USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > The history of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, from the settlement of the town in 1639 to 1818, Vol. II > Part 11
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TO THE HONORABLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, sitting at Hartford the second Thursday of May, 1725. The humble prayer of the inhabitants of Fairfield North Village humbly showeth, that there are about fifty families living north of Fairfield, at a considerable distance from the town, some five or six miles, & the nearest of them about two miles & a half or more, whose lists amount to £4,000, which inhabitants labor under great diffi- culties on account of their enjoyment of some of the precious means of grace, especially the proclaiming of the word of life, in the ordinary way & means God uses in the con- version & bringing home poor, lost & undone sinners. Not only ourselves are frequently obliged to be absent from divine worship, but our poor children are under a kind of neces- sity of perishing for lack of vision, both which are very troublesome to those who are inquiring what they shall do to be saved, & that are hungering & thirsting after Christ & salvation & righteousness in & through him. The distance of the way, especially in bad weather, utterly incapacitates many persons, old & young, to go to the house of God, which makes us willing rather to expend considerable of our earthly treasure in main- taining the public worship of God among ourselves than to lose our spiritual treasure &
* Hist. of Fairfield, Vol. I., p. 360. + Col. Rec. Conn., 1717-1725, P. 512.
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umdo any of our poor, immortal souls, esteeming each of them better than a one thon and worlds."
Signed by Thomas Hill, John Bartram, David Williams, Benj. Gilbert, Benjamin Franklin, Thos. Turney, Daniel Adams, Elijah Crane, Ebenezer Hull, & sixty two others "
The Assembly granted this petition, provided the inhabitants of the northwest parish paid all their dues to the old parish of Fairfield as be- fore, until the Court should take further action in their case. Mr. John Clop of Norwalk, Captain John Hawly and Mr. Edmund Lewis, both of Stratford, were appointed a committee to inspect the circumstances of the northwest parish and make a report to the October session of the Assembly.+
At a meeting held November 25th, 1725, with John Hyde for mode- rator, the northwest parish agreed to call the Rev. John Goodsell to be their minister, and that they would settle upon him an annual salary of one hundred pounds, in bills of credit, so long as he lived as a minister among them; but if through age or inability to attend to his duties, they agreed " to give him an honorable support or maintenance of one hun- dred pounds of current bills of credit of the colony a year." To this agreement John Goodsell signed his name. The names of Benjamin Banks, John Hyde, George Hull, John Burr, Peter Burr, David Williams and Joseph Banks were signed in behalf of the parish. On the following January it was voted: " That a suitable tax should be levied to pay the expenses of the parish; & that two sign posts should be set up, one at the meeting house, and one at Hull's Farmns (so called) to warn the parish meetings on-all warnings to be nailed to the posts five days be- fore a meeting."
At the same time :
"The Court, taking into consideration the representation of the General Association. met at Hartford on this instant May, respecting the circumstances of the old or first parish in Fairfield, by reason of the infirmities that have a long time attended the Rev. Mr. Joseph Webb, pastor of that church, he being much disabled, & through weakness. & infirmity not able to carry on the work of the gospel ministry amongst his people, to the great grief of the good people in that society: Upon consideration of which, this Court recommends it to said society to agree with some other orthodox minister, as soon as con- veniently they can, & call him to the help of Mr. Webb in the work of the ministry." ;
The town acting upon this liberty, called the Rev. Noah Hobart to
* Greenfield Ilill Parish Records. State Colonial Eclesiastical Rec., Vol. 3
+ Col. Rec. Conn., 1717-1725, pp. 522 and 573.
+ Col. Rec. Conn., 1717-1725. p. 547. Hist. Fairfield, Vol. I. p. 420.
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act in the capacity of a colleague to Mr. Webb. Mr. Hobart was a grandson of the Rev. Peter Hobart of Hingham, Mass., and as he was a young man of superior ability and accomplishments, he proved most acceptable to the people of the Prime Ancient Society.
