establish the town library and was active in the Red Cross Chapter. The Fresh Air Home was an indication of his interest in children. Faith Chapel and Hope Chapel were an evidence of his evangelistic spirit.
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For many years Dr. Child had served as secretary of the Francis Asbury Palmer Fund of New York City. This Fund was established in 1897 by Mr. F. A. Palmer for the purpose of aiding Christian work in general, making grants to various Christian Colleges and helping theological students in their preparation for the Christian ministry.
Throughout his pastorate in Fairfield Dr. Child wielded a tireless pen. He wrote with facility, using an excellent vocabulary. He had been gifted with literary ability and put it to good use. In addition
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to his weekly sermons and numerous addresses on historical themes, he wrote twelve books. Many of these leaflets and books are available at the Historical Society Library in Fairfield.
His book titles and their year of publication are as follows: The Prime Ancient Society 1890; An Old New England Town 1895; The Colonial Parson of New England 1896; A Colonial Witch 1897; A Puritan Wooing 1898; The House with Sixty Closets 1898; An Unknown Patriot 1899; Friend or Foe (about War of 1812) 1900; The Little Dreamer's Adventure 1900; Fairfield Ancient and Modern 1909; An Old New England Church 1910; A Country Parish 1911.
One of his late addresses before his retirement was entitled the "Flight of Years" and it was printed by the church. For that address Dr. Child took as his text Deuteronomy 32;7- "Remember the days of old." The address was a brief summary of the major events during his years in Fairfield and a fitting climax to the third longest pastorate in the history of the church.
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Chapter Five THE OUTREACH OF THE CHURCH.
A few years after the close of the War between the States a Sunday School program was organized in what came to be called Hope Chapel. In 1873 Horace Hill gave land on Stillson Road that was to be used for religious purposes. Hope Chapel was built thereon. Various neighbors in the farming area contributed the funds to erect a modest building. The Sunday School grew rapidly and it was then decided to hold a preaching service each Sunday evening. A student from Yale Divinity School was secured to supply the pulpit. As time passed quite a few new members united with the First Church by way of Hope Chapel.
In the early years Mr. and Mrs. Morris W. Lyon were among the active leaders in the Christian program at Hope Chapel. As new families moved into the area there was growing interest in the Sun- day School and the services which were held in the Chapel. In 1903 there were fifty children in the Hope Chapel Sunday School.
Rev. John M. Deyo recalls that his father, J. Eltinge Deyo, became an active leader in the Sunday School at Hope Chapel. For many years previous to his death in 1915, Mr. Deyo carried on a very strenuous program. He attended the morning service at the First Church where he served both as a Sunday School teacher and as the Superintendent. He then went to the Hope Chapel for the Sunday School session at 3 P.M., later returning for the evening service in the First Church. For a number of years his daughter Sarah went with him to Hope Chapel where she taught a class and played the organ.
John Deyo also recalls the names of several students who served at Hope Chapel, coming from Yale Divinity School. There was Robert E. Brown who later became a teacher of theology at Oberlin College. There was Robert's brother, Albert Brown, and Angelo Eusebius. John Deyo himself served as a leader at Hope Chapel in 1908, assisted by his wife. They would drive there for the Sunday School session in the afternoon and later return there for the evening service. John Deyo was paid seven dollars a week for his services, including some parish calls during the week.
There were a number of amusing incidents during John Deyo's period of service. One evening when they arrived at the Chapel
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they found the doors and the windows wide open. Some one had thrown pepper on the stove. On another occasion when they started for home they discovered that some one had filled their buggy with large stones.
On another occasion while they were driving along the road, a ghostly figure in white garments came running out of the woods and then just as quickly disappeared in another direction. One eve- ning a skunk ran alongside the buggy, attracted by the lantern which was slung from the axle.
Perhaps the most surprising incident of all was when two men loomed up suddenly on the road, one on each side of the buggy, and then withdrew quickly. Apparently they were on the lookout for somebody else.
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