USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > The churches of Mattatuck : a record of bi-centennial celebration at Waterbury, Connecticut, Novermber 4th and 5th, 1891 > Part 10
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Probably the most noticeable work of the society during Mr. Blackman's pastorate was the building of what is called the "parish house," the idea of which was conceived, and its establishment pro- vided for and assured by loving and generous
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hearts, before he came among us. Its possibilities of benefit to the church and community, which Mr. Blackman foresaw, at once enlisted his warmest interest and most earnest effort. His labors of body and mind were constant and arduous in its behalf from the commencement of the work until, on the roth day of October, 1888, with grateful and joyous hearts we saw it dedicated. As the plan- ning and paying had all been accomplished before I was connected with the church, I may be par- doned for saying that this parish house is, for beauty of style and finish, convenience of arrange- ment, and adaptation to its purposes, unrivalled in any village of the size of Naugatuck and in very few of the largest cities. In this building are now held our prayer meetings, social meetings, Sunday school sessions, etc. It also contains a memorial library and reading room, free to the public,-a gift to the people of Naugatuck from a member of the church. Provision is made by the "parish house association " for a course of first-class lectures each winter, at extremely low rates, also for literary and musical entertainments of such a nature as will be not only interesting but educational and uplifting in their influence.
It seems an injustice to say so much of the growth and prosperity of the church and so much of the pastors who have been set over it, and nothing of the other officers, some of whom have gone to their reward, while others have borne for a quarter of a century, and still bear, the honor and burden of office; or of those brethren and sisters whose faith and self-denying, consecrated works have, with the blessing of God, made it possible for
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us to report, to-day, that our membership has increased from sixteen to more than 300, that we have a Sunday school of nearly 300 members, and a Christian Endeavor society of nearly 100, that we have a comfortable house of worship, a parish house such as I have described, a home for our pas- tor (when we get one), and a society free from debt. But time and your patience will not allow us to do more than this.
It may be thought that this report presents only the bright side of the picture, and suggests that we are a little self-satisfied and egotistical. But what daughter is there who does not want everybody, and especially her mother, to think that she has done well since setting up housekeeping for her- self? I can truly say, however, that I have no other side to present. There may have been in this church dissensions and quarrels, grievous scandals and trials for heresy, but if so, it was before my acquaintance with it began, and they have not been made known to me. We are, I believe, a united, loving family. We ask of thee, O mother, a mother's prayers, and a mother's bless- ing. May no act of ours bring a blush of shame to thy fair and saintly face, or .a pang of sorrow to thy loving heart. May the tide of holy influence that flows from thee never cease. And as we, in our infancy, were called by the name of Salem, so mayest thou, in thine old age, be a true Salem, a house of perpetual peace.
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THE CHURCH AT NORTHFIELD.
BY J. A.
The date of the first settlement of Northfield is not certainly known; but it must have been before 1762. Among the earliest settlers were Titus Tur- ner and John Humaston, who came from North Haven with their ox-teams, consuming a week on their journey. The parish was at first known as South-East Farms; the name "Northfield " was formed, like a good many others in Connecticut, by piecing together portions of other names. The "North" came from Northbury and the "field " from Litchfield. The first meeting for ecclesiastical purposes, of which any record remains, was held October 15th, 1789, at which it was voted to hire a minister for six months. A "burying yard " was laid out in 1791, and in 1792 a committee was appointed to build a meeting house. On April 2Ist, 1794, it was voted to petition the General As- sembly to be set off as a distinct society, and on the 24th of November it was voted to extend a call to the Rev. Joseph E. Camp, and to give him a " settlement" of a hundred pounds, and more if it could be raised,-his salary to be seventy pounds a year (lawful money) for four years, seventy-five pounds the fifth year, eighty pounds the sixth year, and eighty-five pounds thereafter. An additional vote of firewood was afterward made, the amount not to exceed " thirty cords, sled length." Thus far the people had enjoyed society privileges for only six months of the year, having to pay taxes for the
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support of the gospel in Litchfield the rest of the time.