Measures were taken to assist in prosecuting the war against the Indians and to carry out the orders given in May, to which was added the following: " That if any number of effectual men or particular per- sons should equip themselves at their own expense & go forth, upon news of the approach of the enemy, & take any scalps, they should receive the sum of one hundred pounds out of the public treasury of the colony for each scalp brought into the Assembly."*
It appears that Captain Samuel Couch, having purchased of the late Hon. Nathan Gold and Major Peter Burr, acting as agents for the As- sembly, to sell the county land lying between Danbury and Fairfield, now petitioned that he should receive a patent for one half of this land, which he had purchased. The other half had been previously sold. The Assembly ordered that he should be given a patent of his purchase, " saving always to the Indian Chicken, what he in his deed to the peti- tioner had reserved and saved to himself & his heirs."+
Captain Joseph Wakeman and the Fairfield representatives were pres- ent at the opening of the General Assembly in New Haven, October 14th.
The committee to examine into the condition of the North West par- ish of Fairfield made a favorable report to the Assembly, which grauted " that the said parish shall [have] & hath allowed all the privileges & advantages as are allowed by law to other parishes in this govern- ment."
At a meeting of the Council of War at this time hostilities between the Indians and the frontier towns having been quieted, the restriction against Indians hunting in the forests was withdrawn; only, they were prohibited from painting, and were to wear a white cloth on their heads " to distinguish them from the enemy."
The 10th of November was appointed as an annual thanksgiving day. The Church of England at Fairfield had been so far completed that on this happy occasion it was opened for the first time for divine worship, and was named Trinity Church. This church Mr. Caner afterwards de-
* Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 1716-1725, P. 535.
t Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 1716-1725, P. 540. # Col. Rec. Conn., 1717-1725, P. 573.
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scribes as a wooden structure .* The location of this church appears to have been near the late Rev. Dr. Samuel Osgood's residence on the Rocks, above Ilyde's Pond, and very near Dr. Laborie's stone house. and the stone powder-house still standing. In the early part of the present century the tombstones of the church burial ground east of the late Jon- athan Sturges residence formed a part of the fencing of a lot near which this first Church of England stood. Within a few years they have been reverently gathered and placed in the Burial Hill Cemetery at Fairfiell.
Mr. Henry Caner, who was a graduate of Yale College, became the assistant of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson at Stratford and Fairfield, until he went to England for holy orders. This young man was the son of Mr. Henry Caner of Stratford, who had the honor of building the first rector's house of Yale College.
1726. The General Assembly met at Hartford May 12th, when Cap tain Joseph Wakeman was elected an Assistant, and Major John Burr and Mr. Ebenezer Wakeman representatives from Fairfield. Major John Burr was chosen one of the treasury auditors.
Mr. Greshom Bulkley was confirmed captain, Mr. Moses Ward cornet player and Mr. Thaddeus Burr quartermaster of the Fairfield County troops. Mr. Thomas Hill was confirmed captain, Mr. Moses Dimon, Jr .. lieutenant, and Mr. Samuel Wakeman ensign of the train-band of the North West parish of Fairfield.+
It was enacted that any person " guilty of profane swearing, cursing. drunkenness or Sabbath breaking." should be judged by the law and punished.
It was represented at this time that the fees of the judges and justices and jurors of the County Courts were too small. It was, therefore. enacted " that the judges of the County Courts should receive seven shil- lings, justices six shillings & the grand jurors three shillings per diem. the jurors eighteen shillings & a justice of the peace four shillings, for every action tried before them."
The law for admitting strangers to become inhabitants in the towns of the colony was made forcible by the following act :
" That if any person or persons shall, contrary to the intent of this law. entertam, or hire any stranger or transient person, or let any house or land to such stranger, or transient person, without giving good security to the authorities & select men, he should forient the
* Hist. Prot. Epis'l Church by Bishops Hawkes and Perry, p. 110.
t Col. Rec. Conn., 1726-1735, p. S.
6
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sum of twenty shillings per week for every week he shall harbor, entertain or hire any such person :- that it shall be in the power of the authorities & select men to refuse bonds & securities, unless such strangers had first been given permission to remain in any town. And that no planter or person belonging or living in any of the towns in the colony, should sell or convey land to strangers, contrary to An Act for directing the admission of town inhabitants should for every such offence pay a fine of twenty pounds." *
Postmen employed in the public service, or witnesses in civil or crim- inal causes, were allowed " five pence per mile out for their travelling expenses."
Major John Burr was appointed with John Hooker, Esq., to receive and immediately burn all torn and defaced bills of credit.
The Governor and Council in June appointed Andrew Burr sheriff of the County of Fairfield.
