USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Washington > The church on the green; the first two centuries of the First Congregational church at Washington, Connecticut, 1741-1941 > Part 7
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a too free use of intoxicating liquor, he gives no evidence of repentance. Whereupon it was voted that Brother A be cited to appear before this church on Friday the 3rd of November next at 3 P. M. to show reasons if any he have why his relation to this church should longer be continued."
Nov. 3rd, 1843. "The church met according to adjourn- ment. The citation of Brother A was read. Brother A did not appear. Whereupon the said Brother A was by vote of the church excommunicated."
Another case affecting religious beliefs and practices is recorded for the year 1843. Under the date, November 3rd, there is this resolution: "Voted that Deacon Sherman P. Hollister, Daniel Calhoun and Herman Baldwin be a com- mittee to visit Brother B in reference to errors of faith and practice."
Jan. 6th, 1844. "The committee appointed to visit Brother B reported that they had called upon him and that he refused to receive them as a committee of the church. Whereupon voted that Brother B be cited to appear before this church to answer for his errors in faith and practice on Friday March 1st, after the preparatory lecture."
March 4th, 1844. "The church met. The charges with their specifications were sustained. Whereupon voted that in view of his errors in faith and practice Brother B is no longer a member of this church. Voted that his excommuni- cation be made public."
In the fall of 1845 there was an interesting case of disci- pline affecting a member who desired to leave the church but expressed no desire to unite with another church. At a church meeting on Oct. 31st, the following action was taken. "The request of Brother C for a dissolution of his connec- tion with this church without signifying a desire to unite
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with any other church was read and after much deliberation a committee consisting of Deacon David Punderson and Brother Russell Frisbie was appointed to inquire into the delinquency of Brother C as to worship, communion and pecuniary aid in the support of religion and to labor with him in the spirit of the gospel."
January 2nd, 1846. "The committee appointed at a former meeting to labor with Brother C reported the fol- lowing preamble and resolution which were adopted: Whereas Brother C has requested that his relation to this church may be dissolved without signifying a desire to unite with any other church, the granting of which request would in effect be excommunication from the Church of Christ, for which we have no authority in scripture on the ground of mere request : And whereas the said request is founded on a dissatisfaction with the church and minister for which we see no just cause: Therefore voted that the request of Brother C be not granted; and that he be affectionately admonished of the importance of a full discharge of duty in relation to the worship, communion and pecuniary burdens of the church, and to remember the exhortation of the apostle, Heb. 10:23-25-'Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of our- selves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approach- ing.' "
In the fall of that same year, there was another case of discipline necessitated by the growth of discord among the people. Under the date of Oct. 30th, the following resolution was recorded : At a regular meeting the church took up the
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case of Brother D, and came to the following result :- "Whereas Brother D notwithstanding his solemn covenant on admission to it to walk with this church and seek its edi- fication and peace till regularly dismissed therefrom, has for a long time withdrawn in a great measure from its wor- ship and communion and of late distinguished himself among those who by their public acts have denounced and reviled this church and the churches in its connection as having no claim to be called churches of Christ, and by a new organization have sought to promote and perpetuate discord and division ; And whereas covenant breaking, re- viling and schism are sins of a deep dye to be visited with the highest censures of the church,-therefore voted that Brother D is no longer a member of this church and that this act of exclusion be publicly read on the next Sabbath." There is a further note to the effect that Brother D ap- pealed from this decision but that the Consociation refused to sustain the appeal.
Perhaps the importance of church discipline for the church members of a century or more ago may be best sum- marized by a resolution which was passed at a church meet- ing on Nov. 18th, 1850. It was as follows: "Whereas every member on admission to the church solemnly covenants to submit to its discipline till regularly dismissed therefrom, to walk with it in love and to attend on its ordinances and wor- ship- And whereas a remedy for every grievance is pro- vided in a regular course of discipline which every member is at liberty to institute in case of private trespass or public offence- And whereas the Consociation has especially pro- vided for cases of scandal or heresy, Constitution, Articles 4 and 5, the former relating to the body of a church, the latter to a pastor.