The organization of the Northfield church took place on the Ist of January, 1795. The earliest record opens as follows:
A number of members from the several churches of North- bury, Litchfield, North Haven, Westbury and Cheshire having by the providence of God fixed their residence in this society, and being desirous of enjoying gospel ordinances among them- selves, met this day at the house of Mr. William Washburn for the purpose of forming themselves into a regular gospel church.
Of those who united in the new organization one came from the Cheshire church, two from North Haven, two from Litchfield, two from Westbury and seven from the church in Northbury. Of the four- teen members nine were received from the two churches (Watertown and Plymouth) which had sprung from the old church in Waterbury.
The services of the day began with prayer, and a sermon was preached by the Rev. Simon Water- man, of Plymouth, on the text, "Ye are the light of the world." Mr. Waterman "acted as modera- tor, in leading and assisting the several members in forming themselves into a distinct church upon the gospel plan." These persons "exhibited proper testimonials of their regular standing in the churches from which they came," and " did expli- citly assent and consent" to a brief confession of faith and a covenant, and in testimony thereof sub- scribed their names, after which " they were declar- ed by the moderator to be a regular church of Christ according to the gospel plan." They then unanimously voted to invite Mr. Joseph Eleazer Camp to settle with them in the work of the gospel
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ministry and take the pastoral charge of them; and Titus Turner, Abel Atwater and John Warner were appointed to wait on Mr. Camp and request his answer. It was voted that if Mr. Camp accepted the call, this committee should convene a council of churches to ordain him; also, that on the day of fast- ing, previous to the ordination, the church should publicly assent to the articles of faith just adopted, and renew their covenant with God and one ano- ther; also that on that day they should elect dea- cons. The fast took place on the 2nd of February, and the ordination February 12th, 1795.
On the 7th of September following, a committee was appointed to stake out the green and fix the site for the meeting house. At a meeting in Novem- ber it was decided that the meeting house should be fifty by thirty-eight feet, and a subscription was opened for materials of all kinds. The house was begun in the summer of 1796; in August, 1801, it was voted to finish it "as plain as could be done with decency," and it was finished in 1803. In December of that year a committee of eight was appointed to "seat " the congregation. Those who paid the heaviest taxes were assigned seats near- est the pulpit, after which the order was dependent on age.
The epoch at which the church was begun was one of great intellectual activity in the town in which it was situated. The famous Litchfield law school was then in full career under Judge Reeve, and Miss Pierce's school for young ladies had lately been opened in the same village. A post- rider had not long before begun his bi-weekly trips to New York, and a post office had been established
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Wolcott was in Washington's cabinet, and members of congress and several officers of note in the Rev- olution resided there, and exercised an influence over all the region which stimulated both enter- prise and religion.
Mr. Camp's pastorate continued until June, 1837. By that time the people thought he was too old to preach, and he was dismissed. During his forty- two years of ministry 175 members were added to the church. He had six sons and a daughter, and as his salary never exceeded four hundred dollars a year, he found it necessary " to work his land like any farmer." An anecdote which has been con- nected with other Connecticut pastors and parishes seems with good reason to be credited to Mr. Camp. Preaching in the church at Wolcott, in exchange with the Wolcott pastor, he announced with a sig- nificance which was promptly recognized and resented, the hymn,
Lord, what a wretched land is this, That yields us no supply !
The chorister, according to the custom of the time, announced the tune, and we may suppose he did it with peculiar satisfaction-saying, "Sing North- field."