The 18th of May was a glad day among the inhabitants of Fairfield North West parish, who assembled in their meeting and school-house to embody themselves in church state; to receive the covenant, as well as to ordain the Rev. John Goodsell as their minister. The Covenant of the North West parish was the same as that of Green's Farms.
Under this Covenant were subscribed the following names :
John Goodsell
John Burr
Peter Burr
John Hide
Ebenzer Hull
Theophilus Hull
George Hull
Cornelius Hull
Stephen Burr
Daniel Bradley
Obadiah Gilburd
The ordination of the Rev. Mr. Goodsell followed.
Samuel Wakeman Esqr. & Moses Dimon Esqr. were made deacons.t
The Rev. Mr. Goodsell was a native of Stratford. He was born in 1706, graduated at Yale College in 1724 and was but twenty years of age when he was ordained pastor of the Greenfield church. He married Mary Lewis of Stratford, who became the mother of seven sons and. eight daughters.
The law which had been passed some few years previous, allowing the constables and selectmen to receive and pay out the public money for the benefit of schools, proved unwise, as it was found that money was taken where no schools were legally kept. This law was in consequence repealed.
It was voted, at a parish meeting held at Fairfield, October 26th, to maintain a parish school as on the previous year.
* Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 1726-1735, p. 2I. + Greenfield Parish Records.
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As no provision had been made for such societies as had separated from the first society in any of the towns to form themselves into a so- ciety, or how to warn the first society meeting after the General As- sembly had granted parish privileges, the following law was passed in October :
" That when any society was legally set off in any town, an assistant or justice of the peace, together with three of the principal inhabitants in any such first society, should, by a warrant under the hand of such assistant or justice & three inhabitants aforesaid, warn all the inhabitants in the limits of said society, to meet together at such time and place as they shall appoint, when & where they shall first choose a moderator, & then a clerk, who shall by some assistant or justice of peace be sworn to a faithful discharge of his office; which being effected, they may proceed to enact anything lawful & proper for such a society to do, as in case of other societies." *
At the sitting of the October Assembly in New Haven, Captain John Wakeman and Mr. John Lockwood represented Fairfield in place of Major John Burr and Mr. Ebenezer Wakeman.
The taxable estates of Fairfield were represented to be £26.880 Ios 6d.
At a meeting of the Governor and Council at Hartford, December 29th, the death of Judge Joseph Wakeman was announced. He died in the fifty-sixth year of his age, and lies buried in the Burial Hill Cemetery of Fairfield.+ Major John Burr was appointed to act in his place as Judge of Probate for Fairfield County.
At a parish meeting held in October at Fairfield North West parish (or Greenfield) it was:
" Voted, That a meeting-house should be built, & be begin the ensuing year ; & that the dimensions of said meeting-house shall be 52 ft. in length, 42 ft. in breadth & 24 or 25 ft. between joints-that the meeting-house shall be set or stand half way between Mr. Samuel Whitlock's north-cast corner of his home lot, & the meeting-house where we now meet. Thomas Hill, John Burr, Moses Diamond, & Benjamin Banks, were chosen a com- mittee to take care of building the meeting-house & to agree with some person or persons to build the said house."
In the month of September the Rev. Mr. Pigot reported to the Sec- retary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel the following :
At Fairfield the number daily increases, & they have erected a small Church, which I opened last fall, & we call it Trinity Church. And Mr. Henry Caner takes a great deal of pains to very good purpose. & will I doubt not prove a very worthy man. but he has a slender support from his people. He designs, about two years hence, to wait on the honorable society for orders & a mission, unless they see cause to forbid it. In the mean time, as he stands in great need of it, so lie & the people would be thankful, if the honorable
* Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 7, p. 74. + 11ist. Fairfield, Vol. I., p. 417.
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society would be pleased to grant him a small encouragement for the pains he takes in instructing that people & their children in the principles of religion, which he now per- forms in the quality of a sort of Catechist. omitting everything that is sacerdotal. But not only he, but sundry other very worthy young gentlemen, dreading the thought of so tedious a voyage, wait with great impatience in hopes that possibly, Providence may send us a Bishop, for want of which the Church in these parts is derided & laughed to scorn; while our enemies can take the advantage of immediately fixing teachers whenever they please, in opposition to the Church, & defy us to our faces."