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"Therefore, voted that no member can be justified in vio- lating his covenant obligation by withdrawing from the wor- ship and communion of the church, until, by a regular course of discipline, he has failed to remedy the evil of which he complains, and has full evidence that the church as a body is essentially corrupt."
The problem of amusements was one that was never en- tirely solved but rather would arise from time to time to dis- turb the peace of mind of many church members. There was usually a difference of opinion between the younger and older members. At a meeting on March 17th, 1851, there was considerable discussion concerning amusements and especially dancing which was evidently becoming popular. As a result of the discussion the following resolution was passed : "Whereas the members of this church have cove- nanted to walk with and watch over each other in Christian love, to promote its purity and peace and to discharge all those duties by which God may be glorified and the religion of the Bible extended and established among men- And whereas some of its members engage in the amusements of dancing, card playing and tableaux to the grief of many of their brethren-
"Therefore voted that we disapprove of the fashionable amusements of promiscuous dancing, card playing and tableaux as unfavorable to the prevalence of sound moral- ity and piety and as inconsistent with a good profession of the Christian religion."
Apparently the Ecclesiastical Society was sympathetic with this viewpoint because we find the following resolution in the society records, passed eight years before: "Voted that the committee be directed to exclude all plays and the- atrical exhibitions from this house."
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I don't know whether the church members of that day considered female lecturers to fall within the category of amusements or not. At any rate, they were taboo. At a church meeting on August 8th, 1839, the following resolu- tion met with general approval: "That we are opposed to the introduction of female public lecturers into this society by members of this church and to females giving such lec- tures in it." It is probable that some of these female lec- turers were discussing the slavery issue.
Many are the family traditions passed down concerning the rigidity and severity of Sabbath observance. Mrs. Ad- die Hollister, for example, tells of a man who would hasten his work on Saturday afternoon and hurry home in order that he might shave before sundown. On Sunday it was out of place to play or to laugh. People went about their duties with solemn faces. Mrs. Hollister tells of a woman near the Woodbury line who thought that her neighbor could not be a good Christian because he played so much with his children.
An amusing story is told of John Logan who came to Judea in the early days and was the owner of Sunrise Inn. The church had been recently built under the leadership of Mr. Brinsmade. The members of the church were very proud of it and the deacons of the church were zealous in the ful- fillment of their responsibilities. The four-wheeled wagon had recently come into use but was frowned upon by the orthodox members of Connecticut churches who regarded it as luxurious and therefore undesirable. A law was passed forbidding its use upon the Sabbath. When John Logan learned of this he went to a neighboring town and bought the best four-wheeled wagon he could obtain.
On the next Sunday morning he bundled his family into
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the wagon and drove to the church with great gusto. Need- less to say it created quite a sensation. After the service the deacons reminded him that it was against the law and that he should refrain from using his wagon on Sunday or driv- ing to church. When the following Sunday came the act was repeated, much to the agitation of the deacons. They held a hurried meeting in the corner of the church after the serv- ice and hastened to inform him that if he continued to break the law he would be liable to ex-communication.
John Logan replied that such a step was acceptable to him and that they could proceed to do it. However he re- minded them that he had supplied the lumber for a section of the church. He asked them to let him know when it would be convenient for him to come and remove from the church the lumber which he had contributed. This immediately put a different complexion on the situation. The shoe was on the other foot, so to speak. Again the deacons conferred to- gether and then solemnly informed John Logan that they would make a private arrangement or treaty with him, thus allowing him to continue to use his wagon on Sundays but that this was a private arrangement and not a general course to be followed by the other members of the church. He could keep his wagon and they would keep the church.