Between 1837 and 1844 the church was without a settled pastor. The pulpit was supplied by the Rev. Messrs. B. H. Campbell, J. W. Salter, Stephen Hub- bell, Aaron Snow, William Ransom, William Rus- sell, Frank Howe and Samuel Moseley, and during this period twenty-two were received as members. The Rev. Joel S. Dickinson was pastor from Febru- ary, 1844 to June, 1851. The Rev. Lewis Jessup was settled in November, 1851, and remained three
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years; after which the Rev. Noah Coe supplied the pulpit for fifteen months. The Rev. Stephen Rogers was pastor from November, 1856, to February, 1859. Immediately thereafter, the Rev. James Richards, D. D., LL. D., who on account of his intemperance had been deposed from the ministry several years before, by the Presbytery of New Orleans, La., and was then teaching a school at Litchfield, was en- gaged to supply the pulpit. As this action was dis- approved by the Litchfield South Consociation, with which the church was connected, the church on June 20th dissolved its connection with that body. Dr. Richards's engagement terminated in 1860. Other pastors have served the church as fol- lows: Erastus Colton, 1861-1864, E. W. Tucker, 1864-1866, H. N. Gates, 1866-1871, E. B. Sanford, 1871-1873, S. G. W. Rankin, 1873-1874, M. J. Callan, 1874-1875, William Howard, 1875-1876, H. A. Ott- man, 1877-1881, E. C. Starr, 1881-1888, Joseph Kyte, 1888 to the present time.
By the will of Captain Asa Hopkins, a former resident of Northfield, who died in New Haven in December, 1855, a fund of ten thousand dollars was left to the church, its proceeds to go to the sup- port of the ministry. A legacy of about two thou- sand dollars, conditioned on the speedy removal of the society's debt of three thousand, was received in 1870 from the estate of Mrs. Wealthy Hotch- kiss. On the first of January, 1892, a legacy of twelve thousand dollars was received from the es- tate of William Gilbert, of Winsted,-one-third of it for the erection of a building to serve for a par- sonage and also as a place for a public library free to the town, one-fourth for a first purchase of
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books, and the remaining five thousand dollars to constitute a permanent fund for the support of the library .*
THE CHURCH IN MIDDLEBURY.
BY THE REV. W. F. AVERY.
It is my privilege, at this large family gathering, to introduce to you one of the younger daughters. At her birth the mother was already one hundred and five years of age, and this little one has now reached her ninety-fifth year. I hope to show that her history has not been entirely discreditable to the parent or the household.
Preparation was made for her by the formation of an ecclesiastical society five years beforehand, that is, just a century ago. A house of worship was completed in 1794, two years before the organiza- tion of the church. It was a building almost exactly the size of the present one, standing on the opposite side of our pretty park, its hospitable doors opening north, south and west. It had square pews, and over the high pulpit a sounding board, that none might fail to hear and receive the word. The feet of the listeners were warmed by
* Between January 1, 1882, and June 26, 1887, a series of Parish Papers, sixteen in number, was edited and issued by the Rev. E. C. Starr, the pastor at that time, in which sketches of the history of the Northfield church and society and the lives of the successive pastors were published. From these sketches and the doc- uments upon which they are based-obtained through the courtesy of Mr. Howard C. Peck-the foregoing account of the church has been compiled. Too much praise cannot be given to the Rev. Mr. Starr for his painstaking efforts to rescue from oblivion and put on record in accurate statement the facts pertaining to the life of the church and the ministry in Northfield; and it is to be hoped that at the cen- tenary of the church, January 1, 1895, these facts may be reproduced, "writ large " in a historical discourse, and published in permanent form.
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foot stoves which were filled in the intermission with coals at the Sunday house near by.
To organize the church, there gathered on the roth of February, 1796, a group of twelve persons, ten of whom were men, six bearing the familiar name of Bronson. They made a noble statement of the main object for which they entered into this sacred union, and adopted articles of faith and a covenant. In five or six weeks twenty-four more were received, the proportion of the sexes now being twenty-three women to thirteen men. The men only had voted in organizing, after the man- ner of the times; and this was the order of pro- cedure in selecting a pastor: First, the society held its meeting, inviting him to become pastor, with the promise of a salary of $400 a year, so long as he should sustain this relation to them, and in addition a "settlement" of $350, to be paid in the course of the first year. After this a meeting of the church was convened, and the church united in the call, and sanctioned the provision for the min- ister's support. Deacons having been chosen, your daughter and fellow worker was now fully equip- ped. Situated on your west, right by your side, her labors and yours have been intermingled, and each has had its influence upon the welfare of the other, from that day to this.