1727. The year of 1727 opened with serious troubles among the good people of Fairfield. It appears that some of our ancestors, even in the Congregational and Presbyterian churches, were as bitterly opposed to the control of church and state in America as their forefathers had been to the same form of government in England. The taxes laid upon the towns for the support of the Established Church of the colony proved most offensive to the people of the Church of England, and some of the gentlemen at Fairfield resolved to resist a law which they deemed to be as unjust as it was unreasonable. They, therefore, refused to pay the tax collector for the support of the Congregational Church of the town, upon the plea that as they did not attend that church and were not al- lowed to vote at their parish meetings, "it was taxation without repre- sentation," in consequence of which they were imprisoned in the jail.
The Rev. Mr. Johnson sent the following account of their condition to the Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
"Upon their request I came to the prison, & found it full of them, & an insulting mob about them. I administered what comfort I could to them, but I wish your Lordship, or some of your sacred character, could have been by to behold the contempt & indignation which our holy religion suffers among an ungrateful people. I assure your Lordship, the Church here is in a gaping condition, though, indeed, our people bear it with as much meekness & patience as could be expected."
The Rev. Mr. Johnson writes: "that it was their own contrivance to fall into this method."
In April Mr. Henry Caner embarked for England, carrying with him a letter of introduction from the Rev. Mr. Johnson to the Society. The following extract from this letter will give some idea of the comfort Dr. Johnson derived from having this young man associated with him in the Church. After recommending him as in every way worthy of the con- fidence of the Society, he thus wrote :
" He has already done a great deal of good service at Fairfield for the time he has been among them, in the quality of a catechist & school-teacher, & will be very acceptable
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to them as a missionary as appears by their address enclosed, & will likewise be a great comfort to me, in my solitary neighborhood, in conspiring with me to forward the interests of religion in this country, & thereby relieve me of a great part of that burthen that hes upon me, who, besides Fairfield, have five places which I am obliged to visit & administer to as often as I conveniently can." *
At the meeting of the General Assembly at Hartford, May rith, Fair- field was represented by Mr. Robert Silliman and Mr. John Osborn. Major John Burr was appointed Judge of the Fairfield County Court and also Judge of Probate.
The following memorial of Moses Ward and others was offered by the churchmen of Fairfield :
" Upon the prayer of Moses Ward of Fairfield, To the Honorable, the Governor, Assistants & Representatives in General Court assembled this 15, of May 1727, the request of sundry members of the Church of England in Fairfield humbly showeth that,
Whereas, we are by the honorable society in England, & the Bishop of London, laid under obligation to pay the support of the said established church,-having accordingly constantly paid it,-been at a great charge in building a church for the worship of God, we pray this Assembly would, by some act or otherwise, as your wisdom shall think fit, excuse us hereafter from paying to any dissenting minister, or to the building of any dissenting meeting-house. And whereas we were, ten of us, lately imprisoned for our taxes, & had considerable sums of money taken from us by distraint, contrary to his honor the Gov- ernor's advice, & notwithstanding solemn promises before given to set down & be con- cluded thereby in this affair, we pray that those sums of money taken from us be restored again. If these grievances may be redressed, we shall aim at nothing but to live peaceably as becometh Christians among our dissenting brethren; & your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c.
MOSES WARD / Church SAMUEL LYON & Wardens. DOUGAL MCKENZIE JOHN LOCK WOOD NATHAN ADAMS Vestry.
BENJ. STURGES, &C.
In the name & behalf of all the rest of the brethren." t
In response to this petition the General Assembly enacted the fol- lowing law :
" That all persons who are of the Church of England, & those who are of the churches established by the laws of this government, that live in the bounds of any parish allowed by this Assembly, shall be taxed by the parishioners of said parish by the same rule & m the same proportion, for the support of the ministry in such parish : but if it so happen that there be a society of the Church of England, where there is a person in orders accord- ing to the canons of the Church of England settled, & abiding among them, & performing divine service, so near to any person that hath declared himself of the Church of England
* Hist. Prot. Episcopal Church in America, by Bishops Hawkes and Perry, p. 115.
+ Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 1725-1735, p. 106.