Because of the lack of heat in the church building, Sabba' Day houses had been built in which people could eat their lunches in comparative comfort, to which reference has al- ready been made. Then there came the day when a stove was actually put in the church building. Naturally it cre- ated a great sensation and there was much argument about it. The old timers protested at this concession to softness. The story is that when Sunday came, the stove advocates enjoyed it so much that they took off their overcoats. The
WILLIAM H. M. MURRAY MINISTER 1863-1864
WILLIS S. COLTON MINISTER 1866-1876
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opponents of this radical innovation felt so uncomfortable that they complained of the heat. One or two fainted and had to be carried out. In the meantime, so the story goes, there was no fire within the stove.
There were two members of the church, Brother E and Brother F who were not on good terms but who occupied adjoining pews. It was the custom of Brother E to stand up while the choir was singing, the better to see what was going on, and lean against the pew of Brother F. In his book, "Tioba," Mr. Arthur Colton has written an account of this amusing incident. The rest of the congregation were appar- ently willing to humor Brother E and allow him to stand up all by himself. But not so Brother F, inasmuch as Brother E leaned against his pew and crowded his shoulder. This went on until mortal flesh could stand it no more. On the next Sunday when the act was repeated, Brother F ran a pin into Brother E. Giving a great shout, Brother E wheeled around, grabbed Brother F by the collar, pulled him into the aisle and shook him shouting, "You stuck me. You stuck me."
On the next Sunday, according to the story, there was a fence in position separating the two pews. A woman of strong convictions and still stronger muscles took hold of the fence and pulled it down. Following the church incident, the two men engaged in physical combat and even had a law- suit. But in the end, we are informed, peace was re-estab- lished.
There were various amusing incidents in connection with the strict observance of the Sabbath. For example it was understood that church members would avoid travel on Sun- day. It happened one Sunday that the ministers of the Woodbury and Washington churches exchanged pulpits.
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As a result both the dignified gentlemen were arrested for traveling on the Sabbath. No doubt the arrests may have been carried out in the spirit of mischief. Similarly it was expected that members of the church would avoid unneces- sary manual labor on the Sabbath. On a certain occasion one of the church members was brought before the church on the complaint that he had worked on Sunday. When the complaint was stated, one of the deacons remarked, "I do not think that Brother G ever worked hard enough to break the Sabbath."
The ringing of the church bell was a frequent cause of contention. Conservative and law-abiding members of the church strenuously objected to the ringing of the church bell except on stated occasions, such as the call to divine worship. This rule was a continuous challenge to the youth of the community who felt it their duty to get around it and help celebrate joyous occasions by an unlawful ringing of the bell.
It was the custom to begin the celebration of the Fourth of July as early as one o'clock in the morning and if possible to ring the church bell at that time. On one such occasion, to prevent this happening, Charles G. Fenn went to the belfry to see that the bell was not rung after midnight. Therefore the Gunnery boys locked him in the belfry. When morning came his wife arrived at the church, searching for him, but as she was quite deaf she did not hear him call to her from the belfry. A little later she returned to the church with the keys and released him from his imprisonment.
On the next Fourth of July the boys again came to ring the bell but found the belfry door locked. While they were considering what to do about it, the same Mr. Fenn who had been locked up the previous year appeared before them. He
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had been hidden in one of the pews enjoying the fun. This time the boys agreed the joke was on them, had a good laugh, and returned to their school quarters.
On still another Fourth of July, so the story goes, the bell was unlawfully rung by some one who was caught in the act. As he tried to escape he was seized by one of the church offi- cials who endeavored to keep hold of him. The suspect got away in the darkness but left behind him a stovepipe hat. It happened that there were two residents of the Green who wore stovepipe hats and therefore every one was waiting until the following Sunday to see whose hat was missing. When Sunday came, in marched one of the suspects wearing his stovepipe hat. Immediately people began to accuse the other individual of ringing the church bell. Thus went the village gossip during the week until the following Sunday when, to every one's surprise, in came the other suspect proudly wearing the stovepipe hat. Then reigned confusion worse confounded. Week by week the hat changed hands and week by week the Society's Committee was left in the dark. For many years the other hat remained in the possession of the committee, so we are told, a silent tribute to their inabil- ity to discover the culprit.