Was it a puny child, born ninety-five years ago, out on those lovely hills? You shall judge for yourselves. A fortnight since, I had the sad privi- lege of receiving at our cemetery, for burial, the earthly remains of one of our aged members, who had spent the last four or five years of her life with friends in your town. This burial led me to
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turn to our church manual for facts concerning her connection with our church. I found that in 1832 she had stood up, with thirteen others, to pro- fess her attachment to Christ. Her pastor was the Rev. Jason Atwater. Then I noticed that in that year forty-three were received into the church. I found that in a ministry, there, of fifteen years, Mr. Atwater was privileged to receive one hundred and eighty-seven persons. Of these, thirty-three only came by letter from other churches, and one hundred and fifty-four were received on profession. Was not that a very fruitful ministry in so small a town? The Rev. Mark Mead preceded him. Dur- ing Mr. Mead's pastorate of twenty years, one hun- dred and twenty-four joined the church by profes- sion, and twenty-five by letter. Before him the Rev. Ira Hunt, the first minister, gathered into the fold eighty-six in all, sixty-nine being by profes- sion.
These first three pastorates covered a period of forty-nine years. In this first half of its existence, the church received 422 members, and in its entire · history, of ninety-five years, it has received the goodly number of 726. What is especially to be noticed is, that only 166 of these, or less than one in five, came from other churches. The church has been God's instrument in bringing over from the world to the ranks of Christ's followers 560 precious souls, many of them to become efficient workers for him. Had we been a large manufacturing cen- tre, a tide of immigration would have set towards us, bringing with it many Christians, to strengthen us. But we are a farming community and a scat- tered people, having no factories. Hence our
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growth, as a church, has been very largely from within. In view of these numerous additions by profession, year after year, may I not present this off-shoot from you as a vigorous, fruitful vine, especially in the earlier portions of its history ?
But there is another view in which the fruitful- ness of the Middlebury church most strikingly appears. I refer to the large number who have gone out from its membership to help in other fields, to plant other churches or strengthen those already existing, to be officers and standard bear- ers in those churches, to become Christian fathers and mothers, training up families in the principles in which they had been indoctrinated in their youth. I have said that the church received in the first half of its existence 422 members. In our manual I find an asterisk placed against the names of 241 of these, to indicate that they had removed to other communities. Observe that 211 would be one-half of the whole number, but there were 241 whom the church sent forth as mission- aries, as it were, to those without. For the most part letters to other churches were given them, one and two at a time. But when the church was called upon to spare a considerable number at once, to help the settlements in New Connecticut (Ohio), it was hard to part with so many energetic citizens who were helpers at home. Blood is some- times drawn from the veins of a healthy person, and injected into those of an invalid. All through its life your daughter has been giving her life blood to others.
Look at the help she has returned to you, her mother, and your community. Was not Edward L.
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Bronson (your deacon for many years) a brother very highly esteemed ? We noticed those words, so tender and appreciative, which your pastor uttered at his recent funeral. His father, our Deacon Leonard Bronson, we loaned to you for some fifteen years. Then he gladly came back, to end his days with us. Did not our Silas Bronson give you the library which bears his name? and is he not through it blessing all your community ? He had resolved to make the donation to his native place, and to erect for it a handsome building; but one stepped in and advised that it should go to the more growing town of Waterbury. Except for that suggestion it would have graced and blessed our town. It was Middlebury that sent you Gideon
L. Platt, recognized so long as standing in the front rank of your physicians. We gave you George L. Townsend, to help edit the " Waterbury American," and Aaron Benedict, to help build up your great brass industry, as well as to hold an honorable office in this church. I point you to the biogra- phies of various other men of note mentioned in the "History of Waterbury," who went from Mid- dlebury to other places, far and wide, and made their mark for good. And the many inspiring lives begun on those quiet hillsides and trained in those homely farmhouses ought to make us feel that it is worth while to work for our hill towns. We must keep the springs among the hills pure, for the streams which issue from them are sure to flow down into the valleys, where our great manu- facturing centres are. Often the gift of one per- son going forth from an obscure home proves a rich boon to a large town, or even to a whole state.