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that he can conveniently & doth attend the public worship there, then the collectors, having first indifferently levied the tax above said, shall deliver the taxes collected of such persons declaring themselves & attending as aforesaid, unto the minister of the church of England living near unto such person; which minister shall have full power to receive & recover the same, in order to his support in the place assigned to him. But if such pro- portion of taxes be not sufficient in any society of the Church of England, to support the incumbent there, then such society may levy & collect of them who profess & attend as aforesaid, greater taxes at their own discretion for the support of their minister. And the parishioners of the Church of England, attending as aforesaid, are hereby excused from paying any taxes for building meeting-houses for the present established churches of this government." *
This step on the part of our ancestors may be regarded as the first effectual effort taken towards establishing the rights of religious freedom in America. Others in the colony had advocated it, but without success. The struggle was one, however, of years in fully accomplishing, but like almost everything else based upon justice, freedom and righteousness, it prevailed; and we Christians of the present day, in a great measure, enjoy the peace and good-will in our communities which our sturdy fore- fathers persevered in and accomplished for us.
At the same session of the General Assembly the Fairfield North West parish was given the name of Greenfield, according to the custom of those days in naming a parish set off from other parishes. The first part of the name having been taken from Green's Farms and the latter part from Fairfield, making Green-field.+
It appears at this time that certain persons in the colony distilled liquor from molasses, and as it was judged to be very unwholesome a fine of three shillings a gallon was imposed upon such offenders.
The session of the Assembly met at New Haven, October 12th, when Major John Burr and Mr. Andrew Burr were present.
During the sitting of this Court a most interesting scene took place on the College Green at New Haven. King George the Second had succeeded his father on the throne of England, and throughout the Eng- lish colonies in America he was proclaimed our Sovereign Lord, King George the Second, of Great Britain, etc., with great demonstrations of joy. The Colonial Records give the following account of the proceed- ings at New Haven :
" According to the orders of this Assembly the regiment of the County being drawn up on the great square before the court-house the Governor & Council & Representatives, * Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 7, p. 107, and Colonial Ecclesiastical Records. t Col. Rec. Conn., Vol. 7, p. 143.
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the Reverend Trustees of Yale College, & many of the clergy, with many of the principal planters, & a great concourse of people at the head of the regiment, a proclamation was read to an herald appointed, who proclaimed our Sovereign Lord King George the Se .- ond, according to said proclamation, in the most solemn manner, & was concluded with great demonstrations of joy. Afterwards several of the members of the A sembly, the said reverend trustees, with many of the clergy, & the officers of the said regiment of all orders, before his Honor-the Governor-& Council, readily & cheerfully took the oath, provided by act of Parliament & appointed to be taken instead of the oaths of allegiance & supremacy, & the oath of abjuration, & also they made the solemn declaration aganist popery, according to the form & effect of the said Act of Parliament."
" A treat of thirty pounds was ordered to be made for the refreshment of the soldiers ; a quarter of a pound of powder to be allowed each sentinel: & a sufficient quantity of powder for discharging three of the great guns on that day."
"It was also ordered that ten pounds of candles should be provided to illuminate the New Haven Court House, & a barrel of good wine be provided for the refreshment of the Assembly." *
Thomas Nash was confirmed captain, Mr. Isaac Sherwood lieutenant and Mr. Nathan Morehouse ensign of the Green's Farms train-band.
It appears at this time that the towns in the colony were disturbed with many " evil disposed & dissolute persons, which led the Assembly to resolve:
"That land should be sequestered & a house, or houses of correction erected at Hart ford, New Haven & New London, for keeping, correcting & setting to work all rogues, vagabonds, common beggars & other lewd, idle, dissolute & disorderly persons, that the authorities of each town should watch for & arrest persons using any subtle craft, juggling, or unlawful games or plays, or feigning themselves to have knowledge of physiognomy, palmistry, or pretend they can tell destinies, fortunes, or discover where lost or stolen goods may be found, common pipers, fiddlers, runaways, stubborn servants or children, common drunkards, common night-walkers & pilferers. A suitable master was ordered to be appointed to set all persons sent to his custody to work & labor [if they be able]. & to punish them by putting fetters or shackles upon them, by moderate whipping, not to exceed ten stripes at once, (unless by commitment otherwise directed ) at their first coming in, & from time to time, if they be stubborn or idle." If this punishment did not br ng them to perform their tasks, "they are to be reasonably stinted in food. until they be reduced to better order." Those belonging to any town were ordered to be supported by their families, or the towns from which they were sent ; but if not an inhabitant of any town, they were to be supported out of the public treasury. If industrious they were to be allowed out of their earnings two-thirds for their support, unless heads of families, when their earnings, or as much as the county-court thought necessary, should go to the support of their families." t
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