At another time a mischievous member of the parish climbed up the lightning rod of the church building and tied a string to the rope of the church bell. He then went across to a tree near the house, later known as the "old Red House." Safely hidden in its branches he began to ring the church bell. It was some time before the agitated members of the church were able to discover how it was being done.
Another exciting moment was when the good folks came to church on a Sunday morning and found a farm wagon hanging on the church steeple. This was a prank by certain
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boys in the town. The Sunday morning worshipers were properly scandalized.
Many are the amusing stories of New England thrift that have come down from the early days of the church. One such story has to do with the wedding of one of the church mem- bers who resided in the area now known as the Judd's Bridge area near Roxbury. After the marriage ceremony was over, the bridegroom sidled up to the pastor and asked, "How much do I owe you?" To which query, the embarrassed min- ister replied that it was a matter for the bridegroom to decide. Therefore the farmer took out of his pocket a con- siderable number of three cent and five cent pieces and cup- ping his hands together remarked to the minister, "Say when." Thereupon slowly, one by one, the thrifty farmer released into the minister's waiting hands the coins that he had taken out of his pocket. But it was a very slow process and it took each three cent or five cent piece a long time to drop. As the minister remarked later to a friend, "I said when pretty quick."
CHAPTER NINE
The Church and the Indians
N THE MUSEUM at the Gunn Memorial Library there are a good many Indian relics and curios. This collection is an indication of the interest in Indian life and culture on the part of the people of Washington. They came by it natu- rally. One of the first settlers in Woodbury was John Minor who became an interpreter to the Indians. He was also a captain in the militia and a deacon of the First Church of Woodbury. He was one of the group to fix the boundaries of the North Purchase and to sign the finished document in 1724. Early in life John Minor had acquired a knowledge of Indian dialects and was able to converse in them with ease and fluency. As a result, it was the desire of some that he should be set aside to preach the gospel to the Indians, a plan that did not eventuate. But throughout his life he was an able leader in the community and a great help in all mat- ters growing out of the relationship with the Indians. On the whole, this relationship remained peaceful through the years. I
In her paper concerning the history of the Indians of this area, Mrs. Charles C. Ford says that they owed their alle-
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giance to the Pequot and Mohegan tribes and were known as the "warriors of the rising sun." Woodbury was the first settlement in Litchfield County, being settled in 1672, and was purchased from the Indians in five transactions. For example, several thousand acres were paid for with one hatchet, valued at four shillings, and lead and powder to the amount of ten shillings. In addition to group arrangements there were various settlers who dealt with the Indians on an individual basis and thus secured deeds to property. It is said that David Calhoun, whose family name was given to one of our streets, made such an arrangement, securing a generous tract of land a mile square for a cow and a calf. One deed of land secured from the Indians in 1746 by Sam- uel Averill has remained in the possession of the Averill family from that day to this.
When Woodbury was settled, the land was in the posses- sion of the Pootatuck tribe of which the most prominent leader was Waramaug. When the land was deeded to the settlers, it is said that he reserved for himself a reservation of about two thousand acres in the northern section near Mount Tom and Lake Waramaug that now bears his name. Farther to the east and north was another tribe of Indians called the Bantams and the Shepaug River was named after one of their chieftains.
The section of Washington now called Romford was an Indian battleground in olden times. Many arrowheads have been discovered there. On a hillside near the farm that was owned by Deacon Baldwin was the Indian burial ground where the dead were buried in a sitting position, facing the east.
Waramaug was a man of unusual qualities and endeav- ored to serve his people to the best of his abilities. Rev.
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Daniel Boardman of the New Milford Colony instructed him in the Christian faith and it is said that Waramaug passed away as a believing Christian about 1735. The story goes that Waramaug's wife was opposed to the white man's religion and one day while Parson Boardman was praying with him she sent for an Indian medicine man who began a powwow near the door. The minister kept on raising his voice so that the sick man could hear him above the uproar. Each grew louder and louder, the minister resolved not to be silenced by such a competitor. A crowd gathered. The minister said afterward that he prayed fully three hours before he was allowed to come off the victor. The medicine man finally gave an unearthly yell, took to his heels, and kept running until he reached the Housatonic.