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The small towns of Connecticut are full of splen- did illustrations of this.
Do I seem to have spoken with too much eulogy of my own little church ? What I have said was more especially true of it a generation ago, when it was most vigorous. Then, at least, the old gospel so manifestly proved itself the power of God unto salvation, that we, at the present day, may still learn much from the methods of our fathers. But they were far from perfect. Human nature, fifty or seventy-five years ago, was essentially what it is to-day. I find in the records of this church fre- quent mention of grievances and of meetings called to inquire into alleged faults. But the promptness with which action was taken was remarkable. Ordinarily time and place for a hearing were appointed within two or three weeks of the com- plaint, and the decision was reached without tedious delay. Often too the result was humble con- fession of wrong and restoration to full confidence again.
In reaching out to the ends of the earth in mis- sionary work we are much in advance of the fathers. From the first, contributions were taken regu- larly for home uses. But it was about twenty-three years before the duty of joining in the great mod- ern missionary movement was earnestly discussed. Then came gifts first to educate pious young men, to aid Andover Seminary and Yale College.
During these early years much was made of catechising the children. Saturday evenings were very generally devoted to this work. At one time a committee of five men was appointed to help for- ward this instruction of the children. As early as
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1818 a turn was made to regular Sabbath school work.
And now, in closing, comes a most important question: Has this vine, planted on yonder hills, vitality still ? Will it yet bear precious fruit? You as well as we are interested in the answer. Our young people will still drift toward you. All along our eastern border are families dependent for work on your shops. We have equipment for Christian work in an excellent house of worship and a parsonage, a Society of Christian Endeavor, a Sabbath school work branching out in three direc- tions, with a library freshly enlarged. We support our own preaching, and give a third as much more to others. We need not pecuniary help so much as the far richer gift of the Holy Spirit, that we may more zealously cultivate the important field of labor which lies within our reach.
Our fathers planted this church amid far greater pecuniary difficulties than ours. I hold in my hand · a curious looking document, bearing the date of 1786. It is the subscription paper for building our first Middlebury church. Forty-one names are attached, and the approximate value of gifts is expressed in pounds, shillings and pence. Like the Israelites in erecting the tabernacle, they gave what they had. Of money I find only sixteen shil- lings. But seven of them brought nails, which quite likely they had hammered out, eleven brought shingles, ten gave oak boards, three gave white- wood clapboards, eleven gave provisions at market prices, and twenty-five gave labor. With this ex- ample of sacrifice before us, we ought to go on supporting ourselves and helping others. Sacrifices
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for the gospel's sake make its messages precious, and bring with them rich gifts of the Holy Spirit. Oh! those twelve years of ingathering, which this Middlebury church has enjoyed, enlarging it as much as all the other eighty-three years! If the review of the history of these churches, to-day, shall lead us all, with one voice, to exclaim, " Come, from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon us," it will indeed be well. The best life of the fathers will then enter into our lives, and through us bear fruit forever.
THE CHURCH IN PROSPECT.
BY THE REV. W. H. PHIPPS.
The church in Prospect-a daughter ninety-three years old, although next to the youngest of the daughters-brings her greetings to-day to the aged mother.
This daughter is somewhat enfeebled, and has for many years been walking by the aid of crutches furnished by the sister churches of the state. Her feebleness, however, is not because of her age, but results from the fact that she does so much for the support of her aged mother and all her relatives in the cities; so that it will not be advisable to cover her with an extinguisher just yet, on the principle of the survival of the strongest and the destruction of the weakest. During the fourteen years of my pastorate, twenty-four have been dismissed from the Prospect church to join other churches, and there are several others who have recently gone to the cities, but have not transferred their church relationship. Yet our church numbers more com-
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municants to-day than it did fourteen years ago. At the same time, we think of one of the wealthiest men of Naugatuck as having been born in Prospect, and we can point to deacons and superintendents of Sabbath schools in churches in New Haven and Wallingford who were brought up here and went from us to their present fields of labor.
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