The interest of the people of Washington in the Indians was doubtless stimulated by the establishment of a school in nearby Cornwall for the education of foreign youth. This school was founded in 1817 by the American Board of Com- missioners for Foreign Missions. It became famous through- out this part of the country and to it came pupils from many lands. There was Henry Obookiah of the Hawaiian Islands who became a devout Christian, translating parts of the scriptures into his own language, and dying at an early age in the year 1818. To the school also came Kille- keenah, a chief of the Cherokee nation of Indians, located in Georgia. The young chief took the name of a distinguished United States Congressman, Elias Boudinot, who had be- friended him in various ways. At Cornwall Elias fell in love with Harriet Gold, the daughter of a prominent resident of Cornwall. In spite of the sensation caused by the engage- ment, the young couple were married in Cornwall on May 1st, 1826, and went to Georgia to live. Mrs. Boudinot lived
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among the Indians for ten years, laboring for their uplift and active in Christian work. These activities and the care of six children were too much for her and she passed away after a short illness on August 15th, 1836. An excellent account of the life of Elias Boudinot has been written by a granddaughter, Mary Brinsmade Church.
The most significant contribution made by the Washing- ton church for the welfare of the Indians, however, was through the brothers Samuel and Gideon Pond. They came of an old colonial family which came to New England about 1630. The sixth in line from the original pioneer was named Edward and married a sister of Rev. Adoniram Judson, Sr., settling in Woodbury. Edward's eldest son, Elnathan Jud- son, married Sarah Hollister of Washington and to them were born Samuel William Pond, April 10, 1808, and Gideon Hollister Pond, June 30, 1810. There were seven other children in the family. When thirteen years old, Samuel became apprenticed to the clothier's trade with a Captain Moody who lived near the Shepaug River, a short distance from Steep Rock. Gideon for a time was appren- ticed to a carpenter but later lived with a married sister, Mrs. Jonathan Hine, where he worked as a farmer.
It was during the revival of 1831 that both Samuel and Gideon passed through a deep spiritual experience. With over a hundred others, they joined the First Church and for each of them it was the commencement of a new life. From that moment the inspiring motive for each of them was a keen desire to serve Christ and an eager love for their fel- low men. Samuel was unable to do manual work because of a long illness. He desired to find a more needy field than was afforded by New England. Hence it was agreed that Samuel
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should go west and if he found a promising field, later send for Gideon.
In March, 1833, he set out, going by boat from New Haven to New York, thence by boat to the coast of New Jersey from which landing place he went by stage to Pitts- burgh. From Pittsburgh he took passage down the Ohio. During this journey he fell sick with cholera, from which he recovered. He stopped at Galena, Illinois, where he spent the winter, busying himself in Sunday School work and other activities. One day in Galena he went into a liquor store to protest against the sale of liquor. He became a friend of the proprietor and from him learned something about the Da- kota Indians. After thinking the matter over prayerfully, Samuel wrote to his brother, Gideon, suggesting that the latter join him in the spring and undertake with him an in- dependent mission to the Sioux who were also called the Dakota Indians. The hardships Samuel must have under- gone in his travels west may be inferred from a phrase in one of his letters to Gideon: "Since I left you, I have met little calculated to attach me to this world but much to remind me that we have no continuing city or abiding place."
Moreover he was not impressed by the tone of community life in frontier communities as the following reference to Galena shows: "This is one of the strongholds of the prince of darkness. It has appeared to me like the gate of hell. The worst kind of vices prevail to a high degree. I believe the church consists of about seventeen members yet I fear they exert but little influence on the world around them. Drunk- enness prevails to a great extent. Gambling houses are openly kept. Swearing is common, even among children."
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